#death in the shadows prince in the sun (aesthetic) | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

acourtofthought · 4 months

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Hello!! Don’t know if you already have a post about this but I was thinking about it and wanted to know your opinion (its always so factual and clear I enjoy it thoroughly)

Okay so I think Elain and Lucien are not Light & Light, I may be mistaken but some people seem to think thats the reason why they would be boring or something. I do believe out of the many Elucien symbolisms (Fox and fawn, sun and flowers) I don’t see Elain as the “light” itself (dont know if there is more canon associating her as light aside from Feyre’s painting idea of Azriel and her).

I feel like SJM spent more time making Elain seek the sun and light than her being that. I do like that her color scheme during ACOSF has been amethyst and lavender, a color maybe associated with the sunset, and obviously flowers.

All this to say that’s one of the reasons why I’m not convinced with the Light and shadow aesthetic E/riels want to assign her to. I don’t think Elain would be light with Azriel, (as he described the necklace needing light to shine I do think that was probably a symbol of her maybe?) I do think the light and shadow aesthetic is a lot more prominent in gwynriel when Gwyn is continually associated with colors, and glowing etc.

Let me know what you think! I believe this is so interesting.

You keep making me smile!! Thank you for your very sweet opening paragraph.

It's so odd that people would consider a Light / Light aesthetic boring when Feyre / Rhys and Cassian / Nesta are of a similar aesthetic. Feyre might glow because of Helion's light but she herself claims she couldn't be with someone like Tarquin because of the darkness in her. Just as Rhys has a matching darkness.

Cassian and Nesta share the Lord of Bloodshed / Lady of Death warrior aesthetic, also dark and dark like Feysand.

Aelin and Rowan are the Assassin turned Queen and Warrior Prince.

In comparison, Chaol and Yrene had a bit of a light and light thing going on. Yrene had the light of a healer and Chaol had the whole Captain America good boy vibe, the "I'm trying to do right for my kingdom by fulfilling my soldiers duty", while being bothered by how dark Aelin could be at times because her work fell outside that of the typical combat. Yes he made mistakes and had prejudices against magic that he needed to overcome but there are very obvious personality differences between Aelin and Yrene and and he and Rowan.

SJM's aesthetics aren't an opposites kind of thing. Yes, she loves the imagery of "light" and dark like Stars in the Night Sky but those two things are still complimentary to one another. Her imagery lends itself to things like moonlight and shadows (Gwynriel cough cough), warrior who has walked alongside death and Nesta as death, his blade, NOT the blooming life and light of Spring (Elain) with the darkness and shadows and death of the NC (Az).

As far as Elain there are mentions of her having a light aesthetic as well as that of optimism and hope.

She had always been so full of light Elain had always been gentle and sweet - and I had considered it a different sort of strength. A better strength. To look at the hardness of the world and choose, over and over, to be kind. "She had looked at that cottage with hope. I had looked at it with nothing but hatred. And I knew which one of us had been stronger." Her sister turned toward her, glowing with health (wearing a lilac gown) She glowed with good health (wearing amethyst). Her sisters delicate scent of jasmine and honey lingered / like a promise of spring / a sparkling river. "the lovely fawn, blooming spring vibrant behind her. Standing before Death, shadows and terrors lurking over his shoulder. Light and dark." "Instead I spent most of my time with Elain in her little garden. / She had come alive here and her joy was infectious." (Elain in nature)

Elain is full of light, kind, full of hope, glowing when in certain situations. I think the reason we haven't seen much light from Elain is because of where she's at and how where she's at often absorbs that light from her.

Something E/riels fail to acknowledge, that the things associated with the Night Court take away from Elain's light.

"Light and dark, the space between their bodies a blend of the two. The only bridge of connection….that knife." "Elain in black was ridiculous." "The color of her long-sleeved modest gown leeched the brightness from her face." "But wearing black, no matter how much she claimed to be part of this court….it sucked the life from her." Her gaze shifted to the carved wooden rose she'd placed upon the mantel, half-hidden in shadows. "the brutal, beautiful armor so at odds with the lovely garden. And my sister sitting within it."

Elain retains some of her light no matter what but it's still subdued. Yes she's found some joy in the Night Court but that is because that's who she is, something Nesta confirms "had ALWAYS come easy to Elain. Had always made Elain special."

And we can tell that light is diminished because of the constant mentions of Elain choosing, while in the Night Court, to remain by the sunniest of windows, to her commenting how she needs sunshine, how darkness is not something she prefers.

"The suite was filled with sunlight. Every curtain shoved back as far as it could go, to let in as much sun as possible. As if any bit of darkness was abhorrent. As if to chase it away. And seated in a small chair before the sunniest of the windows, her back to us, was Elain."

"Still staring at the window, but she was out of her room."

"Sunlight on gold caught her eye - and Elain slowly turned from her vigil at the window."

"Elain stood at the wall of windows."

"Elain politely refused, taking up a spot in one of the wooden chairs set in the bay of windows. Also typical."

"What can I get you, Elain?" But Elain shook her head once more. "Sunshine."

To me it seems apparent that Elain is trying her best to hold on to her light and optimism but she clearly needs more. She loves her sisters and she's doing her best to fit in at the Night Court but she's not really coming into her own in a way where she stands out and shines from the others. In the Night Court, she's always in the background, always waiting by the windows and staring at the sun, being drawn to the sun.

Lucien literally has Sunshine within him. I don't think SJM is telling us Elain has to be with him because of his power but there is something in the fact that his power is that of the sun and Feyre notes that the gates to Elain's mind are covered in flowers or would be if it were not for the fact that the blossoms were all sealed, sleeping buds. It all lends itself to the imagery that she will come alive when with her mate. And it's not really about his power so much as the court the power is associated with, Day Court (or even Spring with his connections there). And how those in Day Court and Spring aren't mentioned as having the same darkness as those that exist in the Night Court. Something SJM tells us with her writing of Lucien's characters.

If you think of it, Lucien has been through JUST as much as Az, had just as traumatic a childhood. Lucien is still taking hit after hit while Az has the love of his brothers and even Feyre, Mor, etc. Yet Az did become the embodiment of darkness and cold, revenge and anger. Lucien, despite what he's gone through has maintained an affectionate, apologetic, non confrontational nature. He doesn't lash out or seek revenge, he maintains his composure and prefers not to battle to solve problems.

It's not only about Lucien's powers though that enhances the imagery associated with what Elain needs. It's that Lucien, while having the light of the sun in his veins, actually embodies that lightness. He is about life and peace (though he'll fight when necessary), not violence and revenge.

He is warm and loving (comforting Feyre in her sadness, covering both she and Elain with cloaks to prevent them from being cold), shows emotion on his face (like the devastation over Elain's hollowness). He vomited over the faerie losing his wings and Elain vomited over the Cauldron decimating the Illyrian forces. He and Elain are both very expressive in how they care for others, how they respond to unnecessary violence.

I'm not sure how two characters understanding one another fully and being able to live their lives in a way that doesn't upset the other, that doesn't bring the other discomfort could ever be considered boring. It's much better than Elain's light and penchant for life slowly being drained away by someone who lives in the shadows and embodies death or on the flip, Az contantly feeling guilty for who he is because he knows those things bother her.

#anti e/riel #elucien #pro elucien #elain archeron #lucien vanserra

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blaydiud · 2 years

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[ ✨ ] what aesthetics or symbols do you reference when writing your muse? are these backed up by canon, if your muse comes from a canon? is there any specific relevance to these choices?

headcanon prompts!

[ ✨ ] what aesthetics or symbols do you reference when writing your muse? are these backed up by canon, if your muse comes from a canon? is there any specific relevance to these choices?

I’ll start with the ones offered by canon, then gradually pick at the ones I personally have for him!

A monster, a wild beast, its silhouette shadowy and vague. The fangs and piercing gaze often suggest a lion, still young but just as deadly as its parent. The feet- hooves, claws, the tail, the tusks sometimes allude to a boar, ruthless and prowling. Its form depends a lot on context and on his own mental and emotional state. If proud and strong, feeling sure of himself- the lion shines through. In most other cases, it’s the boar who appears.

Then there’s the dead, in many shapes and forms. Skeletons, shadowy ghouls, mutilated corpses, disembodied voices and eyes staring from a spot his eyes can’t reach. That feeling of never being truly alone, always followed by something or someone, of brushing fingers with death yet it’s never really as if death were coming for him- rather it just lives with him. It’s the eerie foggy mornings when the sun has yet to turn the sky blue and the quiet, cold evenings where the shadows never seem quite right.

The knightly prince, but this only comes as a mask. A facade he slipped into to get through something, the Dimitri he thinks others want to see. Perfect, porcelain-faced with shining armor and a helmet that’s just enough to hide his face from the world.

A crown, because it’s what he thinks he is. Faceless, not a person but an object, a symbol of Faerghus’ rule that has no will of its own. It has no need for friends because all around it are its subjects or knights. It’s impersonal, distant, grand but nothing more than a lonely presence under the throne room’s skylights.

A star- its shape is the crest of Blaiddyd, but its exact meaning is left for the context to define. A guiding symbol, proud and overlooking of his lands and people, everything that he wishes to be. Seemingly perfect, shining and young but hiding years of degradation, pain and death. An explosion, the power to destroy and decimate, intense and violent but also beautiful in its own odd way. It’s impact and loss of control, to make decisions and impulsive actions that hurt the enemy but also those who stood too close to ground zero.

The griffon- a dream, only. Its wings are an illusion much like its shape and origins, it’s his promised paradise he knows he’ll never reach, but he wants to get there anyway.

A child, but it’s fleeting. He wants to be one again.

#[ i must keep aiming higher. ] (meta content)

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smhalltheurlsaretaken · 2 years

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The 2000s were the golden age of French fantasy/fairytale animated films (think Prince of Egypt on a lower budget) and people are sitting on it and lamenting that Disney and Amazon can't do diversity well. (No shit). Spoilers in the links.

Kirikou et la Sorcière (Kirikou and the Sorceress), 1998 + its two sequels: inspired by West African storytelling and folktales, Kirikou is a young boy who can walk and talk since the womb and helps his people defeat the evil witch who has taken away all the men of the village. The sequels are more episodic tales focused on smaller issues Kirikou helps resolve with his ingenuity. It's got some banging songs by Senegalese star Youssou N'Dour, an almost exclusively pan-African voice cast (in the original French dub at least), and it explores some pretty dark issues without pulling any punches while managing to stay light-hearted. (It also has a lot of non-sexual nudity, which might be disconcerting if you're not expecting it.)

La Reine Soleil (The Sun Queen), 2007: essentially a Prince of Egypt rip-off but focused on Egyptian history and religion instead. It follows Ahkenaten and Nefertiti's daughter Ahkesa and her betrothed Prince Tuthankaten. The animation's not the greatest but it has some pretty impressive visuals here and there (although for the life of me I can't figure out why the royals have got otherworldly blue eyes). It's not as great as the others on the list but it's got the right vibes.

Azur et Asmar (Azur and Asmar: The Princes' Quest), 2006: by the same director as Kirikou. Azur is a rich young boy raised by an Arab nursemaid together with her young son Asmar. The three of them are separated, but an adult Azur eventually crosses the sea on a quest to find the Djinn fairy, and the two not-quite-brothers find themselves at odds. The early 3D animation is pretty funky but the backgrounds and the Morrocan architecture especially can be incredibly beautiful and detailed, and a lot of the movie is in classical Arabic (spoken by native speakers).

Les Enfants de la Pluie (The Rain Children), 2003: some very beautifully animated heroic fantasy with very nice worldbuilding and lore. It's not directly inspired by any one culture or fairytale but it's pretty far from the standard European fantasy worldbuilding that's been done to death. All the characters are non-human, with some big Atlantis vibes for the Hydross and a cool desert aesthetic for the Pyross. Sweet and short.

Princes et Princesses (Princes and Princesses), 1989, compiled in 2000: also by the guy who made Kirikou and Azur and Asmar. It's six short tales in handcrafted paper silhouette animation (inspired by Chinese-shadow puppetry), with three European-style fairy tales with some pretty imaginative visuals, and other tales from Japan, Egypt and even a sci-fi story 'from the year 3000'. As many female characters as male ones, and the female characters are all pretty awesome. The music can get hauntingly beautiful.

If you can get your hands on these, I definitely recommend giving them all a try!

#kirikou #kirikou et la sorcière #kirikou and the sorceress #michel ocelot #youssou ndour #princes et princesses #princes and princesses #azur and asmar #the princes' quest #azur et asmar #french animation #french culture #diversity #the sun queen #the rain children #ancient egypt #african culture #arab culture

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familyatourcore · 6 years

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tag drop.

#they call me cinderella (headcanon)#lizards and pumpkins and things (aesthetic)#ella open rp #an apprentice still learning his trade (headcanon)#the last stroke of midnight (aesthetic)#caelius open rp #any rule can be broken (headcanon)#second star to the right and straight on til morning (aesthetic)#payton open rp #off with their head (headcanon)#darling im a nightmare (aesthetic)#victoria open rp #heads will roll (headcanon)#death in the shadows prince in the sun (aesthetic)#valerian open rp

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agent-cupcake · 3 years

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just curious, what’s your favorite and least favorite character design? my least fav for sure has got to be female byleth for reasons i don’t want to get in to yep ok have a good day 😁

IOops this accidentally became a rant, sorry

Okay so, to preface this all, I’m not a character designer and I’m actually pretty bad at it, but my rule of thumb with really unappealing or fan-service outfits is whether or not it makes sense character-wise and how much it tells the player about the character. For example, I think we can all agree that there’s quite a bit of fan-service elements in Hilda’s design. Boob window. However, it’s not unrealistic to imagine Hilda picking out those clothes for herself. Her costume tells you almost everything you need to know about her character on a visual level. She’s confident, pretty, attention-grabbing, and high maintenance while the gloves and laced girdle give a nod to her Viking-maiden roots.

Taking it to female Byleth, I don’t think that her outfit works on either front. Her design is definitely my least favorite and it’s not helped by the fact that you have to look at her at all times. Whatever. The huge, solid mass of boobs, the buttoned bib, the big eyes, the feather hair, the bellybutton, the ripped tights, the booty shorts. She’s a merc out in life and death situations with an accessible, pale, tacky 2000′s “stab me” stomach cut out and a wedgie. Which could be excusable if, like Hilda, there was reason to believe that that her costume was character choice. But she doesn’t really have much character, and what there is gives the impression of a very stoic, dry, blunt person. I have no idea why they’d have gone that route when the sexual appeal of more “utilitarian” costuming (aka, form fitting armor that at least pretends to be functional) for characters like her is scientifically proven AND would say more about the singular personality trait she possesses. Okay, well, I know why they didn’t do that and I think it’s lame. This dysfunction of “character designer wanted a sexy girl but it’s kinda random and just shoved in the game without any thought” actually reminds me a lot of Xenoblade 2′s leading ladies, Hikari and Pyra. Although considering that their bad designs led to a lot of people hating the game for superficial reasons while accepting female Byleth’s design, I guess I’m just bitter. Jumping to a different comparison, then, look at 2B from Nier Automata. Her design is fine as hell which is kinda hypocritical of me considering that it's explicitly fan-service, but I think it also shows the most damning thing for female Byleth. Her whole look, despite having a dozen different element thrown in, is boring. Maybe it’s the colors (dressing her in all black and white would have been really interesting considering the colors of the three lords are so heavily emphasized as a part of their characters) or maybe it’s just the way the desperate elements come together. But, like I said, I'm not even slightly knowledgeable about character design and I know that despite Three Houses being mostly separate, they had to appeal to a larger aesthetic brand to which I have little experience with. And, ultimately, a lot of people find her cute or sexy which...To each their own, I suppose. I don’t pretend that fan-service doesn’t work on me (2B... Cloud’s arms in the remake... Seph's shirtless Smash skin...) but when it’s this obviously inserted in by the character designers rather than feeling organic in any way AND looks bad I'm just not super interested.

The other worst designs for me would be all four of the Ashen Wolves post timeskip. I don't think it's controversial to say that they didn't try with the clothes, even if I love their designs from the neck up (Yes, even Balthus. He looks like the type of guy that would let you sit on his shoulders at a rock concert so you could see the stage). While there are other designs I think are unappealing, those are for purely aesthetic reasons and so I can't maintain the opinion that they're actively bad or that I even truly dislike them.

As for favorite looks... I actually have a few so sorry you're getting all of them because despite the shit I'm talking, I actually really really love the character designs in Three Houses.

Ferdinand's post timeskip is one of my favorite designs, if not my favorite. The hair, the coat, the armor, the spurs, the colors. You know exactly who Ferdinand von Aegir is just by looking at him. He’s wealthy, handsome, confident in his appearance, a hero, a princely type character, his battle form is mounted combat which is traditionally aesthetically reserved for nobility and leaders... I love it. The only reason I cannot say he IS my favorite is because of the three Lords. But before them, my honorable mentions include post timeskip Hilda, Dorothea, Lorenz, Felix, and Hubert. Granted, I could make a case for why I like almost all of the student’s post timeskip looks.

For the Lords, I obviously have to start with colors because, weirdly enough, Persona didn’t invent primary colors but are actually used as shorthand. Blue is the color of honor, loyalty, sincerity, sadness, and depression. Something I’ve always found very interesting is that blue is very rarely found in nature. To me, that’s always made it seem more lonely which, at least in this case, is thematically relevant. People call Dimitri boring pre timeskip and while I won’t defend his hairstyle (okay, actually, I probably would because he tucks it behind his ears and idk why but that’s one of the cutest things ever) I really like how unassuming he is. Bland. He’s supposed to be the plain shortbread cookie to caramel deLite Claude and strawberry meringue Edelgard. It is not in his character to draw attention to himself or stand out. To me, he kinda looks like an old Barbie prince, like he should have been named Dominic. Also I love the blue eyes/blonde hair thing and his more angular features. It really helps to sell him as the fakeout chivalrous prince type. Post timeskip, Dimitri's black armor is amazing. I love the fact that it’s a lot more intricate up-close with the different little shell-like pieces and the fact that his boots are furry. I love the big cape and the black and white fur around his shoulders. It’s really cool how they used his costume to change the shape of his in-game model to match the bodily proportions of the character art. It’s easier to see when you change his costume into the DLC ones, but the fur and cape build up his shoulders and chest look more broad while keeping that tiny little waist. The choice to give Dimitri an eyepatch is probably my favorite thing about this design. It’s genuinely inspired. Such a simple detail yet it tells the player everything they need to know about adult Dimitri when they see him post timeskip, in one frame the player can begin to understand the extent of his loss over the past five years. The subtle shadow under his eye in the first few Azure Moon chapters and the messy long-ish hair really help to sell the feral prince aesthetic as well, as it’s from those small cues the player gets that he’s exhausted (in more ways than one) and doesn’t maintain himself. None of these things are intentional choices by Dimtiri, they’re the result of what his character has been through.

