#orrin of surda?

[nailsinmywall]

eragon (inheritance cycle) ⚔️

#annual eragon art post #eragon #murtagh #arya drottningu #inheritance cycle #orik #oromis #nasuada #orrin ??? does he have a tag #king orrin? #orrin of surda? #ORRIN #solembum #i believe in gigantic elves #eragon shadeslayer #murtagh morzansson #if orik is supposed to look different i am sorry i dont have my eragon books with me rn and dont remember how exactly he's described😭

[alagaesia-headcanons]

A few times I've expressed how I feel like the later parts of the series really screw over Orrin and treat his character poorly. And I've seen some other people say similar things. But for a long while know, I've been conflicted about how exactly the books disservices him. Because, since writing this character analysis of him, I found that I don't disagree with the actual things he says and does. Like I mentioned there, I think the way his composure crumbles and how he becomes more aggressive and unreasonable makes a lot of sense in the context of what he's going through. He's lost everyone and he turns to drinking as anger and fear eat away at him. I think it works as a character arc, albeit a very sad one. And yet, I still get the feeling of the books doing wrong by Orrin and I've been trying to wrap my mind around why.

I was rereading the scene where Orrin wants to send an envoy to Uru'baen and Roran demands that he doesn't. Initially, I felt like this was one of the few moments where it does feel out of character for him, simply for the story to paint him in an exaggeratedly bad light. But I tried to reason out in what way it maybe could be in character (because I live for that). And it clicked into place. Orrin says it right there! "'But they can see us,' protested Orrin. 'We're camped right outside their walls. It would be... rude not to send an envoy to state our position. You are both commoners; I would not expect you to understand. Royalty demands certain courtesies, even if we are at war.'"

The issue at hand here is that Roran is arguing that sending an envoy to Galbatorix might provoke him to attack them. What Orrin is saying is that, as opposed to Roran and Jormundur, he knows what a king would expect to deal with when under attack, which includes envoys. If it would be perceived as rude and disrespectful to not send one, that insult could just as well be provoke Galbatorix into attacking. It makes perfect sense that, if Orrin sees this as a courtesy a king would feel entitled to, he believes it would be dangerous to risk slighting Galbatorix by failing to do it. Roran tells him, "'I won't let you endanger the rest of us just to satisfy your royal... pride.'" But it seems infinitely more likely that Orrin is attempting to satisfy Galbatorix's royal pride. I do think that not sending an envoy is a bit more sensible because, as Roran says, Galbatorix was born a commoner and likely has his own expectations (though what he goes on to say has flaws), but Orrin is still raising a very fair point by arguing that they should send one. And honestly, given what we see of Galbatorix, I don't think there was any danger of an envoy provoking him either.

But the more important thing about that realization that struck me is that I read that section at least 6 times before it occurred to me. I read it over and over while thinking "Orrin's argument doesn't make any sense, I don't know why he's saying this" before realizing it actually makes perfect sense. And it's because I believe that the true way that the series disservices Orrin's character is through the bias of the other characters and their narrations. This exchange is written in Roran's POV and it's riddled with his derision towards Orrin, his insistence that he's wrong, that he'll get them killed, and his overall very low opinion of him which colors how he sees all of Orrin's acts. And Jormundur shares his distaste and expresses his own.

Out of curiosity, I cut everything but the dialogue (sans 2 irrelevant lines) to see how it would read. It's very different; it shows how Orrin is reasonable at the start and how unwarranted Roran's combative and brazenly insulting response is. It really changes this scene from "Roran heroically saving everyone from the fallout of Orrin's stupid, careless choice," and reveals that it's just an argument- unhelpful and devolving where they both end up making inappropriate mistakes, one after the other.

Of course, there are real issues with Orrin's actions, in this case namely that his very wound up fear and frustration make him intensely volatile, enough that he tries to attack Roran here. That is egregious. But then that's compounded upon by all these other "flaws" perceived by the other characters in such an exaggerated way to the point of being fabricated. Roran sees him as dangerously stupid and vainglorious for wanting to send an envoy, despite putting absolutely no effort into learning his reason. It's just real rich that Roran then thinks, "Orrin was like a yearling mule: stubborn, overconfident, and all too willing to kick you in the gut if you gave him the opportunity." Lmao! Bitch look in the mirror, that's literally you!!!

This kind of depiction epitomizes Orrin's presence through the entire series. Every single POV characters has reason to be against him, starting with Nasuada. As a result of both of their respective positions, she sees him as a potential threat and obstacle to her goals. Through his connection to her, Eragon sees him the same way and Saphira follows suit. And Roran adopts the opinion of his cousin and his commander. So all of the POV characters are adverse to Orrin, but also, so is every single background character.

There is no one to offer or even contemplate a differing opinion in the face of the main characters' unilateral distaste. Once, literally once do we see Orrin talking to another Surdan. He gets a single line in the scene where Nasuada is appointed leader of their combined forces. Never again. We never see him interact with anyone not predisposed against him. None of his advisors, his soldiers, his friends. Every moment of Orrin's life involving the people who'd have a basis to get along with, or even like him go unseen by the entire story. And on the other side, that also means we never get to see how Orrin would interact with anyone without an incentive to work against him. So the narrative's bias against Orrin goes completely uninterrupted and unchallenged. It shows itself virtually every time he's present.

That is why the series feels so unfair towards Orrin, because in order to understand his actual intentions, it demands that the reader consider a perspective that the story refuses to ever provide. It requires ignoring perspectives that narrate everything and then giving a great deal of focus to Orrin's actions in isolation. It sets him up to be misunderstood and disliked because the easiest way to read his story is to follow along with the misunderstanding and dislike all the other characters express. The books actively obscure the true nature of Orrin's character.

#eragon #inheritance cycle #orrin #ic analysis #i stumbled into all of this while looking for one little detail for a joke post lmao #lost in the sauce jfc #ill fight to the death for orrin #i would have given anything for a scene of orrin with one of his friends or literally anyone from surda #nasuada and the rest of the vardens leadership are just so weirdly combative with him #like damn his support is the only reason ur group exists u dont have to treat him like he'll ruin everything if u so much as let him breath