Yellow is an intense, energetic color. Mostly, people think of it as being warm and inviting, the color of the sun and positivity. That intensity can be overwhelming, though, too visually demanding when compared to its primary counterparts. Don’t stare at the sun too long. Buuuut, it’s okay to stare at Claude. Claude not wanting to wear tight pants in either of his costumes is not only a mood, it is iconic. Pre timeskip, the softer lines of his silhouette makes him look kinda slouchy, kinda lazy. Like he’s not too concerned with appearances. But those adorably messy curls, the little braid, the clearly tended eyebrows, and earring make it clear that he DOES care about appearances and is very aware of his allure. And that’s before he even starts winking. It is honestly so in character that as many people picked him first on the basis of being thirsty, that feels like an intentionally Claude thing even if it was inserted by the designers. The contrast of his complexion with his seagreen eyes is gorgeous and instantly adds a kind of mystery and intrigue to him considering the setting... but it’s sf funny that nobody looked at bronze god Claude among a sea of white faces and thought something was up. Post timeskip, they used the same trick like they did with Dimitri to change Claude’s in-game model to match his canon appearance. The way they designed his uniform makes him not look as twink-ish, like he’s actually muscular and imposing and has the strength he’d need to shoot a war bow with a 120lbs draw weight. Also like Dimitri, you can instantly tell what Claude’s been up to. Like, he was very pretty pre timeskip but when he shows up in the Goddess Tower after those five years in all that gold, he demands your attention. Like a gentleman general with the excessive aesthetic ideals of the Alliance and details to imply his heritage. The quilted pants are amazing from both an aesthetic and practical standpoint. He’s a mounted unit riding a creature with scales, of course he’d want something on his legs for protection. And the chinstrap. I love that so much, it definitely makes him look more adult. He’s got such a cute soft baby face, it’s fun imagining him experimenting with different styles during the five years to get the most desired physical reaction to him as a leader.

Frenchfries, meet forehead. No, actually, Edelgard’s design is really fantastic. Claude and Dimitri both have realistically colored eyes and hair and then there’s Edelgard. Dimitri shrugs off attention physically and Claude shirks it with a wink but Edelgard commands the players attention from the very start. Although I’m sure there’s a lot of things to associate with white hair and purple eyes, my first thought was Daenerys from Game of Thrones. Otherworldly beautiful by with an edge. Red, of course, is The power color. Strong emotions, love and hate. Red is also associated strongly with blood, which is very important to Edelgard’s plot. Granted, I think the red and black association is even more powerful than JUST red and red is the cheapest play to make in regards to displaying villainy (I mean, there are some pretty universally recognized associations with red and black and it led to people making some unfair comparisons between Edelgard and a famous dictator) but I think it was effective and well used and I genuinely enjoy its use in her case. Anyway, if I had a major complaint about her design it would be the weird ashy color of her hair whereas Lysithea’s hair is pure white. Which doesn’t even matter with the AMAZING hair horns. Ram horns can actually symbolize quite a few things, but their association with power and strength is pretty universal I think. They’re also used in demonic imagery. I love that THIS was her alternative to a crown. Edelgard views herself as a force of war and power before she thinks of herself as royalty. She also mentions that she isn’t super vain, but she loves to do her hair, so the hair being the most elaborate part of her look is entirely in-character. Edelgard’s ensemble is, like Claude, very militaristic. I love that they kept her in a dress that embraces femininity without showing skin as that wouldn’t really suit her Also, again, Edelgard demands your attention. She’s dressed all in bright bright red waving around a giant axe. She is a symbol as much as she is a combatant, someone to follow. I didn’t really mention their secondary lord costumes, but a girl in sexy armor is literally everything and I love that they had the balls to put their main sexy waifu girl in full body armor.

Okay I’m sorry I realize this was excessive and probably didn’t need explaining and I’m not sure I even articulated my thoughts properly but anyway I love their designs so here is the positivity I’ll put into the world.

#fe3h #ferdinand von aegir #claude von riegan #edelgard von hresvelg #dimitri alexandre blaiddyd #haha i htae byleths design this was all just to justify my abject disgust for the way she looks #nobody sent me anything about dimitri's dick so this is what i've been reduced to

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illegiblewords · 3 years

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ILLEGIBLE’S TOTALLY SUBJECTIVE FAVORITE EORZEA COLLECTION DESIGNS: MALE

I’ve mentioned in the past, the main thing that made me start playing FFXIV properly was seeing people’s character designs. I’m still honestly blown away by the creativity and range of approaches people bring to this game, so I’ve decided to be an absolute madwoman and break my favorites into subcategories to share with anyone curious.

And to be clear. I’m not going to do something so broad as “oh top ten in-general :3″ because that would be sensible. No, I’m going to do it for all the current combat jobs. And all the current races. And different genders within the races and combat jobs as things stand. And I’m going to make a model-focus subcategory. And there are gonna be LOTS. Because I seriously cannot understate how inspired I’ve been by this community, and after however many years I just feel the need to vomit some incredible visuals I’ve encountered at you guys lol.

NOTE: In an abundance of caution, I want to stress this list isn’t a value judgment on anyone but a fragment of things that blew me personally away. Looking at the DRK sections it will be immediately clear that I Illegible really like that edgy dark knight aesthetic lmao, but there are plenty of non-edgy dark knights that I also love to bits. Other people might not like edgy dark knights. Due to a combination of size and search constraints plus trying to keep gear somewhat varied, these glamours are just what wound up on this particular list of mine. I could make another list one day. Other people can make lists too that are totally different.

Also, I was originally going to make a single post that went over male and female options presented in the character creator but straight up tumblr wouldn’t let me save because it got too big. You can see the female character post here.

And without further ado, let us begin.

COMBAT JOB GLAMOURS

PALADIN

- A Sinner’s Call by Skollhati Wolfhead

- Divine Judgment by Seth Alexander

- Chevalier by Avenaux Dzemael

- Holy Blade of the Goddesses by Lys Aludra

- Metal Against the Clouds by Leon Aquitaine

- Spiky Paladin by Hunty Tohsaka

- Ishgardian Nightwatch by Leon Aquitaine

- The Centurion by Kaien Shimazu

- Veteran Knight by Jax Shadowbane

- Archadian Magister: Chaos, Walker of the Wheel by Callum Crossy

WARRIOR

- Coerthan Berserker by Xennon Song

- Skullrender by Xennon Song

- Red Maw by Remearus Maes

- Mistbeard’s Guardian by Galandor Atreides

- Ash Fender by Keiteaux Kisarre

- Wandering Beast by Jax Shadowbane

- Battle Worn by Lyrus Omega

- At The End Of All Things by Leon Aquitaine

- Demon Warrior by Ravian Ild

- Chieftain by Topher Kyo

DARK KNIGHT

- The Deepshadow by Erin Arckanger

- Nightmare of the Paragons by Papa Cool'down

- The Oathkeeper by Dividus Yliaster

- Deus Knight by Dan Var

- Rage Awakened Final Mix by Fortnite Ninja

- Bale by Xennon Song

- Vampire Baron Knight by Lud Wachtel

- Gothic Souls by Krosah Makara

- Lunarian Knight by Xennon Song

- The Descendent of Ascians by Skyion Skytiel

GUNBREAKER

- Soot-Scaled Striker by Callum Crossy

- Unbound Hecatonchires by Callum Crossy

- The Lone Gunbreaker by Sir Owl

- Alliance Commander by Nova Kie

- Gunblade of the Lost by Ludin Hreitharr

- The Filibreaker by Atticus Averbach

- Neo-Skallic Guardian by Leon Aquitaine

- A bulwark in brass and steam by Filibert Lilibert

- Plains Tribe Rite of Passage by Filibert Lilibert

- Spaceage cowboy by Phon Fawn

DRAGOON

- A Slumbering God’s Herald by Lud Wachtel

- The Elder Primals - Neath Dark Waters by Cassius Toledo

- The Occupied Drow City of Skalla by Leon Aquitaine

- Dravanian Viking by Sarafina Vadre

- The Wolf by J'roric Citlalloh

- Tribal Hrothgar Dragoon by Noxelus Virmire

- whitewind by Chiceneaux Selechant

- Edensguard by Kyo Ise

- Dragonblood Knight by Sylvaire Catrevaut

- Mercenary in Mixed Metals by Filibert Lilibert

SAMURAI

- The Dragon of Doma by Ky Tanimura

- Shadow of the Shifting Sands by Dai Tachibana

- Homura by Remearus Maes

- Monster Slayer by Kaien Shimazu

- Good Hunting by Remearus Maes

- Jury by Remearus Maes

- Ronin of the Steppe by Remearus Maes

- Dominicus Secutor by Remearus Maes

- Warg Samu by Fena Mizu

- White Dragon by The Solideizer

NINJA

- Armored Ninja by Ludger Magniar

- Desert Scar by Magnus Wolfwood

- Righteous Assassin by Lys Aludra

- Classic Shinobi Traditional Ninja Garb by Mog Champ

- White Dragon by King Resh

- Deadly Emissary by Lys Aludra

- night’s blessed by Chiceneaux Selechant

- Umbral Blade by Arik Nergui

- Ascianssin by Dragoon Scythe

- Wolf of Twelveswood by Punch Mage

MONK

- Fists of the Sun by Alois Lefleur

- Inner Beast by T'yan Ardeo

- Vathliege Samurai by Austen Bloodspatter

- Ala Mhigan Monk by D'jango Dojango

- Bozjan Brawler by Sahl Suh

- Liberator by Thriced Talon

- Flightless Hawk by Remearus Maes

- Firebrand by Lys Aludra

- Debugging in Process by Uskhal Dalamiq

- Falling Eagle by Feather Relanah

BARD

- Reaper-Inspired Bard by Flower Blossom

- Purest arrow by Lys Aludra

- Hunter of Lost Souls by Sahl Suh

- Bloodsinger by Lys Aludra

- Wanderer of the Past by Nyuki Dewinter

- Maelstrom Song by J'roric Citlalloh

- Sand Hunter by R'yo Aderyd

- Tactical Automaton by Lys Aludra

- Ballads of Azim Steppe by T'yan Ardeo

- Violet Archer by T'yan Ardeo

DANCER

- Flying Guillotine by Punch Mage

- Shadowed Step by Callum Crossy

- Rift Crusader by Onuki Saiga

- Prince Ali by Leisha Aysheen

- Battle Dancer by Ray Stormbringer

- Paglth’an Dancer by Vib'e Cheque

- Waterfall Adagio by T'yan Ardeo

- Memories of a Silhouette by Damien Cavalier

- Midnight Mint by Violet Wooden

- The Dancing Plague by Geraltus D'doritus

MACHINIST

- Fran - Chase by Goelia Sarantia

- Gunslinger by Lys Aludra

- Well-Stocked Sky Pirate by Sari Mogari

- Bozjan Ops by Ilium Lavendeer

- Wild Western Demon Hunter by Mori Sumire

- High Class, High Seas by Yannick Ostheimer

- Onmyo Bullet by Uskhal Dalamiq

- The Wanderer by Dividus Yliaster

- Wildfire by Lys Aludra

- Intrepid Expeditioner by Brazen Elk

BLACK MAGE

- Bohemian Mage by Darmoreaux Lestrange

- Bonewicca Cultist by Baruk Twinfang

- Chosen of Thal by Jophrey Lethe

- Abyssal Wizard by Jarvis Brakkenwork

- Summer Augurer by Uskhal Dalamiq

- the dark wizard by Eldar Claymore

- Masque of the Red Death by Junius Naenia

- Desert Cultist by Mayo Takoyaki

- Herald of the Zodiac - Geminis by Leisha Aysheen

- Herald of the Zodiac - Aries by Leisha Aysheen

SUMMONER

- Desert Emperor by Nilla Balthasva

- Arch Demon Summoner by Demnoc Crohn

- Verbatim by Twitch Prime

- Shinshoku by Callum Crossy

- The Fool by Bruno Brecher

- The Wandering Mage by Camilla Croft

- Gilded Evoker by Zionek Aurum

- Ensorceled Evoker by Haereidin Doeszwynsyn

- Dusk Groom by J'roric Citlalloh

- Deepwood wanderer by Lys Aludra

RED MAGE

- Vagabond Prince by Falion D'erenian

- Ronkan Cultist by J'roric Citlalloh

- Desert Scout by Frahn Loxner'et

- The Goblin King by Leon Aquitaine

- Summoned Guardian by Leon Aquitaine

- Eastern Red Mage by Red Grande

- Royal Rose by Zanel Slayer

- dual wielding swords by Kiraster Alroumi

- Steampunk Red Mage by Ry Tempester

- Reiterpallasch Hunter by J'roric Citlalloh

- Stroll in the snow by Riv'ir Gwyn

WHITE MAGE

- Winter Druid by Uskhal Dalamiq

- Herald of the Light by Kazek Amilia

- Desert White Mage by Iosen Juan

- Menphina’s Beloved by Puk'a Sweetfellow

- The Ill-fated Doctor by Charybdis K'reon

- The Doc by Denmo Mcstronghuge

- Minion Masquerade- Anima by Aetherflow Media

- cold front by Chiceneaux Selechant

- Secret Keeper by Feather Relanah

- Forest Mage by Sylviel Terrechant

SCHOLAR

- Studium Provost by Uskhal Dalamiq

- Field Medic by Seyo Senpai

- Stayin Classy Highlander Scholar by Aetherflow Media

- Writer of Fates by Olli Cannoli

- Secret of Nym by Nicky Tilmit

- Scholar of the Wilds by Sohk'yon Ayhan

- The First Cartographer by Edeon Vails

- Warg Sage by Ricola Tesla

- Dark Eastern Healer by Teru Nashira

- Sad Angel by Liam Gray

ASTROLOGIAN

- Jewel in the Sands by Vosric Oros

- Oracle of the East by Zyrus Highwind

- Golden Sun by Jarvis Brakkenwork

- Dalamiq Seer by Uskhal Dalamiq

- Misfortune Teller by Sahl Suh

- The Red Card by Yujin Seo

- Forgiven Soothsayer by Mongoose Mandolin

- Catharsis by Edeon Vails

- Proud Wave by Khurt Wagner

- Alpha Reticulii by R'yo Aderyd

BLUE MAGE

- King by Ray Fontelon

- Imposter Red Mage by Jarvis Brakkenwork

- Le Cirque Du Rosier by Callum Crossy

- Cobalt Enchanter by Tyo'li Wolndara

- Blubomb by Frahn Loxner'et

RACE GLAMOUR SPILLOVER

HYUR MIDANDER

- Faraam by Remearus Maes

- Gate Keeper by Remearus Maes

- The Guardian by Kizake Hayashi

- Mistbeard by Remearus Maes

- Blood Hunter by Lys Aludra

- Jiangshi by Dezel Windriders

- Alliance Salvager by Remearus Maes

- Edengrace Conqueror by Lys Aludra

- Bozjan Rampage by Xennon Song

- Northern Banneret by Lys Aludra

FAVORITE MODELS:

- Fists of the Sun by Alois Lefleur

- Ronin of the Steppe by Remearus Maes

- Armored Ninja by Ludger Magniar

- Vagabond Prince by Falion D'erenian

- Bloodsinger by Lys Aludra

HYUR HIGHLANDER

- From Darkness Comes Light by Niran Ashbel

- Black Wolf by Night Mazino

- Murderous School Bus by Night Mazino

- Desperado Breaker by Julies Solomon

- WW2 Pilot by Orillion Aldoreel

- Demon Hunter by Duffy Gelatoni

- Maelstrom Duelist by Roscoe Rackham

- Black Dragon by Lophen Leif

- Weathered Wanderer by Goro Yamaguchi

- Ravager by Night Mazino

FAVORITE MODELS:

- Jewel in the Sands by Vosric Oros

- Murderous School Bus by Night Mazino

- Desert White Mage by Iosen Juan

- Stayin Classy Highlander Scholar by Aetherflow Media

- Dravanian Viking by Sarafina Vadre

ELEZEN

- Lost Thief by Kaunoet Tyshatont

- Princely Protector by Liam Gray

- Cold Mornings, Warm Hearts by Leon Aquitaine

- I don’t know what a swash is but I’m buckling it by Raythe Ondore

- Peregrine by Yannick Ostheimer

- Obsidian and Blood by Leon Aquitaine

- Obsidian Gold by Arius Althea

- Purple Mage by Kaunoet Tyshatont

- Lord Archer by Mori Sumire

- Angel of Temperance by Agana Belea

FAVORITE MODELS:

- cold front by Chiceneaux Selechant

- Angel of Temperance by Agana Belea

- Lost Thief by Kaunoet Tyshatont

- Oracle of the East by Zyrus Highwind

- Ishgardian Nightwatch by Leon Aquitaine

LALAFELL

- Berserker by Munchkin Doofus

- Crimson Dragoon by Janaan Fabre

- Tiny Fist by Barca Ul'nanaca

- Chimera Dragoon by Janaan Fabre

- Royal n’ Loyal by Janaan Fabre

- Manor Estoqueur by Lia Tales

- Stargazer by Ikki Kohi

- Hazardous Caster by Astrancea Quasar'ae

- White Wolf Healer by Pickle Nibbler

- Bard of the Forest by Ryker Nightingale

FAVORITE MODELS:

- Stargazer by Ikki Kohi

- White Wolf Healer by Pickle Nibbler

- Well-Stocked Sky Pirate by Sari Mogari

- Tiny Fist by Barca Ul'nanaca

- Plains Tribe Rite of Passage by Filibert Lilibert

MIQO’TE

- Fran - Be Quiet by Goelia Sarantia

- The Assassin by Akira Tia

- Warrior of the Sands by U'zolwe Tia

- The Silencer by Grayson Foxworthy

- nemesis by M'rhene Tia

- Caecius by Callum Crossy

- The Imperial by Rein Drops

- Storm Duelist by K'aihx Nianh

- Cyber Mage by L'unick Tia

- T-53M: Omega by Lib'ra Jarilo

FAVORITE MODELS:

- Fran - Be Quiet by Goelia Sarantia

- Ala Mhigan Monk by D'jango Dojango

- Cobalt Enchanter by Tyo'li Wolndara

- Edensguard by Kyo Ise

- Maelstrom Song by J'roric Citlalloh

ROEGADYN

- Sin Eater Forgiven Wrath by Arkhon Dullgaroth

- Platebreaker by Biggus Dickkus

- Berzerker Warrior by Cata Clysm

- Dravanian Shadow Knight by Galandor Atreides

- Santa Claus by Aetherflow Media

- Knight of the East by Galandor Atreides

- Roegadyn Samurai by Raiden Hagane

- The Real Barbarian by Milla Lariswind

- The Discipulus by Haereidin Doeszwynsyn

- Cactpot Crackpot by Kaemin Moore

FAVORITE MODELS:

- Knight of the East by Galandor Atreides

- Flying Guillotine by Punch Mage

- The Fool by Bruno Brecher

- Battle Claus by Bard Bro

- The Real Barbarian by Milla Lariswind

AU RA

- Fatewalker by Kaien Shimazu

- Combat Casual by Arik Nergui

- Suzaku’s Champion by Uskhal Dalamiq

- Herald of the Zodiac - Taurus by Leisha Aysheen

- The Anti-Paladin by Bastion Blackwater

- Zero by Ace Valstra'liah

- Elegant Duelist by Yoni Neel

- Herald of the Zodiac - Pisces by Leisha Aysheen

- Valkyrie by Rogan Hunter

- Devout of the Sun by Uskhal Dalamiq

FAVORITE MODELS:

- Herald of the Zodiac - Pisces by Leisha Aysheen

- Combat Casual by Arik Nergui

- Samurai of Alexander by Ky Tanimura

- Winter Druid by Uskhal Dalamiq

- Herald of the Zodiac - Geminis by Leisha Aysheen

HROTHGAR

- Snowfall by Ese Pajic

- Heavy by Radio Jackun

- Defender of the Forest by Hana Kagura

- Risen Dynasty by Zeth Xerval

- Forgiven Pride by Yoshi Pendragon

- Queen’s Guard by Sahl Suh

- Lord of Umbral Pyre by Stahlhart Vahn'reiz

- Jade Maw by Shin Okusawa

- Einherjar by Baruk Twinfang

- The Exorcist by Haereidin Doeszwynsyn

FAVORITE MODELS:

- Heavy by Radio Jackun

- Tribal Hrothgar Dragoon by Noxelus Virmire

- Gunblade of the Lost by Ludin Hreitharr

- Desert Scar by Magnus Wolfwood

- Risen Dynasty by Zeth Xerval

#Eorzea Collection #Final Fantasy XIV #FFXIV #FF14 #Final Fantasy 14 #FFXIV Glamours

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incarnateirony · 4 years

Text

I FIGURED IT OUT

I’ve been trying to figure out Death’s Key/The Black Key.

https://katab.asia/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Liber_Nigri_Solis.pdf

This Gnosis of the Black Sun signifies not only a 'new aeon' but also a new order of the ages: while the aeonic current of the Black Sun surely shines its shadow over each age within a given aeonic cycle, its focus and 35 inception, its greatest glory, is persisting as a darkly resplendent fetter binding together whole chains of ages, like the serpent who encircles the lion-headed god Ahriman, Prince of Shining Darkness and 'Lord of the Eclipse; who embodies the supreme aeon, holding the Key of the Abyss. This gnostic key opens the gateway to the abysses beyond history where the magician can gain a clear view of the cycle of ages before plunging once more into the current of becoming. From a linear perspective, this current appears as a spiraling repetition of psycho-historic patterns moving along a track of increasing sophistication and technological progress, simultaneously moving farther and farther away from its gnostic center until it finally achieves, in its nihilistic ecstasy, the void of chaos.

[...]

The Black Key

This ought to be entitled 'The Black Keys' as they are Legion. Each and every one of the strange gaps in belief, which often demonstrate the flimsy unreliability of the models and maps used to screen out the chaos in favor of a personal cosmos, is opened by a slightly different permutation of perception, some more easily than others. Every system of thought relies either on contradictions, tautologies, or assumed premises. The threat of nihilism is ever present, especially for sincere nihilists. The magician can voluntarily embrace the final consequences of this if he or she chooses, certain to have to find a Black Key if there is sufficient will to survive the experiment of believing in and living for absolutely nothing. Refuting every cherished idea and value intellectually, ethically, and aesthetically, reducing the Self to a cipher, a nothing, the magician might gain access to everything that can fly forth from the grinning gap - or, depending on the magician's ingenuity or lack thereof, perhaps not. There are certainly no guarantees. If there were any, they would be something to sincerely and wisely believe in, and this process itself would be another occult blind.

[...]

To presence acausal forms within an aeon is only an initial stage of mesocosmic magical power. Real incarnate divinity requires the ability to generate totally new causal forms out of novel acausal configurations: the personal will of the magician is actualized along with aeonic changes; the two become a function of one another. In achieving the extremities of inscension and excension, the magician manifests as a living Mobius strip. The personal aeon winds its way into the outermost objective edges of post-aeonic chaos which meet in the infernal center of the subjectively objective, objectively subjective monadic point of ultimate singularity. Self-generating, self-reinforcing, self-referential, the magician's consciousness embraces and devours the All-pervading One in the black feast of selves, thus becoming Many as it distributes itself through every consuming demon, knowing itself as the Sole and Unique One - whose name is Legion. As the One-in-All and All-in-One, it has become the Aeon.

----

HERE WE GO ALL POINTS LEAD BACK TO BINAH GET READY CLOWNS

#supernatural #spn #speculation #meta #my meta #pagan life #death's key #the black key #alchemy notes

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captainkingsley · 4 years

Text

Dragon Prince theory: The Star Arcanum ( otherwise known as the Death Arcanum )

So, the Star Arcanum. The area of magic we know admittedly the least about. We can insinuate things of other magic realms, their connection to the other elements, but what of the stars? What do the stars bring to the table of magic that the other primal magics don’t?

What, really, is the Star Arcanum, and what are Startouched elves?

Let me start right off the bat by saying that the Star Arcanum is, perhaps, a false name. Perhaps grasped to make it seem less threatening, or to describe the characteristics of those that use it the most.

Star magic has not yet been seen in the world. We don’t know what it does. The only example we’ve been given of a Startouched Elf using magic was Aaravos using the Sunfire Staff to turn the Light into Dark and kill the Sunfire Elf Queen, or his ghostly appearances and ways to communicate with Viren. The magic he was using was not implied to be anything other than Dark Magic, though.

But what if that’s what the Star Arcanum is? The dark of space, the glimmer of power of the stars.

Death.

The Death Arcanum, fancied up with a harmless name and a pretty aesthetic.

Stars are often associated with the spirits of the dead. Dark Magic is purple when cast, and it seems that most of the colors associated with Aaravos ( the only Startouched Elf we’ve seen ) are greys, whites, blues, and purples. The freckling on his cheeks are stars, and we’ve seen those same ( white ) speckles beginning to form on Viren’s ( grey ) cheeks after so much Dark Magic usage.

It was seemingly ‘gifted’, Dark Magic to humanity. It wasn’t theirs to begin with.

Or, perhaps, it was.

What we can see of Viren from using copious amounts of Dark Magic is that his skin is turning grey, his eyes have shifted colors while using it ( as do other characters’ ). Claudia’s hair is slowly splitting into white. It’s inferred that the use of Dark Magic slowly transforms the body to look different - tainted. But ….

What if that’s just what magic does? All magic?

This is a wild guess, and a wild theory, but hear me out.

Long ago, long before the story’s recorded history, the only sentient races that existed were two: Human and Dragon. Dragons are wholly connected to Primal Magic of each element. Earth, Sea, Sky, Moon, and Sun. Dragons, seeing Humans struggling to create civilizations of their own, gifted the use of magic upon them, but with a cost: you must learn the magic Arcanum yourself, through deep thought and meditation upon it.

And Humans did. They studied, they meditated, and eventually some of them got it. Some preferred to use Moon magic, shifting the shadows and using stealth. Others took to Sky magic, wanting to soar like the Dragons did. Each group of Humans collected together, sharing what they’d learned of magic between themselves and forming cultures surrounding the different magics. Humans who chose not to study or found it too difficult simply stayed on their own, creating a magic-less culture. And then there were those Humans that found there was a quicker way to learn: sapping the energy of magical creatures and using it to cast whatever element they chose.

Death Magic.

They were shunned, and their numbers were few.

They hid.

Eventually, over time, the Humans that practiced certain magics became so attuned to it that they began to see their bodies change. Skintones shifted and markings were found upon skin, and horns began to crest on their heads like the Dragons that had gifted the magic to them bore. Sequestered in their own communities, they each changed to resemble their chosen magical types, and became the Elves.

The Humans that chose no magic? Eventually, as time drove onward, they forgot that they were much the same that the Elves were. Elves were so alien, with their glittering skin, magma powers, wings, and fins. Humans assumed that they couldn’t use magic at all. And so they became lesser than the Elves and the Dragons, and history wiped clean that long, gradual evolution.

The Startouched, of course, wielded the Dark Magic that took life. Since there were so few that chose that path, their numbers stayed low and they became known as a rarity. After being in hiding for so long, they became more of a legend than a normal occurrence. Aaravos, being the most powerful of the Startouched, often was the one out with the other Elves as the sole representative of the Startouched Elves. He didn’t use magic around them, not for a long time.

And when he did, it was to hand the power of Dark Magic over to the Humans that had chosen no magic. He was caught and imprisoned, but his work had started a snowball effect upon the cultures that resulted in the story we know.

This is all speculation and theory, of course, but who’s to say the Elves aren’t a result of Humans meddling with magic? A story lost to history that would explain why half-Elves are possible, why Callum is able to reach inside himself to learn the Sky Arcanum. With this, we can assume that Viren’s shifting in color and patterning and eyes is a hint that he’s becoming Startouched himself, and perhaps that’s what Aaravos wants.

#the dragon prince #tdp #dragon prince #spoilers #this theory is REALLY out there

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just-a-neoclassical-painting · 4 years

Text

Basically the events leading up to last chapter.

Logan's never held a cat before and it is a t r a v e s t y.

Warnings: Referenced minor character death, angst, Roman gets drunk, mainly fluff though, minor character deaths (hanging).

The palace was filled with the rich aroma of roses, and when the light summer breeze stirred amidst the trees the heavy scent of pink dahlias, or the more delicate fragrance of the purple and yellow hyacinths came through the doors as well. Roman thought they were beautiful - just as beautiful as the man who'd had them planted. Janus.

The sun was high, beating down on everyone who had gone outside for fresh air that day. The chatter and laughter was infectious, and it rippled through the grounds. Roman's cousin, Logan could be seen attempting to shoo Patton and another taller man Roman didn't recognise a little further away, keeping an eye on Roman so the plan went successfully.

The aviary was always the place the king and Janus chose to spend their days. Roman was well aware that he tanned spectacularly anywhere, but he insisted that laying in Janus's lap, listening the birds singing from their homes in the trees and to Janus's voice as he muttered sweet nothings to Roman improved the ultimate result.

Janus lavished the long hot months, and spent as much time as he could outside. Sure, sitting in the dark, shadows dancing across him did wonders for his aesthetic, but it did not do wonders for his snake-like scars. Roman knew how much Janus hated them - they held memories of the disease that had infected his home country. Janus had survived by pure spite, and was on the first boat out when his people abandoned the land.

But somehow, the heat soothed the constant aching he felt on the left side of his face. Roman adored the sound Janus made when Roman pressed his hand up against the scars, warming them with his touch.

"You look absolutely ravishing in that suit, my prince ." Janus purred, twirling Roman's curly hair around his finger and smiling fondly down at the man in his lap.

"Please, you act like that dress doesn't do you wonders~" Roman grinned, hooking a hand around the back of the taller man's neck to help pull himself up so they were facing each other. Janus's hand was still in Roman's hair and he ran it through the auburn waves, his gaze fixed on Roman's small plump lips.

Roman barely registered this, his own eyes tracing the shadows that played across Janus's lips - before letting out a laugh and pressing their lips together.

Janus's lips brushed his, gingerly, tenderly, like butterfly wings, just long enough that Roman could inhale his soft breathe, feel that familiar warmth of his skin, and the taste of his signature golden lipstick lingered long after Janus had pulled away, smiling.

Roman tucked a loose bit of hair behind Janus's ear, laughing in glee as he pressed another small kiss to the snake-like side of the man's face and was rewarded with a small blep.

"I love you so much, you know?"

"No." Janus laughed, his eyes softening, "Of course I do, Princey. You can't seem to go three seconds without telling me. You know I love you."

Roman got up off the bench, his heart swelling up. Him and Janus had this thing, ever since they'd got together. Janus said the opposite of how he really felt. It confused Roman at first, but, as one of Logan's professor friends said, "Thank god for friends who learn to speak to you in your own language, instead of forcing you to learn theirs."

So Roman had learnt Janus's language, because he knew how Janus struggled to be understood by so many when he was studying as a mage in the kingdom - it was the least Roman could do for the person he loved.

Roman adjusted his sash before reaching a hand out to help lift Janus up from the bench, twirling him around before sinking into a dip position and kissing Janus.

Janus smiled as they rose up again, cupping Roman's cheek with his hand before saying, "I'll head inside - It'll be fun watching the court try to survive in the heat."

"Thank you- I'll only be a second-"

Janus was already slinking back inside, weaving through the flower patches and letting Kaa, his familiar - a long and beautiful python - slither off a branch of one of the trees Roman's grandmother had planted and onto Janus's shoulders.

Roman turned back to the bench they'd been sitting on. It was painted white, and had a small message engraved into it. Roman recognised the swirly handwriting as his own,

King Thomas

A loving father and servant to all.

Roman was only 18 when it had happened. His father had succumbed to the disease that had infected Janus when he visited the island with Logan, hoping to use their skills in the sciences to help the people work on a cure. Being a historically magical land, they had desperately needed people like Thomas and Logan who were trained in the science after all their attempts to magically cure the disease failed. Roman hadn't travelled with them, Thomas believing Roman would be better equipped to keep the country in order if need be.

Roman had just finished a show, taking his final bows with a bouquet of fresh red roses in his arms when 3 women from the court ran onstage to tell him. King Thomas had died, using the last of his energy to help Logan engineer a cure. Roman was king. Roman had lost the only parent who'd ever cared about him.

Roman was crushed. He entered one of the darkest parts of his life, realising he wasn't a hero. Logan and the King were the people who'd saved the island from the disease, not him. And his dad was gone. Roman hadn't saved him. He was a useless excuse for an heir, not just a heroic knight.

Roman wasn't of royal blood, not truly. He was adopted, but when King Thomas had gone through the land looking for an heir, apparently Roman - an abandoned 4 year old who ran around 'saving' people in the market using a stick as a sword - was the one he believed could take the helm of the country.

But Roman had never expected to become king so soon. Even so, Roman had done his best - to be something the kingdom could be proud of, someone Roman himself could be proud of. Someone his father could be proud of. And maybe he failed at that a lot, but he was trying. If he couldn't save his father, Roman could save the kingdom his father had always been so proud of.

Roman went down on his knees, taking the crown off his head. It was covered with lots of miniscule, intricate designs, each representing one of the many stories Roman had begged his father to tell him each night again and again, imagining himself as the dashing hero until he just had to go to bed. Those were the kingdom's stories, and sat on the head of the monarch as a fierce memento of the kingdom's heritage. The gold was forged thousands of years ago by the first mages to ever settle on their land. Hundreds of diamonds were set into this gold, each one formed of the ashes of a monarch the crown had once been worn by. Even though he wasn't truly a part of the family, Thomas had promised when Roman was very young that when Roman died, he would become one of these diamonds. Roman would be immortalised in a beautiful diamond, among the family that had loved and accepted him, guiding his own child through their reign.

Roman smiled fondly as he set the crown down onto the bench. Roman often spent whole nights talking at the crown, desperately trying to keep his voice down so Janus wouldn't wake up and think Roman was a lunatic, but he'd never been this ceremonious during his one-sided rants to the piece of headwear.

"Greetings everyone." Roman started, awkwardly. He really hoped no one, especially Logan, could see him, "I, uh, just want to talk to Papá today. I've got some big news - I really think you're going to be proud."

Pause.

"Dad!" Roman directed his vision towards an orange stone near the front. which he instantly recognised as his father, " I know you can't really hear me but- It's just- I'm really excited! I have this whole dinner planned out for later. We're gonna dance for ages, Me and Janus, that is. And then I'm going to do it, for real. I'm actually going to ask him to marry me! I truly think we're ready - we've been discussing it for a while and I just- I just love him so much. I want to spend the rest of my life with Janus."

Roman jumped back as King Thomas's diamond and lots of the others that surrounded it blared red. Had he imagined it? Was that a normal crown thing to do? No one else in the Mind Union had crowns anything like Roman's crown, so it wasn't like he could stumble into the next meeting and ask if anyone just happened to know why exactly the dead relatives he kept in his crown were changing colours and if they were available could they possibly sit down and explain it to him.

Roman just shook it off, there was nothing he could do - and he had a boyfriend to propose to.

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

"Darling? I assumed we were meeting in the great hall for dinner-" Janus questioned Roman, who was currently trying to sneak up to their rooms

"Oh! Well, I was just wondering...do we have to? It's just- I'm not feeling it today. Being around other people, that is. Couldn't we just spend the night alone - if you want, of course."

Janus raised an eyebrow, moving up the stairs so he could inspect Roman. They'd been together for 3 years, and whilst Janus was glad to be spending time alone with Roman, this wasn't exactly like his extroverted prince, who he knew so well.

"Of course, dearest. It's good you'll be getting some rest - we can't have you getting overworked. I'll go alert Logan and Patton, shall I? Send all staff home early for the night?" Janus worried, squeezing Roman's hand, "Go up, I'll be back soon."

Roman could barely speak, before he was pushed up the stairs. Well, at least now he'd have more time to prepare the dinner.

Over the next 30 minutes, Roman had rushed around the majority of the castle before landing himself in the gardens surrounding the castle - a picnic set out around him, full of both his and Janus's favourites. Now, he just had to hope it would all be enough. And that Janus had followed the very extensive list of clues. That was important.

A few minutes later, Janus turned round the corner of a bush of blooming red dahlias, struggling to hide the goofy smirk that was playing on his lips. Janus had changed into a black velvet evening suit with golden buttons and a short black cloak that finished around his elbows.

"You're grossly cute, you know that? What's all this even for?" Janus said laughing, nestling himself in the grass next to Roman. Pushing a plate and some wine towards Janus, Roman shuffled awkwardly - attempting to think of an excuse.

"Ah- I don't really know? You deserve it. You've been working so hard recently." Janus smirked coldly, swinging back his glass to let the wine wash down his throat.

"Seems you're the only person who thinks that round here. Thank you."

"Pat had his reasons for picking that Angore kid over you. They're not for us to question - just know that I would much prefer working with you. Conversation would be far more interesting. I haven't seen the guy Patton chose talk once."

"He never was one for talking, even in school. And you meant what you said - you'd prefer me?" Janus's smile softened as he turned around to the man who was attempting - and failing miserably - to eat grapes in the manner of an actual Roman. Dork.

The grapes were suddenly dropped to the side as Roman jumped up and cupped Janus's face, "Of course I would." Roman kissed his nose, "Idiot."

"Sap. You've gone soft since we got together, you know?" Janus laughed, plucking a grape from the discarded bunch.

"Haven't I? Oh, and do tell me, where'd you get that suit? You look beautiful, really." Roman asked before snatching something else from the blanket, "It's nothing on par with some of my outfits."

"Thank you, Darling." The sincerity of the compliment made Janus's ears go pink, making him think himself lucky that sun had long gone down, the only light source coming from the insects that flew in and around the pool of water at the centre of the gardens and the taverns that stayed open all night, "I think it was some dressmaker in the outer kingdoms. He reminded me of you. A more disgusting version of you, that is. With a moustache. Don't ever do that. That would not be a look."

"Oh god no. I'm imagining it - I look like a rat." Roman cringed, picking up his own glass to take a swig. The conversation continued, kisses and flirtatious remarks being exchanged at regular intervals, all the while Roman was slowly working his confidence up.

He had to do this. They'd been dating for so long and Janus had to know how much he meant to Roman. Roman wanted to marry Janus and spend the rest of his life with the person who he loved more than any other - the person who'd made him fuller and happier than he'd ever been before they had met. Roman wanted to feel that exhilarating rush of pure love and joy that he got every time he woke up to find Janus next to him, safe and warm, every single day. Roman wanted hear that distinct laugh, see that easily recognisable smile, touch those beautiful scars every day for the rest of his life. He wanted a family - and he wanted it with Janus.

"I love you Janus. So much." Roman said, having fully built up the courage he needed, "More than you'll ever be able to understand. You make me so happy and all of your differences and things that make you unique just fill me with so much joy. Like when you scrunch your nose when your enjoying something? That's so beautiful and-"

"Roman-"

Roman pulled a ring out of his pocket and slipped it onto Janus's hand. Janus gulped. The ring was beautiful, it looked absolutely perfect on him. It was shaped like a teardrop and looked like these two colours of red and gold were swimming around and in each other - but never ruining or affecting the respective colour.

"I want to spend every sunset and sunrise with you. So...Will you make me the happiest man in the world, and marry me?"

This wasn't supposed to have happened. Roman was supposed to have died before he could develop these kinds of feelings for Janus. It was Janus's fault. He should've ended the game a long time ago - but he'd enjoyed it too much. Being cared about. Caring for someone else. This would have had been prevented if Janus had just pushed Roman down that flight of stairs months ago. Petty, but effective.

But he hadn't. Janus had been weak, thinking it wouldn't hurt if he just continued it for a little while longer. And now Roman had gone and ruined everything by proposing. Now Janus had no choice but to put his plan into action. He would not be a prince next to a king by saying yes. No, he would say no - no matter what the little voice in his head was saying, common sense would beat it. Janus would be king. Janus would never be seen as weak again. People like Patton and Roman and his stupid nosy advisor were the weak ones. Janus would make a change. For the greater good.

And so he answered Roman, pulling his hand away with the ring still on it,

"No."

"I'm so sorry I-"

"Get out. Please. Before you ruin this even more."

Roman hesitated for a second, before turning away and heading back through the bushes. Janus cast a simple location spell to check where Roman was headed. He was slightly taken aback to find the king was heading out of his own castle? Not that it wasn't a pleasant surprise, he just hadn't thought this would all be so easy. At least, for now, the death of King Roman could be avoided.

Janus easily recollected the form of the young king and slowly felt the familiar scars on his face disappear. There were slight imperfections, whatever form he took. It was impossible to completely master such a difficult spell - he was the first mage ever documented to even be able to control the spell to this level.

Janus flicked his wrist sharply, making the rest of the food suddenly disappear before stepping through the grass and bushes towards the castle - a mantra repeating in his head,

"For the greater good."

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

Logan had found Roman roughly an hour beforehand - flirting passionately with the scarecrow Logan had placed in his garden a few months ago, and threatening to duel the crows for the scarecrow's hand.

And that was whilst Roman was still sober.

Logan was currently dealing with an egotistically and emotionally unstable Roman on alcohol and Patton, who was clearly very much enjoying and egging Roman on whilst sitting in the corner - giggling every time Roman did something either lacking shame and/or dignity - or more often than not.

Considering everything that had happened, the night was going relatively well (even if they'd all just had to endure a good 20 minutes of Roman crying in Patton's lap before jumping up and singing Brave New Girl) until they all heard the familiar sounds announcement bells. No one could ring that bell except the reigning monarch, who in this case was Roman - it required his fingerprints. If anyone else did, they were immediately magically transported out of the castle and wouldn't be allowed back in by the magical boundaries that protected the castle.

But Roman was right here.

Silence dawned upon everyone in the small two roomed house, leaving only the sounds of shuffling people from other houses, all trying to gather round their windows like Roman, Logan and Patton were. All was quiet until...

Roman came out of one highest castle doors, out onto the announcement balcony. Roman, the real one - since whoever was up there had to be an imposter, had only ever used this balcony once. It was to announce Thomas's death to the people. He hated that balcony. It made everything real.

The fake Roman began speaking and Roman suddenly felt as though he was looking into a mirror. This imposter sounded exactly like him, parroting Roman's signature...everything.

"No-" Patton gasped, almost walking back into Logan, "It can't be-"

"Padre? What do you mean?" Logan looked down, confused. Did Patton know what was going on?

Patton shook his head quickly, laughing nervously, "I got confused, kiddo. Don't worry-"

Patton could barely continue as the fake Roman began speaking, louder than before,

"People of the land, I am your king. We are a great country, one that can become greater. But changes are required. Sacrifices are necessities. Weeds must be cut, pruned, so that the flowers may bloom to their fullest. The first weeds to be cut shall be the secret criminals that hide among us."

The three men gasped quietly. All of them had heard those words before. During private lunches, arguments, meetings, And they'd heard them from Janus.

"Patton? That's- That's Janus right?" Logan said, his usual monotone and formal voice stumbling over his words. "How has he taken the guise of Roman?"

Patton nodded but didn't answer, his mouth agape at the balcony as Janus continued,

"First to the stand, Lilibet Nicos. Her crimes against the crown can not go unpunished for any longer."

Roman snapped out of the almost trance he'd been in for the last minute when he heard the women's name. Lilibet Nicos...He'd heard it before. She was a young woman who had visited Roman, asking him to work on making a law that would defend the rights of their non-human neighbours of the mountains throughout the Union. Roman and Logan had been working on it and were nearly ready to present the law to the court so that they could vote it in. What was Janus going to do to her?

A group of knights surrounded a women in the crowd that gathered around the palace who struggled violently to get out of their grasp, but they held tightly to her arms as she cried to out and was hauled onto the stand. Roman squinted to take a closer look at what they were doing and nearly cried out when he saw them take a piece of rope and wrap it around her neck, but Logan's gloved palm covered his mouth. He could hear a little boy scream somewhere in the crowd and Roman recognized him as Lilibet's youngest son, Julio, being held in the arms of his older sister. Roman had carried them both on his shoulders and played with them in the palace gardens during Nicos's visits. He wanted to run out into the crowd and take them both onto his shoulders, tell them that he would keep them safe from everything, before saving their mother.

But he couldn't. Patton was holding him back by the arms. Why was Patton holding him back? Roman could save her if he could just get out of Patton's grasp.

"Padre- Pat- Please let me go! I can save her! I promise-"

"Roman, no. It is far more probable that you would fail and die along with her." Logan interrupted, resting his hand on Roman's shoulder and tightening his grip just in case Roman broke out of Patton's hold.

Janus remained unfazed, even as Lilibet fell limp. An uproar suddenly infiltrated the previously silent crowd as Lilibet was dragged off the stand like nothing had happened. With a flick of his wrist, Janus conjured the crowd silent again so he could continue. Janus called upon more and more people, each of whom Roman could recognize - even if he'd only met them once or twice. Roman couldn't help but turn around and sob into Patton's shoulder as each person met the same fate as Nicos. It was Roman who was sentencing them all - in every way.

A little while later, Janus had left the balcony and the crying and angry crowd had dissipated. Roman's tears stopped falling abruptly Virgil's letter came through the window, tied to the leg of a sleek black cat. It wasn't a long, eloquent letter. Virgil's handwriting was sharp, small and scruffy and there were only four words scribbled at the top of the parchment.

The people are revolting.

Roman couldn't help but feel a blossoming of pride in his chest. His people wouldn't live on in silence after their families had been killed. They would fight back. And he would be among them, every step of the way. You couldn't do that to Roman's people and expect to get away with it. He wouldn't let it happen.

And then he realised, they were revolting against him. Janus had looked exactly like Roman whilst he shouted out the sentences. This would make everything a lot more difficult.

Patton turned round to Logan and Roman, smiling sadly.

"I've got to go - me and Virgil are going to do everything we can to help, then meet you two up in the castle."

"The castle? You do remember that the entire kingdom is revolting against me?" Roman almost shouted in his panic. What was Patton thinking?

"Ah- Well, Janus has been spotted by some of my animal friends heading through Mendax Street. Me and Virgil are going to try and cut him off. And the castle should be empty - you sent everyone home."

The panic and stress built up and Roman shouted, throwing his arms up in exasperation, "Of course! Because that's totally going to work! God - Can you not think of anything useful Padre?"

Watching as Patton's face fell, Roman's eyes widened and he moved forward, taking Patton's hand into his own, "I-I'm sorry Pat I-"

"No, no- It's fine, please don't worry, kiddo!"

"No- No it's not. I shouldn't taken it out on you... I should've stopped doing that years ago. Neither of you deserve it, not after everything. Everything's just...a lot right now."

There were a few moments of silence until Logan, who had been leaning against a chair at the back of the room and stoking the fire at regular intervals, cleared his throat and walked forward, "He does have a point though. The castle is indeed empty, but the entire kingdom is currently revolting against Roman - a face the entire kingdom knows better than their own."

Patton looked down, biting on his lip for a few seconds before looking suddenly back up again, an idea lighting up his freckled face, "Roman, kiddo, come stand in front of me."

Roman instinctively did as he was told, and with a wave of Patton's hands he felt a wave of cool air flow over him. Roman looked down to see a pair of far more feminine hands instead of his own and grabbed his mirror from his pocket to take a look at himself.

He was a lot shorter now, and very distinctively a woman. Roman's hair was longer, reaching just below his shoulders and a slightly darker brown - like his eyes. He looked great.

"Wait- I've read the statute of mages. What Janus, and now you, are doing- isn't it illegal?" Logan questioned. He was fine with breaking laws, just as long as he knew how, and which.

"Well, yes. But no. Janus took the form of an actual human being. That's not allowed. Roman is only taking the form of a fictional women. She doesn't exist. That, Logie, is allowed - as long as you register with an Elder Mage. We couldn't have fictional people running around constantly, could we?"

Logan cringed at the nickname. He hadn't heard that one in years. "And we have actually registered then?"

"I am an Elder Mage so...yes. Yes we have. I've got to go now - Virgil will be waiting. We'll recalibrate and plan at the castle." Patton rushed out the door, picking up his discarded staff from behind the seats.

"She's cute, isn't she?" Roman smiled to the right of Logan's head.

"Are you- I'll never understand your immense self esteem, Roman. Never."

"I mean, I do look dashing, but I was talking about the kitty." Logan looked at his shoulder, where Roman was pointing. Virgil's cat was sleeping, wrapped around Logan's neck. Logan hadn't noticed her before, but now he distinctly could hear the small mews and feel her cold nose rubbing against his skin.

Logan caught Roman smirking and shot him a glare before picking the cat up off his shoulders and making sure she stayed asleep as he held her in his arms.

"How do you do this- is it like a baby?" Logan asked. He had never held a cat before, but he had held a baby. Lots. Lots of babies. It had to be similar, hadn't it?

"I'll wait outside...Logie." Logan could hear Roman laughing even as the door shut behind him, but his attention remained on the small ball of fluff in his arms. She was so cute and peaceful...

Until she bit down on his bare arm, hard, and then continued to act as though nothing had happened, curling further into him. It stung a little, but Logan couldn't blame the little thing - she was too precious. He left her sleeping in his bed with a little bit of catnip, since apparently cats liked that, and he had lots of it stocked up in his cupboards.

Outside, Roman was resting against the scarecrow he vaguely remembered flirting with earlier. The sun was setting, and the sky was a myriad of purples and oranges. It was a beautiful sight, watching the sun slip down beneath the horizon, ready to arise again tomorrow. The sun would always keep setting and rising, and that soothed Roman. Everything would keep going, even when it seemed like it wouldn't.

Logan came running up behind him soon after, and they looked up at the castle, before making their way to it in silence.

#sanders sides #ts roceit #ts logan #ts logic #ts deceit #ts janice #ts morality #ts patton #ts roman #ts creativity #roman sanders #logan sanders #patton sanders #thomas sanders #fanfic

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padfootagain · 5 years

Text

Guardians Of Middle-Earth (V)

Chapter 5 : The Spy

What what what?!?! I'm back with this story?! Yes, I am! Here we go! Am I inventing places here? Yep, I am.

Warnings for angst, death, and triggering themes of the kind, be careful.

I hope you all like this new chapter!

Also, as two different timelines are followed here, I’ve used these —- to separate paragraphs for two different timelines, and these **** to separate two paragraphs of the same timeline, so it would be clearer and easier for you all to read.

The beautiful aesthetic was made by @marvelcapsicle !!!

Word count : 7342

Dawn was barely here. The sun reached up but could not grab the sky just yet. Dark shades mingled with the orange and the gold the burning star sent. Eldarion could never grow tired of this sight: the sunrise on the Pelenor Fields.

A green sea of grass, bathed in the burning lights of morning and the lingering shadows of night. In the distance, he could guess the shimmers of the Anduin, the rebuilding of Osgiliath…

Standing on the edge, the tip of his boots above the void, he was motionless in the blowing wind. He had been granted a walk outside the palace, but could not reach one of the lower levels. Instead, he could only pace across the patch of grass and stone that stretched at its feet, to the tip of the rock the White City had been carved into.

The wind bit his cheeks and ears, reddening the skin it touched. It felt vivifying. It felt like he was alive again. He took a deep breath that slowed down his heartbeat, closing his eyes for a second. The warmth of the sun wasn’t there just yet, but he didn’t mind the cold. He had lived for so long in the wild that he had lost his taste for staying indoor. He had even lost the habit of a comfortable bed, and he always needed several days or even weeks to get used to it again. He had barely slept since he had come back to Minas Tirith. The softness of the matress was only a part of his sleepless nights though.

The conversation he had shared with his father the prior night kept on coming back to his mind. A twirling of thoughts similar to the rough wind that hit his still frame.

He had seen hope in this exchange. If his father doubted him, he also doubted the poisonous rumours that had been travelling to and fro accross the realm. His trust in his son was shaken but had not vanished. Eldarion merely needed to prove himself and the bond between father and son would be rekindled.

There was something in his grey eyes… a flash, a little glint shimmering there for just a second, that Eldarion had not seen during the trial. The king had looked at him like he used to, as if he were looking at his son again. And the thought warmed the prince’s heart.

There was still hope. But after all, there was always hope. And Eldarion would need this little spark to vividly burn if he wanted to accomplish the mission he had been sent here for.

"Time for the trial, your Majesty."

Eldarion took one last breath of air, before following the guards behind him.

The tales he would tell today… the face of this little girl he had left so long ago flashed before his eyes, every detail still engraved in his mind, every curve of her hair, every part of her features. The blue of her big eyes blurred by her tears, the dirt on her right cheekbone, the tangled mess of her hair… Time had passed but her face had followed him wherever he went. He knew he would never forget her. He still felt like he had failed her.

Many times along the years, Urin and Goin had repeated that they had no choice but to leave her in this orphanage. But the same thought had always crossed Eldarion’s mind in answer.

There is always a choice.

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

Five years earlier

Rohan

Soft. Cold. Almost delicate.

The rain kept on falling and falling and falling in large droplets. If it wasn't raining extremely hard, the continuous water dropping from the sky for hours now had wetted every inch of the travellers.

Eldarion was shivering. In his arms, Clea was asleep, despite being soaked wet. It was already late during the night, but it was too cold to sleep in the plain without any shelter. They had to reach the city first.

Angarad was only a little town in the southern borders of Rohan. Right where the hills and rocks mingled with the plains of grass behind them. Crossing the north of Ithilien and travelling upwards along the line of the Dead Marshes, they had avoided the marshes of Nindalf and then turned west before reaching the sharp rocks of the Emyn Muil. Crossing the Anduin, they were now in the eastern part of the East Emnet. A little bit more of walking back to the south, and they would have reached their destination.

The mud was by now more water than earth, and after a whole day spent walking on this terrain, the cold liquid had infiltrated through the leather of his boots. As a result, Eldarion by now could barely feel his toes. Not a sound passed his lips though. The miles had to be crossed, and they would be. Against his chest, Clea’s soft breath warmed the drenched fabric of his shirt. He had wrapped both his leather vest and long woollen cloak around her to keep her warm, but time and rain had won in the end. The rhythm of her breathing was shushed by the loud sound of their steps in the mud and the falling rain, but he could still feel the waves of warmth and cold against him. It was a soothing rhythm that he had chosen to set his pace on. At every breath taken and let out, he took a step further, one foot after the other. His long strides devoured miles after miles without a complain. Around him, his companions were starting to show signs of fatigue, at the exception of Adhalan and Ana, who seemed to be relentless. But then, they were Elf and Witch, he reckoned that it explained their extreme endurance.

On his right, Eoden was now drawing shallower breathes. He wasn’t complaining either, but it was visible through both his breathing and his features that he was exhausted. After all, they had been walking for six hours without a break by now.

Behind them, the two dwarves were closing the path of the company, and Eldarion could hear them pester now and then under their breath about both the weather and the road, or rather the lack of it.

Above them, the night had painted the blue sky in darkened hues, matching the dark brown of his eyes. The clouds gave a strange shade of mahogany to the heavens, blocking all light that could be coming from the moon or the stars.

The road they had once been following was since long gone, the earth slowly covered by grass again as time went by. There were barely any inhabitants taking this road after all, and so nature had covered the tracks once left by men. Eldarion was not worried of being lost though. Ana had naturally taken the lead, guiding her comrades across the countryside. He wondered for a while how she could find her way through the shadows, without the moon or the stars as maps, but not once did he see traces of hesitation on her features. So, like the fighters that accompanied him, he didn’t speak a single word and merely followed her through the inky night.

Through the darkness, Ana had summoned tiny lights that floated around them to lighten their way. Eldarion couldn’t help but comparing them to little stars. Like them, they looked like shimmering dots lost in the shadows. Eight of these fairy lights she summoned, and their pale, almost cold light was just enough for them to see where they stepped.

Finally, Ana slowed down, pointing at the horizon, and as he focused harder, Eldarion was able to distinguish shy torchlights in the distance.

"There it is," she spoke in a low voice, as if she feared to disrupt the peace of the night. "Angarad. There is an orphanage next to the South Gate, we can leave Clea there."

"Is there really no better place where we could leave her?" Eldarion asked for what seemed like the hundredth time.

"Nothing near," Ana shook her head.

"I know the people who are in charge in the orphanage. They are good people. They will take good care of her," Eoden reassured his friend, his voice made a little hoarse by his heavy breaths.

Once more, Eldarion merely nodded in response, just like he had done every time they had discussed the matter.

"I do hope there is an inn," Urin muttered. "I’m starving…"

"I swear, you are even worse than a hobbit," Eldarion joked, and for the first time since they had started their long walk that morning, they all allowed themselves to laugh.

"Wait until he asks for his second breakfast," Ana added, and laughter broke through the night again.

"Come on, we are near now," Adhalan encouraged the dwarf. "You will have earned a pint of hale tonight, my friend."

"That and a good bed," Eoden nodded.

"And warmth. Warmth and somewhere dry to sit down and smoke," Eldarion let out in a dreamy sigh.

"Well, instead of talking about it, what about we just go there," Ana chuckled, resuming her hurried pace.

And the two dwarves let out a groan.

"I think she wants to kill us," Goin sighed, making both men laugh.

In Eldarion’s arms, Clea stirred a little, but didn’t wake up. He suddenly realized how painful his upper limbs felt, how numb his fingers had turned along the flying hours. He couldn’t feel anything beyond his knuckles by now, because of both the weight of the girl on his arms and the cold rain.

They went further on for one more hour before reaching the town. Around the city, high wooden walls shielded the streets from the outside world. Through the darkness of the night, Eldarion could barely distinguish anything besides the tall walls lightened by lanterns. A great gate was visible, the top a little higher than the rest of the wall, and a watchtower built on its right, where a soldier was set on sentry.

There was no hesitation in her movements as Ana strode towards the closed gate and knocked on it with her open palm.

There were no answers at first, so she hit the gate once more, but without success here again.

Eldarion looked up at the soldier on sentry. There was no doubt that he could see them, Ana had kept the little floating lights alit to brighten their path. None of the guards seemed keen to help them though.

"I think we could do with a little persuasion from a Rohirrim," Eldarion proposed, turning to the tall blond man by his side.

He didn’t have to say it twice. Eoden was soon shouting at the soldiers, looking up at the watchtower.

"Open the door. It is an order, soldier. I am Eoden, son of Dordalen, Captain of the Rohirrim. I would advise you to not make me wait."

As to prove his argument, he pushed aside his green cloak to reveal the white horse of his uniform painted on his armour, across the whole length of his abdomen.

There were some words exchanged behind the door, a couple of unintelligible shouts, and the gate finally opened in a slow and creaking movement.

At the sight of Eoden, the soldier bowed his head, and made room for the travellers to pass, a flustered expression painted all over his face.

"Captain…" he tried to speak, but Eoden cut him off before he could make another sound.

"Why did you refuse to open the gate? We are clearly on a journey, it is late at night and have you seen this weather?"

"We apologize, Captain. But there have been strange folks walking ‘bout the town these past few months. We’ growing more suspicious, ’s all."

"It is your duty to help those on the road just as much as you must protect the people living behind these walls. You cannot shut all travellers away because of a few skirmishes!"

"Of course, Captain. It will not happen again."

By then, the Guardians had entered within the boundaries of the village. Ana made the lights she had summoned slowly fade away, the torchlights and lanterns burning through the streets being enough to lighten their path.

In the street, the mud felt even wetter and colder than in the fields. A strange scent emanated from all around them, suspiciously from the mud itself perhaps. It was a sour and bitter smell, and Eldarion couldn’t refrain a wince.

They passed before the stables set at the entrance of the city, the smell of horses mingling with the strange atmosphere.

They walked across the village, following this time Eoden’s guidance, as he knew the way across the little town.

At this late hour, the streets were empty, they only came across a few dark figures, barely detached of the shadows of the night, leaning against the walls of houses. They seemed to be staying out of the light of the torches on purpose, and in the dark they were so barely noticeable that several times, Eldarion wondered if they were ghosts, or simply creations of his own mind. The uneasiness upon Ana’s face revealed that the silhouettes were real though.

They finally reached the inn, a rather unwelcoming establishment, Eldarion reckoned, but there was no other choice of shelter. He guessed that the name of the inn, the Green Grass, came from the long plains surrounding the town, where only a few trees grew. Instead, grass had covered the ground in all directions.

Now that he was inside, he reckoned the inn didn’t deserve such a peaceful name though.

The same figures than the ones outside were gathered at one corner of the large room. A few soldiers were sitting at two separate tables, closer to the door, their chain mails shining in the dim light. Judging by the way their hair glimmered, they had not been here for long and were still wet from the rain. A couple of drunk men were leaning against the counter of the bar.

Altogether, the room, lightened up only by the cracking fire in the hearth set on the left wall, was dark and gloomy. Dust had not so subtly gathered along the walls and on every edge of the furniture it could find. The floor was so covered by the mud from the street that it was barely an improvement from outside. And the state of the tables was such that Eldarion would have not touched any of them with his bare hands. He could see even from afar that his fingers would stay glued to the dirt.

And finally, there was the smell. A mixture of ashes and burning wood, sweat, salt and rotten meat. Despite his hunger, Eldarion found himself unable to think about eating anything all of a sudden.

He reckoned that the only improvement from outside was the lack of rain.

Anyway, Ana walked to the owner who was leaning against his bar, loudly laughing with one of his customers. He had a long, lean silhouette wrapped in a long coat that seemed way too big for him. A sharp nose cut his bearded face in two, brown eyes with a clever glint in them standing above sharp cheekbones.

At first, Eldarion wound have probably not trusted this man, but to his surprise, the man turned to the Witch with a large, welcoming grin on his face.

"What can I do for you, ma'am?" he asked with his voice drowned in a heavy accent Eldarion failed to identify.

She smiled back at him.

" We would need a place for the night and some food."

"Ha… the inn’s quite full. But I think I still got a pair of rooms. Not my highest standing, but I can’t make no miracle. Come on, I’ll show ya."

He guided them through a dark corridor next to the bar that Eldarion had not noticed before. The same gloomy atmosphere and dirty floor continued down the passage, and they didn’t stop before reaching the last two rooms. He opened the doors and checked around him, but there was no one in the corridor besides the travellers.

"Here ya go. Key’s here. That’s all I got, but it’s dry and warm. Want your usual meal, Ana?"

Eldarion noticed that the witch had never given him her name…

"Yes, please. That would be perfect, Aleberry."

He nodded before turning towards the rest of the group.

"’S a pleasure to have Ana’s friends in my inn. I guess you all will want to eat together."

"They will. Thank you," Ana answered before anyone could reply.

Aleberry disappeared back in the main room, letting the six companions and Clea settle down.

There were only two beds in each room, along with a mere mattress thrown in a corner in each of them. Eldarion put the sleeping child in one of the beds, before turning back to his companions.

"You should stay in the room with Clea," Ana commanded. "I’ll stay there as well. The rest of you can take the other room."

She was not surprised to see the surprise on Eldarion’s face. Sharing the same bedroom as a woman, even if they did not share a bed, seemed outrageous for a man like him. Eoden seemed uneasy as well. But Adhalan and Ana merely laughed their reaction away.

"You are mortals, you need protection," Adhalan answered. "I reckon you should not be left unsupervised. After all, you are both so young!"

"Compared to us, you are children. A little bit of wisdom will do you good," Ana nodded, a teasing tone in her voice.

The two men rolled their eyes in unison, while the dwarves were already entering the other bedroom.

"As long as we can eat and sleep, you could put us in a stable with the horses for all I care," Urin sighed, letting himself fall on the mattress on the ground.

"I hope they at least have some good ale," Goin went on, sitting next to his brother.

He took out his pipe and lit it up, blowing a large cloud of blue smoke that was so thick, for a brief moment, it was hiding him from sight.

"Aleberry will bring us everything we need, let’s have dinner together, and then we will rest," Ana stated, walking in the same room as the dwarves after locking the door to the room Clea was peacefully sleeping in.

Eldarion noticed a door connected the two rooms. He opened it to keep an eye on Clea, while the rest of the group all sat down on the different beds. Adhalan walked in last, closing the door behind her.

"If we take Clea to the orphanage tomorrow, then I suppose that we should take a moment to investigate this letter you and Eldarion found beyond Minas Morgul," Adhalan proposed. "Wasn't the letter mentioning this town?"

"Indeed, but we won't have to wait until tomorrow to learn more about that," Ana answered with a casual smile.

"What do you mean? We can't leave Clea alone in here. I… I have a bad feeling about this place," Eldarion replied with a worried tone.

"Now, no need to be so dramatic," Goin mocked. "Soon you'll pretend to be able to read about the future in tea leaves!"

"You should not underestimate these kinds of feelings, my dear friend," Ana replied in a serious tone. "Especially coming from someone who has elven blood running through his veins."

Goin snorted, but didn't add anything, merely smoking his pipe again and blowing more puffs of smoke through the room.

"I wasn’t offering to leave the child here on her own, though," Ana reassured the prince. "But Aleberry will talk us through what has happened around here lately."

"Can we trust him?" Urin asked with a perplexed expression. "You seem to know him…"

"He works for me."

"Works for you?"

"He’s a friend. I asked him a few years ago to settle here and keep an eye on the comings and goings in the town. We can trust him. I have to share Eldarion’s worry about his clientele though."

A knock on the door prevented her friends to ask any further questions, and Aleberry was soon walking in the room, closing the door behind him and putting down on the little, trembling table a basket filled with food.

"You can talk in front of all of us," Ana indicated him, picking up a slice of bread. "So… what is happening here?"

"Are ya sure?" He asked anyway, glancing at her companions.

"I am."

He heaved a tired sigh, and when he spoke again, his rough accent had disappeared.

"It feels good to speak as myself again," he smiled. "You really have to come and visit me more often!"

Eldarion could only raise an eyebrow in surprise, and the gesture didn’t go unnoticed from Aleberry.

"I see Ana didn’t warn you. But I guess that you could say that I am her spy."

"A witch needs her eyes and ears everywhere," Ana nodded. "And I cannot wait to hear what my favourite spy has to teach me."

A grim look appeared on the man's face, and when he looked again at Ana, he seemed worried.

"Dark things have been going on here around here lately. I was awaiting your return to warn you… these days, I don't trust written messages to travel safely from on end of Middle-earth to the other. There are some groups of men… evil men… gathering here and there through the whole country side, right under the soldiers' and kings' noses. You could take a glimpse at one of them as you entered the inn."

"The group at the back?" Urin asked, and Ana's spy nodded as an answer.

"I heard some of them talk about gathering weapons and… something else, I do not know yet what it is. They refer to it as 'merchandise'."

"Slaves," Eoden spoke out loud the thought that had crossed all guardians' minds.

"Slaves? Are you sure?"

"We came across a group of orcs and men on our way here. They had captured children, and clearly intended to use them as slaves, probably further east," Ana agreed. "There might be more to it, but I am convinced that slavery is involved."

"So… the child you brought here…"

"We freed her from them. But her family was killed, she needs a new home."

Aleberry passed a hand over his tired face, a saddened expression colouring his features. When he spoke once more, his voice sounded far away, his mind travelling away from the room and to darker places he created through his thoughts.

"Goodness, I had no idea… This is horrible…"

"What else do you know?"

"Only rumours," he shook himself and focused again on the witch. "Apparently, they all answer to the same man, but I don't know his true name. For now, all I could catch was an initial."

"G?"

"Exactly. I don't know much about him. He seems to be moving back and forth through the land. It was said he was in Nurn for a while, then in the Misty Mountains, then in the ruins of Mordor… Sometimes, I hear two different stories that don't make sense, like he would be simultaneously in two different places. I don't know which to believe then. I could never get more than these whispers caught while these rascals ate and drank a little too much. But I could never prove anything."

"Do you know what his intentions can be?"

But Aleberry shook his head.

"Maybe it is mere profits obtained in the worst of ways. But I can feel there is something more. Something… something worse. Here again, there is no track to follow, but the way these men talk sometimes makes me think that the threat is real."

"Any link with the orcs at our boundaries?"

But Aleberry shrugged.

"I know they work with others… but they never use the word 'orcs'. It may be other men, it may be goblins, it may be orcs, it could even be dwarves or elves, I don't know. Some refer to them as 'the others'. I know no more than this. But I know that they are not only out of our lands but inside as well."

"We heard about the raids on some villages closer to the eastern lands," Eldarion nodded, but Aleberry quickly interrupted him.

"That is not what I meant. I meant that they have people inside the lands. I heard about some of them lingering near the Fangorn forest, others south of Mirkwood and in the Misty Mountains."

"Fangorn and Mirkwood also…" Ana mumbled under her breath, her eyes unfocused as she was lost in thoughts.

"You knew about the Mountains?"

"Goblins and orcs have been spotted there. I fought some myself as they attempted to destroy some eagle nests. But I didn't know they had spread so far…"

"Again, I don't know if they were referring to these despicable creatures or to any other."

"We shall figure it out ourselves. Thank you for your work here. Anything else you would like to tell me."

"I know that this… 'G' has spies of his own."

"Spies?"

Aleberry nodded, his worried expression turning into a frightened one.

"I do not know to which extent, I do not know what level they have reached and where, but it would seem that they know too much to not have men inside. I heard a group talking about future movements of Rohirrim troops… How can they know about orders that were not yet given?"

Eoden and Eldarion exchanged a dark glance.

"They either have someone who can listen to this kind of conversations," Eoden breathed, "or worst…"

As the captain kept his thoughts suspended in mid-air, Eldarion spoke out loud the words his friend didn't dare to.

"The men giving these orders work for G."

"I should go to Edoras to warn…"

"No."

Ana's voice was firm as she interrupted Eoden, and all looked at her, waiting for her to speak again. But she remained silent for too long, and it was the Rohirrim who broke the heavy silence that had settled in the room.

"Ana, my people is in danger. The King must be warned."

"No one can know about this," Ana shook her head.

"Why not? We must warn everyone…" Eldarion tried to argue, but Ana would not change her mind.

"If we warn the Kings, they will be suspicious, and sooner or later, whoever is behind all this will learn about us, about our involvement… and we cannot take the risk."

"Ana… we cannot gamble with people's lives either."

"We need to work in the shadows. It is the only way we can learn the truth and discover who this 'G' really is. Besides, we don't even know who is involved. We should discover who has infiltrated the realms before revealing who we are and what we know."

"I do not like this plan of yours," Eoden shook his head.

"If we make a move now, and it is suddenly known that we are looking for G, we will be in danger. And we will also be unable to fulfil our mission. If G knows about our interest in him, we will never find him."

"How can you know that?"

"I do not know who is behind all this, but to gather men, orcs and goblins, and to put pawns at the most critical positions of Middle-earth require influence and skills…"

She paused for a moment, but the meaning of her thoughts was plain already.

"You are afraid of him."

Aleberry's voice was a mere whisper, a breath let out through the dimly lit room. It sounded like he could barely believe it.

"Only fools are afraid of nothing. The brave ones are only fighting despite their fear," she replied, nodding. "I would be a fool not to be afraid of such a power held by only one being."

"I agree with you, Ana," Adhalan spoke at last. "We should stay in the shadows for a while longer. We do not even know to what extent the flames have spread. If we act now, we will not eliminate the whole disease, merely the most obvious symptoms."

"What should we do then?" Eoden turned to the witch.

"If Master Aleberry here is right, I suppose we will have to make a little trip to the forest," Urin answered, coughing in his beard.

"Indeed, that will be our next destination."

Eldarion slowly turned towards the door leading to the second bedroom that he had left ajar. He felt a weight falling on his chest at the thought of the little girl sleeping there.

"We have to take care of Clea first."

********************************

The sun was coming up already. Aleberry had stayed a little longer with them, talking about what he had learned and what should be done next, and the six guardians had earned little sleep after their long journey. But Ana could find no rest. In the darkness of the room, she could only keep her eyes opened and stare at the shadows around her. On one side of the room, Eldarion was sleeping on the mattress set on the ground. Clea was sleeping in the other bed.

Ana was exhausted, it was not the lack of tiredness that kept her eyes wide open. Perhaps it was the thought of G, perhaps it was the addition of all these new information that Aleberry had brought her, perhaps it was the threat that seemed to grow bigger and bigger everytime she gathered new clues… Perhaps it was her doubts about herself and the decisions she took.

But right now, her worry had taken the shape of this little girl sleeping next to her.

She stared at the girl's peaceful expression for a long while. She wondered if there was another path to take, another solution…

But Clea had no family left, and they couldn't take care of her. What else could they do?

In her sleep, the child stirred, pushing the blanket aside, but shivering as soon as the cold air hit the skin of her arm. Ana stood up and crossed the meter that separated her bed from the child's.

This child seemed peaceful and so fragile…

She put the blanket back on the girl's arm, protecting her from the cold again, her fingers on the fabric as it traced the shape of Clea's shoulder through the covers. She brushed a strand of hair away from the child's face, taking a long look at her. She looked at the untamed locks framing her young features. The eyelids trembling with sleep. The cheekbones a little dirty. Her chest tightened, and she let herself fall back on the edge of her bed. She clenched her jaw before letting out a long sigh. But there was nothing more that she could do. She had to leave the child to someone else's care.

She remained sitting there, her bare feet on the cold wooden floor, her head bent down and chin resting against her chest, her eyes tightly closed as to stop tears from escaping, her jaw clenched as to refrain a shout… The witch’s heart tightened, a heavy burden thrown onto her shoulders making her bend a little under the imaginary weight.

And lying on the mattress set on the ground, Eldarion stared at her in silent. He remained motionless, unwilling to let her know that he was awake as well and could see her. Despite the dark, he had no trouble examining her face. And as he stared at her sitting on the edge of her bed, her gaze lost somewhere between the child’s features and her own thoughts, her hands tightly holding the thin mattress under her, a smile formed on his lips.

He should have been saddened by the scene, but actually, he was smiling.

She had a much softer heart than most would claim, and he could see it all now.

*************************

A little less than two weeks. That’s all it took for Eldarion to get so accustomed to Clea.

The tickle of her hair against his chin, the soft rhythm of her breath against his shoulder, her eyelashes brushing against his jaw every time her eyelids were closed and lifted back…

She was a soft and fragile form he was used to carry by now. He barely felt her weight at all anymore.

He opened his arms one last time for her and she didn’t hesitate to hurry in his embrace. He lifted her up in his arms and they left the inn. Outside, the rain had left the streets but mud lingered still. It would probably remain for the rest of the day. His boots sank still in the ground, sticky as he rose his foot again to take another step.

By his side, Adhalan and Eoden seemed sad as well. He could see it there, in the curves of their lips and the corner of their eyes that they felt the same pain as he did. He was simply feeling it a little more vividly, he reckoned. Before him, Urin and Goin were silent, which was most strange for them. He couldn't see their faces, but Eldarion knew that the reason behind their silence was Clea. Finally, behind him, Ana wore a stoic expression. There was something a little sad in her eyes, but nothing more. He knew the truth behind her stern looks though. He had seen it all the previous night after all.

Clea's tiny hands tightened their grip on his cloak as the wind blew with more strength.

But as the orphanage came in sight, he knew he had to let go.

It was just a tall and crooked building like most of the town. A sign set above the front door indicated the orphanage. Larger than the other houses, its wooden walls had since long been darkened by moss and moist.

He carried her for a few more steps. Only too soon was it over though. Right before the door, he had no excuse to keep her in his arms.

Slowly, with reluctant movements, he put her down on the ground again. But Clea refused to let go of him.

She turned to him and stared right into his dark eyes with so much fear in her glance that Eldarion stopped breathing.

He forced a reassuring smile to form on his lips nonetheless.

"We’ve talked about it, Clea. They’ll take good care of you here."

"Don’t leave me here," she shook her head, the tears starting to run down her cheeks.

"We cannot take you with us…"

"I’ll be good. You won’t even notice I’m here. I’ll walk all the way. I’ll make no noise."

Eldarion struggled to withhold his tears, his eyes stinging with growing pain.

"I would never want you to not be noticed," he gave her a kind smile.

"I can help with… things."

"We are heading towards very dangerous places. And they are no place for a child."

"Don’t leave me alone here…"

She was sobbing by now, and she rushed in Eldarion’s arms once more, holding on him so tightly, desperation oozing from her touch.

A tear rolled down Eldarion’s face as he held her against his chest one last time. If his heart had been broken before, it was nothing compared to the pain that came with the guilt that pierced his chest now.

This child needed him, and he was abandoning her to strangers. There was no other word to describe how he felt about his action. He was abandoning her. He could hear the arguments that he knew were right, the danger, how impossible it was to keep her with them, how wrong it would be. But couldn’t they at least take her to someone they trusted, rather than to these strangers? He could have taken her back to Minas Tirith and she would have been so much safer then. But Ana was right here again. They couldn’t go back to the White City. Not before their mission was over. The less his people knew about his travels, the better. Aleberry’s news only proved her right on her longing for secrecy. He could not endanger them all. Clea had to be left here. It was the best he could do for her.

But then, why did he feel so bad? Why was he so worried? Why was his instinct shouting against it all?

He shook his head, pulling away again. His new smile was reassuring but the look in his eyes was firm as well.

"You cannot come with us. You will be safe here, and it is the best we can do for you. I promised that I would keep you safe, and that is exactly what I am doing now. You have to stay here. Then everything will be alright."

A middle-aged woman walked out of the orphanage and towards them. She had a comforting smile on her face, and she seemed to be kind.

"I heard that you were coming here," she smiled. "I’m Jona. Is she the girl?"

Eldarion stood up again, nodding.

"Clea, right? Well then, come on girl, we’ll take care of you now."

But Clea wrapped her arms around Eldarion’s legs, sobbing more than ever.

"Clea, come on."

"You’re abandoning me here! You promised you wouldn’t leave me!"

"I promised to keep you safe…"

He and Adhalan tried to make her let go, but she was fighting out their grasp.

"NO!"

Her tiny voice was turned in a loud, desperate shout that pierced all of their hearts. Eldarion brushed a tear out of his eyes.

"Clea, you need to go."

Somehow, Ana was suddenly by his side. How did she manage it, Eldarion never learned, but she did tore the girl away from him, and gave her to Jona.

"I’m sorry, but there is no other way," she breathed in a hoarse voice into the shouting and wringing girl, before turning around and striding away from the orphanage.

The rest of the Guard followed her steps, except for Eldarion, who didn’t move before Clea had disappeared. He couldn’t move a muscle, he was like frozen. He blamed her shouts and her hands extended towards him and the tears on her face and in her voice. And on her lips, the same word again and again.

"Eldarion! Eldarion!"

And then she was gone. Instead of staring at her desperate eyes, Eldarion was fixing the wooden door. Her shouts were shushed as well and yet still his name kept on echoing in his ears and heart.

He was motionless. Somehow, he could not move a muscle. The guilt was as a poison throbbing through his heart and coursing through his very veins across his whole frame. It impended his movements, thoughts, even his breathing. The only vivid feeling was the pain piercing his chest.

He could have taken her to Minas Tirith where she would have been safe. Perhaps Ana was wrong, and perhaps if he strode right to the orphanage, he could take her back and make sure to give her care to someone he trusted even more than himself…

The slightest shakiness coursed through his foot and his heel was an inch above the muddy ground when Adhalan rested her hand upon his shoulder. He could barely feel her fingers though, everything was numb but for the pain and guilt.

"Come on, Eldarion."

After the child’s shouts, it was so strange to hear his name spoken in such a soft tone. He noticed that her voice was a little lower than usual.

Somehow, he turned around and followed the Guard back to the inn. Where did the order to move come from? How was the strength to walk summoned? He didn’t know. He couldn’t have sent the command. All he could see, all he could hear was Clea. And again and again, the same thought that they were making a mistake came back to his mind.

On the way to the inn, Urin and Goin kept on sniffing.

********************

Eldarion's gaze was lost into the void. He couldn’t focus on anything. He had been motionless for a long while now, staring blankly at the dancing flames that illuminated the bedroom. On the table next to him, his plate filled with cheese, apples and ham had been left untouched. He could never eat when he was worried. It had been the same since he was a little child. His mother kept on repeating that he had taken the habit from his father.

He could not shake this weight off his shoulders. His heart still felt heavy. He had a feeling growing more and more inside of him… a mix of guilt and doubts that refused to fade away.

He hadn't noticed Eoden sitting in the chair next to him. Only when the Rohirrim cleared his throat did Eldarion turn towards him.

"The question of where to go next is upon us," Eoden smiled at his friend. "What do you think?"

But Eldarion shrugged.

"I… I don't know."

Adhalan appeared by his side as well, and then Urin and Goin, and finally Ana. They all exchanged a sad but reassuring smile.

"We need to set our course from here," Adhalan nodded, giving Eldarion her map. "What do you think? The road is ahead, after all."

Ana rested a reassuring hand on his shoulder. And in her eyes he could see the same doubts and the same guilt and the same pain that burnt inside him.

"We cannot save everyone, El. Sometimes… we can only give them a hand, they have to find the rest of the way. We did help her, but we cannot do more. It is hard to let go, but life is rarely fair."

"I know," were the only words he could say.

But this time, he had a more honest smile on his lips. He unfolded the map on his laps, and when he spoke again, his voice steady.

"So… what have you planned next?"

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

Minas Tirith

"You left the girl there, and after that?"

Eldarion barely heard Faramir’s question. His mind was not so easily driven back to reality after several hours of wandering through the past. Memories still drifted back and forth, keeping his gaze unfocused. Around the room, many lords full of power, accompanied by their personal guard. A couple of captains for the most part. Only a few women were present, princesses and high-born. His mother and sisters were not here though. He didn’t know who was responsible for this choice: his mother, his father, or the other lords gathered in the hall of stone? He had not dared to ask his father about it the previous night.

"After that, we lingered for a few days in Rohan, before heading for Fangorn."

"You had been gone for… almost two months by then, if I am not mistaken."

"Yes, that must have been around that time."

He answered to Faramir’s questions with little thought. Earnest words nonetheless passed his lips, but they were not thought through. He had settled his attention on the crowd again, his dark brown eyes travelling from right to left and left to right again, studying the lords', ladies' and captains' reactions. Trying to catch a sign. A nervous movement. A strange glimmer in their eyes. A shiver. A wince.

He had little to work on. But his trial was turning into an advantage. He could study them all at once, compare them, read through their hearts and minds slowly, learning to transcribe every movement. He would need every trimmer and every shakiness and every emotion coming through the masks they wore if he wanted to finish his mission. But he wasn't afraid of having to analyse such tiny details to understand such greater schemes. By now, he was used to the exercise.

After all… who could find a spy better than another spy?

**************************

Tag list : @ponycake27 @horsesreign @xinyourdreamsx @jbluevelvet @notkeppeki @daynigt-dreamer-stuff @fudgeflyss @stuckupstucky @snek-shit @suchatinyinfinity @i-padfootblack-things @marvelcapsicle

#eldarion #eldarion imagine #eldarion fanfic #lotr #lotr fanfic #lotr imagine #tolkien #tolkien fanfic #tolkien imagine #tolkien fanfiction #aragorn #aragorn fanfiction #aragorn imagine #fanfic #imagine #writing

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i-will-physically-fight-you · 6 years

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Kat’s Fic Master Post

I finally gave in and created a master list for organization’s sake. fear me and my fleet of fics

4/4/2022 Edit: Completely up to date!

MULTI-CHAPTERS:

Stories of varying word counts that feature multiple chapters.

Most recent multi-chapters

Howl Series (Crescent & Gibbous): When Virgil found himself staring down the barrel of a mugger’s gun, he had no idea it’d lead to him getting adopted by a werewolf on the spot

A Singular Cog in The Machine: Logan adheres to the belief that needs of the many far outweigh the needs of the one, the latter being himself. platonic lamp

Chasm of the Night: Logan goes to the Void, a place no one goes unless they seek death. He doesn’t expect the god of the Void to show themselves to him. Nor does he expect them to offer up a chance of vengeance against those who’ve wronged him. Ambiguous Analogical & Ambiguous Moralogince

See More Multi-Chapters here!

ONE-SHOT SERIES

Collections of stories that can be read standalone but are a part of the same universe.

Most Recent One-Shot Series

Tiny Virge AU: In which Virgil is inexplicably a young child again and the other sides scramble to find a solution to bring him back to his normal grumpy adult self all while trying not to coo at how cute little Virgil is.

No Scorching Sun Nor Freezing Rain: In a world where humans are the practically extinct ones and dragons freely roam and rule the skies, a young draconic adult named Logan is in desperate search of a human to decipher the knowledge lying within the books of his hoard. He just didn’t expect the first human he’d discover would be an abandoned human hatchling left to fend for itself

See More Oneshot Series Here!

CONCEPT FICS

Fics told in an informal, loose story-telling style.

Most recent concept fics

When the Sides Get Sick, Each of Them Have Different Reactions: Headcanons about how the Sides handle being sick

Flower-Crowns: Patton gifts his famILY flower-crowns and in return they gift him one of his own.

Check out more concept fics here!

ONESHOTS:

Completed single-chapter fics with the bare minimum of 1k words.

Most Recent Oneshots

These Bones Never Rested While Living: Roman used to think that dying falling off a horse was the dumbest way for important historical figures to go. creativtwins

Scaled and Icy: “Oh, Virgil is going to hate him. He’s going to erupt in a rant about Logan being too impulsive as if Logan doesn’t think out every action in a methodical manner.” Or. Logan decides to adopt an abandoned human child. platonic Logince

Rooftop Requiems: Hero, villain–it doesn’t matter, the system is fucked regardless of what side you’re on. platonic Moxiety

To Hell with Semantics: Sometimes Virgil wondered if he came from the same clutch as Logan. Because the last thing he expected was to find Logan caring for the young of a legendary, dangerous adversary to all dragonkin. brotherly Analogical

Cave Canem: Patton might’ve been a boy once, a normal boy, a boy who loved splashing puddles and creating make-shift forts. He isn’t one anymore. platonic Moxiety

Check out more oneshots here!

FICLETS:

(completed single-chapter fics that range from 500 to 800 words in length)

Most Recent Ficlets

The Light Within the Dark Trees’ Shadows: When Logan was younger he sought comfort in the moon. Now he dreads its’ arrival

A Sticky Situation: Janus’s gloves is more than for the aesthetic--there’s a practical use to them. A practical use Remus decides to exploit for a “funny” prank. familial anxceitus

A Vigilant Prince: After several days of no sleep, Virgil finds himself sitting listlessly in the kitchen at 3AM. Fortunately a prince is there to help out. platonic prinixety

Someday My Prince Will Come: Roman expects a lot from the one Virgil Locksley he plucked from underneath his bodyguard’s eye. What he doesn’t expect is for the kid’s first words to be, “Don’t send me back.” platonic prinixety

Silver Eyes: Logan just wants to keep his brother safe, they’d gotten so far with Logan’s wits and well-placed words, they just needed to go a little further with them. Brotherly logicality

Check out more ficlets here!

MICRO-FICS

Fics that are 400 words and below

Most Recent Micro-Fics

Depression: There is a person in a room somewhere in the world. Surely you’ve been that person at some point. platonic analogical

Heavenly: “You’re...heavenly.” platonic prinixety

Finding Optimism: It isn’t as easy as finding loose change. platonic lamp

Calling: As a demon, Deceit must answer any and all summons. Even idiotic ones.

Sink into the Soil: It’s pathetic, Roman thinks, to be reduced to a shriveling sobbing shell of a someone once so proud and confident. platonic roceit

Giggly: The first sign of things going terribly wrong was Logan giggling. The man never giggled. platonic logince

Check out more micro-fics here!

Kat’s AO3

General Tag List

#thomas sanders #sander sides #logan sanders #roman sanders #virgil sanders #patton sanders #kat writes #long post

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bicycles-bees-bisexuals · 5 years

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50 Question Book Tag For World Book Day

My darling pal @thebestoftimes tagged me in this and who am I to refuse, though i am a lame loser who hasn’t read very much since high school. I read so much in elementary and middle school that I think I read enough for a whole lifetime. Also I’m a verbose asshole so enjoy my essays on books I read 13 years ago.

Who or what sparked your love of literature?

My mom used to read to me when I was really little and my sister despised being read to so my mom stopped. It made me sad so I started reading to myself and I just kept reading and reading and reading all throughout elementary and onward.

Do you have an ‘odd’ book habit? (page sniffing/never leaving the house with a book)

If I really really really love a book I use it to press flowers, so you’ll know which book is my favorite when you open it and it’s full of flowers

Do you have a book that you think has changed your life? How?

Shit I dunno man, I feel like Tolkien shaped my creativity and his characters are characters that I truly hold dear. But Pride and Prejudice really impacted me, which I know is weird, but it was my first foray into literature written by women for women and I just loved the dynamic of the characters, the spunkiness of Elizabeth Bennet, and the style of writing.

Which book have you reread most frequently?

Pride and Prejudice because I’m a huge freakin’ nerd and whenever I’m sad P&P is my comfort book. This is closely followed by the Lord of the Rings/the Hobbit

You can meet any author and ask one question. What author would you chose and what question would you ask?

Oh shit.....ummmmmm..... Ummmmmmmmmmmm.....I would ask Jane Austen her opinion on the Lizzie Bennet Diaries(after showing her the whole series)

Best book published this year so far?

(I haven’t read any books published this year I am so sorry)

Imagine you’ve started a book and don’t like it. Do you see the experience through to the bitter end?

I am a sinner of the highest caliber and I read the end to see if it’s interesting enough to warrant suffering through the rest

What book is top of your wish list/TBR pile?

Any of Holly Blacks books tbh, I hear such good things about her work and I just haven’t gotten around to reading it yet and I really want to

Favourite place to read?

On the porch in my beach chair with a mug of tea and a blanket

If you buy books, do you lend them out? Ever had a bad experience?

I lend books out all the time. I recently had a person I considered my friend abscond to Russia with several of my books and I am not happy about it

What fictional character do you ship yourself with?

There are so many badass ladies that if I lived in their world I would flirt so hard with them and I can’t decide. Definitely Annabeth and Rachel for Percy Jackson, Hermione/Ginny/Luna from Harry Potter... Brett Ashley from The Sun Also Rises....Arwen from LOTR but also Aragorn and also Eowyn....I just love hot ladies who get in fights alright

Weirdest thing you’ve used as a bookmark.

A whole sock, it was the nearest object to me and I was in a hurry, but at least it was clean

Favorite quality/qualities in a protagonist and antagonist

I love a flawed character who experiences character growth in the story, be they protagonist or antagonist. Not even in a ‘bad guy becomes good guy’ way, character growth is just so sexy man I wish writers used it more

Favorite genre and favorite book from that genre.

Why must you hurt me in this way, making me decide. I must say Fantasy is my genre of choice, and my favorite is actually The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Best/worst movie adaptation in your eyes

Dragon is by far the worst movie adaptation I have ever seen, I remember being so utterly disappointed and gutted when I watched it, I love those books so much and that movie let me down so hard(the effects were really good for the time though I must give them that)

Do you prefer reading your own books, or library books?

I am poor so library books all the way

How do you choose your next book to read?

I read descriptions until something strikes my interest. Or Jess recommends something to me.

Your favorite word.

Flourish

Book that got you hooked on reading/how you got hooked.

Mrs Peregrins Home for Peculiar Children, which isn’t a book I didn’t expect to like and didn’t have much interest in but the opening line of “I had just come to accept my life would be ordinary when extraordinary things began to happen” it was an interesting enough hook to draw me in. I was not disappointed, it’s a pretty great book

Opinion on dog-earing, margin writing, ect.

I dog ear books and write all over them. I love books and I love the stories they contain but I don’t think the pages of each individual book are sacred. My books look loved because they are loved. Unless I’m borrowing them then I don’t dog ear or write in them because that’s rude

Top 5 immediate to read in no order

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

The Foxhole Court by Nora Sakavic

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare

Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare

Queen of Air and Darkness by Cassandra Clare

Most underrated book you’ve read

Tbh I don’t think I’ve read any underrated books. They’re all pretty highly rated

What is the first book that catches your eye when you look at your bookshelf?

My collectors copy of Sherlock Holmes because it’s beautiful and fancy and those stories hold a dead place in my heart

How do you arrange your books on your shelves?

I don’t arrange them, I just place them so that they fit, though I do keep series together

You have the power to change a book’s ending. Which ending would you change and what would you make happen instead?

Why do you do this to me.....okay I would definitely change the ending of Inheretence by Christopher Paolini. Tbh I wish he hadn’t written the fourth book at all and just left it with Eragon, Eldest, and Brisingr but if we accept this book then it must be changed. I would have liked to see more character growth from Murtagh especially, but also Eragon who really regressed in this book. And I think Galbatorix’ death was super anti climatic and didn’t really resolve all of the built up tension from the series, it was too easy and didn’t resolve anything at all.

And Eragon just abandons Arya and the riders and they separate themselves from each other after all they did together, several books of allusion to a relationship and all of the issues between them being resolved and he just leaves. The plot threads just weren’t resolved and honestly I would have to scrap the whole book for the most part and start over.

Favourite book cover?

The book covers for the Inheretence Cycle by Christopher Paolini hold a special place in my heart and are what drew me to that series in the first place. I bought hard covers just for the aesthetic of them

Which book from your childhood has had the most impact on you?

The Chronicles of Narnia, tbh, my first introduction to fantasy

When reading, what do you value most: writing style, characters, plot, world building, pacing, etc?

Characters are the most valuable to me, if I don’t love the characters I don’t love the book

Do you prefer buying books or borrowing them from a library/friend?

Borrowing, for sure

What books/sequels that are being published this year are you most excited for?

Unfortunately I haven’t read enough lately to know what’s coming out this year

Which fictional character would you want as a sidekick?

Samwise Gamgee all the way

How many books have you read so far this year?

Seven, all academic books

What’s been your favourite read so far this year?

The Heliand

You’re stuck on an island with a suitcase big enough to hold five books. What books are they?

Arghhhhh ummm.... the lord of the rings trilogy, Pride and Prejudice, and a book on survival tactics

If you had to go out to dinner with any character who would it be and why? What would you talk about?

Hmmmmm Bilbo Baggins because I wanna hear the hidden stories of his journeys

Is there a book you have such a hatred for that you would throw it off of the highest tower knowing that the last copy of it will be destroyed so that not another living soul can read it?

Inheretence by Christopher Paolini tbh

Do you believe books make nice decoration?

Yeah I do and one day I want to have book shelves displaying all my books

Do you listen to music when you read? Or do you need complete silence?

I do listen to music because I can’t focus on just one thing at a time because I’m ridiculous

Do you have a favorite book? If not are you in the group that believes there are too many great books out there to just choose one?

I CANT CHOOSE I CANT CHOOSE I CANT CHOOSE I CANT CHOOSE I CANTTTFTTTT

Do you sleep with books under your pillow.

No because I move too much in my sleep I would destroy the poor thing

Do you go to the library or do you have a book buying addiction or are you one of those lucky people who is able to do both?

I definitely go to the library because I am poooorrrrr

Own any book inspired clothing?

I have a pride and prejudice book scarf and several Jane Austen necklaces

Have you ever read a book in another language?

Yep I read books in Latin all the time and I used to read books in Spanish because I used to be smart, what the fuck happened to that who knows

Strangest book you’ve ever read?

The Heliand

Favourite type of non-fiction?

Historical Drama, in which they tell real events but in the most dramatic way possible. The best.

Favourite non-fiction book?

I CANT CHOOSE I CANT CHOOSE I CANT CHOOSE I CANT CHOOSE I CANT CHOOSE (does hidden figures by Margot Lee Shetterly count? If not then I can’t decide)

Favourite subject to read about?

History, always, especially history involving regular people losing their shot

Favourite book you’ve read in school?

No Turning Back: The History of Feminism and the Future of Women by Estelle Freedman

Favourite work of Shakespeare?

Tbh I don’t like Shakespeare but Midsummer Nights Dream is most entertaining to me. Though I love merchant of Venice for all the jokes I get out of it on Bards Dispense Profanity

Character you’d love as a mom or dad or guardian?

All of them would be terrible parents and it would be so delightful but tbh I’d love to have Han Solo and Leia as my parents so I can beat the shit out of my bro Kyle Ron every time he tried to glorify space hitler

#books #i do miss reading #thank you jess for making me think about non academic books again

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sammis-workbook · 3 years

Text

Character Ideas Brainstorm

character one

their world: a version of almost heaven, a perfect world that is full of wonder and beauty, nothing is dead, there is plenty of gold and wealth and happiness

what they want or need: to be liked, to be chased after, to be successful, to seem perfect

special ability/skill: controls the sun

external problem: ?

internal problem: running and trying to hide her very dark and traumatic past

how will they solve this problem: ?

what will they learn: ?

other information: she is a goddess, the object of all the males attention

character two

their world: in her normal life her world is the upper class society, cities, penthouses, everything handed to her on a silver platter but in the secret society it is set in an old mansion, the whole old money idea but with a touch of fantasy and mystery, it is very dark, mostly only candle light and lanterns, a lot of gold and dark colours with plenty of secret passages and secret rooms

what they want or need: to succeed, to be rich, to lead

special ability/skill: good with dangerous weapons, secretive, sneaky, dangerous

external problem: the secret society is being blackmailed by someone to out their identity and everyone in it as well as all their crimes which would end in them all getting very long jail time - also turns out the blackmailer is her brother who has hated her secretly his whole life for being the object of their parents attention

internal problem: she feels very guilty for the life she is hiding from her parents, specifically her dad so a lot of the time it makes it harder for her to make the bad decisions she needs to in order to continue ruling the secret society

how will they solve this problem: ?

what will they learn: ?

other information: she is the daughter of a billionaire

character three

their world: his world is a royal castle but his room represents him the most, very stereotypically male but with things hidden away that are mostly obscured that are still slightly visible that show his feminine side, dolls, jewellery etc

what they want or need: to be accepted for who he is

special ability/skill: ?

external problem: not being accepted

internal problem: feeling unwanted and not perfect for his family

how will they solve this problem: ?

what will they learn: ?

other information: male, prince, very feminine both in personality and dress sense, held back by parents trying to keep up appearances

character four

their world: very stereotypical vampire house, very dark and creepy, hidden away in the woods, except for his room that is bright, full of toys, cute and cuddly etc

what they want or need: to do good and stop killing people etc

special ability/skill: vampirism

external problem: his parents not agreeing and having different values

internal problem: him not feeling himself and feeling quite depressed because of it

how will they solve this problem: ?

what will they learn: ?

other information: very young, around 7 years old

character five

their world: regular world, she used to live in an orphanage, now lives in a modernised loft in manhattan

what they want or need: to be understood

special ability/skill: witch powers

external problem: trying to prove herself to the world while everyone is against her

internal problem: loneliness and guilt from what she did as a baby

how will they solve this problem: ?

what will they learn: ?

other information: she discovered her powers accidentally when she was a baby by causing some form of accident that scared her parents so they gave her away, she is perceived as a villain due to the accident when she was a baby and everyone jumped to that conclusion when in reality she is super nice and just wants to be good

character six

their world: modern world, lives in a skyscraper almost apartment building but it is specifically for heroes no they are in seperate apartment things where each person has their own floor designed to their choosing with lift connecting them all but she also has a house of her own filled with things for her past that is more unique and shows the side she tries to hide from people and the only person who gets to see it is her boyfriend - not until she has to visit her place on a mission though as it shows the side of her she hides from everyone

what they want or need: to save the world and to erase the bad she has done in her past

special ability/skill: great with knives, daggers, machetes etc

external problem: a friend from her past who is killing a lot of people but is trying to recruit her onto her side using things she has done in her past against her

internal problem: guilt and loneliness, struggle to accept she is now a good person

how will they solve this problem: ?

what will they learn: ?

could possibly create a seperate modern world kind of like mandripoor in falcon and winter soldier

character seven

their world: lives in a regular house but it hasn’t been maintained and has multiple stories attached to it that make people thing it’s haunted. people cross the road when they walk past making it even more isolated than it already seems. however the inside is very vintage, classic and well out together, it’s the only thing he takes pride in other than his clothing as it’s the only things that can make him feel somewhat good for himself

what they want or need: ?

special ability/skill: ?

external problem: ?

internal problem: trying to get past the trauma and abuse he has suffered in his past

how will they solve this problem: ?

what will they learn: ?

other information: loner, creepy, covered in scars

character eight

their world: hell or her own world that is picture perfect which is the opposite of her and she is an outcast other than with the multiple guys she sleeps with for validation because while she is terrifying to most people the men look past that too obsessed with her beauty

what they want or need: ?

special ability/skill: ?

external problem: keeping everyone in hell in line after the prince of hell (lucifer) disappears

internal problem: disciplining the evil soles everyday when it makes her feel really crap

how will they solve this problem: ?

what will they learn: ?

other information: princess of hell/darkness

character nine

their world: a traditional fairy world, mushrooms, tiny in perspective, but it’s in the real world so everything is actually just really oversized and their homes will frequently be destroyed by humans or animals thinking it’s just regular nature

what they want or need: ?

special ability/skill: flying, good magic, helpful

external problem: ?

internal problem: ?

how will they solve this problem: ?

what will they learn: ?

character ten

their world: an alternate earth where there is a specific area of different cities for crime and everyone knows it is a large part of everyday life but also pretends it doesn’t exist and acts oblivious all the time

what they want or need: to dominate and be the ultimate feared entity of the crime world

special ability/skill: dangerous, smart, cunning, good with guns and at torturing people

external problem: he is second best and must beat the top dog

internal problem: a girl that he is pining over is softening his hard guy exterior and if the opposition find out he will also finally have a weakness to exploit

how will they solve this problem: ?

what will they learn: ?

other information: mobs boss, covered in blood, very hot and intriguing

character eleven

their world: he’s from heaven but after a mission on earth he ends up getting himself into an angel trap accidentally which gets rid of his powers, he manages to escape before the hunter shows up but now he’s on a journey through snow, heat, forests and more to try and find his powers and when he fails that a way back to heaven without them

what they want or need: to find his way back to heaven

special ability/skill: angelic powers, flying

external problem: powers are gone and cannot get back to heaven

internal problem: self doubt, fear that he is not good enough etc

how will they solve this problem: ?

what will they learn: that his importance is not controlled by the powers he posses but by who he is deep down and the values he holds

character twelve

their world: on an alternate version of earth, a bit more apocalyptic as monsters are starting to take hold but they still remain a secret to humans, well other than the hunters. they never stay in one place, too easy to be tracked so are living out of motels, or empty buildings, or their car

what they want or need: to kill all the monsters and go back to a life that she can live normally

special ability/skill: skilled with multiple weapons, knowledge of different monsters and their weakness etc

external problem: the monsters

internal problem: being in her brothers shadows, dealing with the death of her parents when she was younger

how will they solve this problem: ?

what will they learn: ?

character thirteen

their world: a wee cabin in the forest, slightly cutesy as much as he likes to deny it

what they want or need: ?

special ability/skill: werewolf things

external problem: ?

internal problem: ?

how will they solve this problem: ?

what will they learn: ?

character fourteen

their world: perfectly sculpted forest, a home made out of the natural environment, yet somehow still perfect, his years of training in the kingdom doing him well in terms of his survival and craftsmanship

what they want or need: to be more intone with nature and get rid of the narcissistic views he has developed from being royalty etc

special ability/skill: survival and craftsmanship skills

external problem: ?

internal problem: narcissism, hatred of his perfect life etc

how will they solve this problem: ?

what will they learn: ?

character fifteen

their world: an underground lair, purple or blue kind of aesthetic

what they want or need: to kill those who do wrong

special ability/skill: elf powers

external problem: heaps of people doing shitty things

internal problem: her not liking doing such things and it making her feel awful

how will they solve this problem: ?

what will they learn: ?

character sixteen

their world: hell, but ends up on earth

what they want or need: too torture

special ability/skill: demon powers

external problem: hell isn’t enough for her and so she feels the need to kill humans but as soon as she does that everyone turns against her

internal problem: the person she values most in he life thinking badly of her now that she is killing humans but her not being able to control herself

how will they solve this problem: ?

what will they learn: ?

My thoughts: I think quite a few of my characters might be a struggle to create them in enough depth to be successful so my next step to narrow them down is to see if I can figure out some more personality traits and physical features for these characters to see which ones I would be able to expand on and which ones need to go

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dfroza · 5 years

Text

beautiful truth.

A set of posts shared by John Parsons all about the True illumination of Light:

The implication that God is our Creator is enormous and pervades everything else in our lives. God’s creative power is witnessed by all conscious life. The Divine Light that was created before the sun and the stars represents God's immanent presence that "lights up" all of creation - including our minds (Gen. 1:3). Since we were created b’tzelem Elohim, “in the image of God,” the witness of God's truth is foundational to all of our thinking as well. The revelation (not the invention) of logical first principles is part of God's "signature," if you will, of how the mind is wired to reality. Likewise we have intuitive awareness regarding the existence of moral truth (i.e., the standard of justice and moral law), aesthetic truth (i.e., ideals of beauty, goodness, worth, and love), and metaphysical truth (i.e., cause and effect relationships). “The heavens are recounting the glory of God, and the expanse is proclaiming his handiwork” (Psalm 19:1). God’s power and presence can be clearly inferred from the tremendous effect of the universe itself. As Paul stated, "the invisible things of Him (τά ἀόρατα αὐτοῦ) from the creation of the world are clearly seen (καθοράω), so that people are without excuse" (Rom. 1:19-20). It is the fear of the LORD (יִרְאַת יהוה) that is truly the beginning of wisdom and knowledge (Psalm 111:10; Prov. 1:7; 9:10). The Hebrew word for fearing (ירא) and seeing (ראה) share the same root. We cannot truly see reality apart from reverencing God as the Lord and King of Creation. [H4C]

The New Testament identifies the “Voice of the Creator” (קוֹל יְהוָה אֱלהִים) as the all-powerful Word of God: בְּרֵאשִׁית הָיָה הַדָּבָר / “in the beginning was the Word” (John 1:1,14). Yeshua is the Source of all life in the universe: כָּל־הַמַּעֲשִׂים נִהְיוּ עַל־יָדוֹ / “All things were made by Him (John 1:3). The “Word made flesh” is the "image of the invisible God" and the "radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint (χαρακτήρ, 'character') of his nature" (John 1:14, Col. 1:15). All of creation is being constantly upheld by the word of His power (Heb. 1:3): “All things were created by Him (i.e., Yeshua), and for Him” and in Him all things consist (συνεστηκεν, lit. “stick together”) (Col. 1:16-17). Creation begins and ends with the redemptive love of God as manifested in the Person of Yeshua our Messiah... He is the Center of Creation - its beginning and end. As it is written: אָנכִי אָלֶף וְתָו רִאשׁוֹן וְאַחֲרוֹן ראשׁ וָסוֹף / "I am the 'Aleph' and the 'Tav,' the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End" (Rev. 22:13). Every knee shall one day bow before Him (Isa. 45:23; Rom. 14:11; Phil. 2:9-11). Indeed, Yeshua is מֶלֶךְ מַלְכֵי הַמְּלָכִים / Melech Malchei Hamelachim: The "King of kings of kings." He is LORD of all possible worlds -- from the highest celestial glory to the dust of death upon a cross... יְהִי שֵׁם יהוה מְברָךְ / yehi shem Adonai mevorakh: “Let the Name of the LORD be blessed” forever (Psalm 113:2). Amen. [H4C]

The question is raised as to why Adam was created alone. Why didn’t God create Adam and Eve together at the same time, or perhaps even create a community of people? The sages answer that God created Adam alone as “olam malei” (עוֹלָם מָלֵא), an entire world, to teach us that each individual person is of great value and significance. “Thus anyone who sustains one individual has sustained the world; and anyone who destroys one individual has destroyed an entire world.” In addition, God created man as a solitary creation to remind all people that they descend from a common source. No one has a greater or better lineage than anyone else. Moreover, each of us is created with a radical sense of “aloneness,” since - despite our relationships with other people - each of us is born alone and will die alone. This sense of aloneness is a built in “hunger” for relationship and especially for God’s presence. Therefore the very first commandment comes in the form of a blessing: “And God blessed them and said, פְּרוּ וּרְבוּ / pru urvu: "be fruitful and multiply" (Gen. 1:28). People were created to be in fellowship with others and with God, and when this is lacking, there is a profound soul hunger and divine need. [H4C]

The New Testament affirms that knowing that the First Cause of the universe is the personal God revealed in the Jewish Scriptures is the result of faith in God’s direct revelation: “By faith (בָּאֱמוּנָה) we understand that the universe [lit. “worlds”] were created by the utterance of God (בִּדְבַר אֱלהִים), so that what is seen [i.e., the “effect” of the universe] did not come into being out of existing phenomena [i.e., was made yesh me’ayin - ‘out of nothing’]” (Heb. 11:3). Again, this is a matter of special revelation directly imparted by God’s grace so that the soul may apprehend the Divine Light that preceded the creation of the worlds. Faith "looks not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal" (2 Cor. 4:18). This "collision" with the world of everydayness creates a restlessness or homesickness for our true home in heaven... (May God help each of us persevere.)

The very first phrase of the Scriptures, “In the beginning God created...” (Gen. 1:1), is therefore the starting point of all true and right thinking about the universe itself. Everything else follows from this revealed truth which natural (i.e., human) reason can merely approximate. God alone can create yesh me’ayin - “out of nothing” (the Hebrew verb bara (בָּרָא) is used exclusively to refer to God’s power in this way), and therefore God stands exaltedly apart from the universe as its unique Creator and personal Master. This is the guiding thought that overshadows all that follows in the pages of Scripture. God is holy - separate - and entirely unique. He is the Personal God who loves, wills, speaks, intends, etc., and to whom human beings owe their allegiance and life. The God of Israel is not some indifferent deity that functions as a theoretical construct to explain the universe: He is the Source of all life, the personal Judge and Redeemer of all people. [H4C]

“Then the LORD God formed the man from dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living soul” (Gen. 2:7). We tend to think of dust in self-effacing terms; for example, repenting in “dust and ashes” expresses unworthiness and sinfulness. Yet the dust God used to form Adam was not worthless, but instead represented very fine particles of creation, a substance suspended midway between heaven and earth, almost a “spiritual matter.” This is suggested by the fact that God first intended man to be his image bearer and only then used dust as the material for that higher end. The sages note that regarding the creation of animals, God said, “Let the earth (eretz) bring forth according to their kinds” (Gen. 1:24), but regarding man he said, “Let us make him be’tzelmeinu - in our image (as a photograph), after our likeness” (Gen. 1:26). Therefore God brought forth the lower animals in groups, but he created Adam as the only one of its kind, the son of God and prince of God’s creation. God breathed into Adam nishmat chayim (נִשְׁמַת חַיִּים), “a living soul” (the word neshamah [נשָׁמָה] is used to describe life breathed into humans, not to animals). The LORD breathed “out of himself” to share his own spirit with mankind... Therefore your soul does not come from nature, but from God; your inner essence originates directly from the LORD. Yeshua breathes out and says to you, "Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:22). [H4C]

The Torah begins with the letter Bet (בּ) rather than the letter Aleph (א) to denote God's humility. The letter Aleph is the first letter, the king of the alphabet, and the letter that begins "I AM" (i.e., אנכי) - the first word of the Ten Commandments. The letter Bet, on the other hand, is the second letter that means "house" or "home" (בּית). This suggests that the Torah begins with the focus not on the "I" but on creation, the household of God. And though God did not wish to be the center of attention, so to speak, Aleph and Bet together spell the word "father" (אב), that is, the One who oversees the household of the world in love. As it is written, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights (אֲבִי הַמְּארוֹת) with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change" (James 1:17). [H4C]

The very first prophecy of the Bible was spoken to the serpent, namely, God's promise that through the "seed of the woman" would come One who would battle the serpent and ultimately crush the kingdom of Satan (Gen. 3:15). Notice that the promise of the coming "Serpent Slayer" was given to Adam and Eve before their judgment was announced. And even after their judgment was given, "the LORD God made tunics of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them" - a clear picture of being compassionately "robed in righteousness" imparted by an innocent sacrifice. The very first sacrifice recorded in the Torah - performed by God Himself - prefigured the coming redemption by the "seed of the woman" who would die as a substitutionary sacrifice for their sins.

"God creates the cure before the plague." Just as God created mankind only after He created the pathway of repentance (i.e., Yeshua is called the "Lamb slain from the foundation of the world": 1 Pet. 1:20, Eph. 1:4, Rev. 13:8), so purification from death and the nullification of the curse was also foreseen and provided by the cross of the Messiah. Yeshua is the antidote to the venom delivered through the serpent's bite (John 3:14-15). "For as in Adam all die, so also in Messiah shall all be made alive" (1 Cor. 15:22). The "new seed" of life given to us in Yeshua makes us into a "new creation" (בְּרִיאָה חֲדָשָׁה) that fully restores the defaced image of God within us: "Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven" (1 Cor. 15:49). [H4C]

We are in the midst of a great spiritual war -- the war for the truth. This has been the battle from the beginning. The very first words of evil (הַנָּחָשׁ) questioned and garbled God's truth: אַף כִּי־אָמַר אֱלֹהִים לֹא תֹאכְלוּ מִכֹּל עֵץ הַגָּן - "Did God really say you shall not eat from all the trees of the garden?" (Gen. 3:1). The test of the orchard was therefore the test of teshuvah - that is, whether Adam and Eve would turn to God or turn to evil. Satan’s deceptive appeal to Eve was that the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge would give her wisdom that would make her “like God,” knowing both good and evil. The essence of temptation focused on her pride and her desire to acquire wisdom using her own autonomous reasoning. The fruit represented self-will and the abandonment of God’s rule as King of the universe. Eve’s sin was ultimately that of unbelief (which is the reason why we must be saved by faith, as a reversal of the original sin). When she ate the forbidden fruit, the body (carnality) became the central focus and shame was the result.

The Hebrew word for truth (i.e., emet: אֱמֶת) implies more than descriptive correspondence to include faithfulness and trust; it is both cognitive (emunah) and emotive (bittachon). In the end there will be found two types of people: those who love the truth and those who love the lie; these are children of light (בְּנֵי הָאוֹר) and children of darkness (בְּנֵי הַחשֶׁךְ), respectively. Followers of Yeshua the Messiah are told to "walk as children of light" / ὡς τέκνα φωτὸς περιπατεῖτε (Eph. 5:8). Children of light are called to be am kadosh - a holy people - separate from the evil engendered by the fallen world and its forces, just as the very first creative expression of God was the separation of light from darkness (Gen. 1:3-4). The children of light "hate evil and love the good," and conversely, the children of darkness "hate the good and love evil" (Psalm 34:21, Prov. 8:13, Amos 5:15, John 3:20-21). Yes, we hate sin, because sin separates people from healing; we hate sin but we love others. We are to walk in the peace and love of God; to do acts of justice and lovingkindness (Psalm 97:10). "No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.” [H4C]

We are people of truth, people of faith in the LORD God of Israel. We share our hope with the great tzaddikim of the ages as we walk through the "valley of the shadow of death" that is this world. We believe in God's mercy and love given in the Messiah; we believe in the resurrection of Yeshua from the dead and hold fast to the promise of an unimaginably wonderful blessing reserved for us in the world to come. Meanwhile we walk by faith, believing that no prayer we utter ever goes unanswered. We trust in our heavenly Father's care as we pour out our hearts to him for the healing of those who are still lost and in despair... We remember that time is short and soon we will see our great King panim el-panim, "face to face"! At any given moment of the day, then, regardless of our present circumstances, we can turn to the secret reality of the Divine Presence and come "boldly before the Throne of Grace." As Yeshua said, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven...” (Matt. 13:11). The Spirit of God always says, "Come, my people, enter your chambers, and shut your doors behind you” (Isa. 26:20). In the secret places of our heart - our “prayer closet” - we appeal to the Hidden Presence to be manifest in the midst of every circumstance of our lives. Our Heavenly Father sees in secret; he knows the groaning of our hearts. Therefore may we never be ashamed; may we never grow bitter; may our sorrows lead us from strength to strength; and may the days of our sojourn yield to us greater wisdom, deeper compassion, and finally return us to the accepting arms of our great God and Savior. By faith let us draw near and call upon the Name of the LORD. Shabbat shalom dear friends... - jjp

10.25.19 • Facebook

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dentelle-grise · 7 years

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Your Latest Trick

Chapter 8

(Loki x Reader)

Summary: Long after everyone has stopped talking about Loki and his misdemeanors, his failed attempt to take over Midgard and his punishment, you meet him at a party.

A retelling of The Dark World in which Loki woos the reader despite life imprisonment, mortal wounding and the cumbersome pretense of impersonating his father.

Original Prompt: Imagine Loki undressing you slowly, entirely by magic, only touching you with his eyes.

All chapters to date at AO3 (22K, NC-17)

Chapter 8: Waiting is hard

So now you know what you’re missing.

In those few moments together you created something real, which is fantastic and terrible all at once. You can’t tell anyone though. Perhaps you’re even avoiding your friends because of that temptation. You want to tell the world. But Loki is both a criminal and a fugitive now. So you keep your silence.

Secrecy makes his absence all the more painful and hiding your feelings all the more difficult. But the rest of the world is preoccupied with the city’s crisis and your distress passes for that of so many citizens shaken by the attack and saddened by the loss of the queen or their own dear ones.

You continue to go to the healing rooms. It makes you feel you are doing some good and keeps your mind away from daydreams and darker places. If you take walks or rides alone you tend to drift off, feeling the shadow of invisible hands and lips on your skin; imagining silent promises Loki never made.

What shakes you out of it is Dagny’s broken arm. One day all of a sudden it’s your friend that you’re treating, making the sling while a healer sets the bones. She’d gone to run down a flight of stairs that wasn’t there anymore and taken a fall into a pile of rubble.

“And we were going to ride out to the lake and now I can’t make it.”

Before you know it, you’re dreaming up a solution.

“Of course you can go. We’ll just take it slowly and I’ll lead your horse. We don’t have to ride all the way around.”

And that’s how you find yourself at the lake with the girls. Almost like old times, but also not at all.

It is a beautiful late summer day and you really feel you are escaping, though from what you don’t know. Nara, your mare, is frustrated with the slow pace but you can’t gallop her today. Your little group moves sedately. The further you go from the city, the more intact it looks, but there’s no way you can pretend that nothing’s changed.

You stop and picnic by the water, Dagny basking in the light like a little queen with her court and though she cannot play any games, she looks on as though your sport is for her entertainment.

Asta is strangely silent though. She eats little and never starts conversations, which is unlike her. So much so that when the others are relaxing you go to her where she’s staring off across the water at nothing in particular. You don’t have to prompt her.

“Do you remember Peeter?”

You don’t. Not from just a name. But the way she says it, low and desolate, you know she doesn’t expect an answer.

It’s everything she doesn’t say that sets a fear running though you, starts your mind showing you a dozen faces that might be Peeter. But even without putting a face to him, death just took another step closer. You hug Asta in the hope of giving her some comfort. Perhaps you knew someone too, perhaps one or more of your ex-lovers is among the dead, but you haven’t given it a thought. No, you’ve only been thinking of one person. One of whom you still have no news.

As she silently cries, not for lost love you think, but for another’s lost future, you finally know, without a doubt that you cannot ever share the truth about Loki with her (or any of the others).

You haven’t lost him you tell yourself. But only, perhaps, because you never really had him.

You stare out across the water as she calms and you both sit in silence warmed by the fading sun.

In the middle of the great lake lies a boulder twice as tall as a man. It’s known as ‘Thor’s Rock’ and you can see it from any point around the shore. Like so many things around you, it holds memories of Loki. You let them wash through you again.

The incident that created ‘Thor’s Rock’ happened back in that time when you had ceased to be children but were not yet adults, a period filled with new experiences and firsts, stretching in your mind into an endless parade of summer nights camping on the moors or by the lake and winter evenings closing in around festivities, of being together but somehow growing apart as you came to be yourselves. That winter was one of the times when you felt most separate from the princes. It was shortly after the cake accident, when the ensuing jokes had distanced you somewhat. While it was true that some of Loki’s pranks had been worse, you had caused him the maximum public embarrassment without even trying.

Thor and Loki would fight, their brotherly rivalry having grown up with them into something bigger and bolder. You stood back from their foolishness and simply hoped that no one got hurt. But you couldn’t stop yourself from watching.

It was an exceptionally warm winter, Thor had not long had Mjolnir and was very proud. This, in his eyes made him a man and his bragging made him tiresome company. Loki for his part was also proud. So ferociously proud that he would not admit his jealousy of his brother, which was nonetheless clear to all. He was haughty, distant and rather disdainful. He had recently grown taller than Thor and had chosen a very elegant new winter wardrobe, the kind of thing Thor couldn’t care less for. Loki now had the a tall frame that showed most garments to great effect and his parents indulged him. Some of this may, you guessed, have been because there was no Mjolnir for Loki. It was no secret he wanted the hammer, but not for its aesthetic appeal or even its usefulness. He wanted it because Thor had it. It was a childish desire and he put great effort into hiding it.

The mildness of the weather meant that the ice formed only thinly on the great lake but, like every year, many wanted to venture out to skate or merely to savor the sensation of walking on the huge flat expanse where one could only swim or sail the rest of the year.

Odin had formally prohibited the use of the lake, as the ice was dangerously thin, but that didn’t stop people. You would think that knowing that they risked an icy bath at best, if not their lives, would hold them back, but no. Nor could Odin keep the lake sufficiently guarded to prevent people from straying onto the ice. You expected a fatal accident any day.

Then Thor said he had a solution, he would break the thin ice and make it impossible to venture out. He planned of course to use Mjolnir. Loki immediately said that he would break the ice, meaning that he would use his magic and thus prove that he was the stronger.

An argument blew up between them one night and they even came to blows; Frigga and Odin, concerned that this was not the way for future kings to behave, intervened. But Odin decided that their spirit of competition was to be commended. He would also be most content if they would destroy the ice. But not with Mjolnir, whose control Thor was still learning, nor by magic, as Loki’s spells were still known to sometimes go awry.

They both said “Yes, Father.” earnestly and went to bed liking their wounds, even more determined to best the other.

They started at dawn. You watched with your friends, wrapped thickly against the icy wind. Many people had gathered around the lake and cheered like they were watching some sport. Thor, predictably, chose to use brute force. He rolled a massive boulder from the mountains and threw it into the middle of the lake. It made a great hole of course and plenty of cracks, but broke just a fraction of the surface ice.

Loki on the other hand had a palace engineer direct freeflowing water from the hottest geyser direct onto the ice. But Frigga discovered his plan and put an immediate stop to it for fear of cooking alive all the fish in the lake.

As you watched, Thor, standing on a raft of broken ice, tried to roll his boulder some more. But this time he had no gravity to help and what was more he had Loki trying to stop him. Another brawl commenced, this time atop Thor’s boulder in the middle of the lake. Inevitably, they fell in the water, along with Mjolnir, which Thor had brought along despite its uselessness in the endeavor. Both boys were soaked to the skin and shivering in the cold wind. Though Thor tried vainly to call Mjolnir, they had to drag themselves out of the water without it.

This was no longer the heroic spectacle most people had come out for. You were secretly glad there was no victor, but felt terrible for them: so cold they looked hardly capable of moving. Odin took a royal flying boat out personally and hauled Loki into it. Loki’s skin looked like it was almost turning blue by this point. Odin wasted no time in pulling open his own coat and holding the frozen boy to him, engulfing him in furs before speeding away. Thor he left there. Later you learned that Odin told him he should be able to control Mjolnir better than that. He could come home when he had reclaimed his hammer.

And Thor had just accepted that. Even defying his mother when she went out in the half-light of dusk to try to get him home.

And, over time, the pattern repeated. You see it now. For crimes committed off world Odin banished Thor, stripping him of his powers and all that made him Asgardian and leaving him to fend for himself on a foreign planet. But Loki, for his misdemeanours, was put in Asgard’s dungeons. Kept close - punished, but protected.

You are so glad for the life you’ve had, that Odin is not your father and that you are not a crown prince. Your parents would never do anything of the kind, and you have no siblings to fight with. The palace has always been your home and, until recently, there have always been Thor and Loki.

But now Odin has sent his army against his own sons, imprisoned his gatekeeper and the warrior Volstagg and signed warrants for the arrest of Sif and Fandral when and if they are ever found.

The six most powerful of the realm are either gone, in hiding, or locked away. The world has been turned on its head.

In Asgard, Odin walks the halls and grounds all day, barking orders at the repair teams and asking hourly for news of Thor. You privately think that, with Loki as guide, they will not be found until they want to be.

Speculation runs high about the fate of the missing trio. You’ve heard the latest from the girls. Some of the gossips say that Thor only wanted to elope with the mortal and defy his father once more. But there are also rumors that Loki is in league with Malekith; or that he has killed both the dark elf and Thor, declared himself king of Svartelfheim and taken the Midgardian as his concubine….

Any of the ludicrous possibilities would be better than the news you dread. The fear that Asta’s words put in your heart. You won’t contemplate it.

Days pass and you cling to your routine – helping the injured, watching the city recover.

The courtiers, your parents included, are subjected to the moods and exactions of Odin on a daily basis, as the needs of Asgard all involve money, arms or both.

If the loss of Frigga and new conflict with Thor have taxed the Allfather it doesn’t show. He throws himself with fervor into rebuilding Asgard, and efforts to catch Thor and destroy Malekith.

But everyone is scared of what might happen if he falls once more into the Odinsleep, or if news of Asgard’s battered defenses reaches other enemies…

Chapter 9

#loki x reader #loki fanfiction #loki #thor #the dark world #MCU #imagine loki #your latest trick

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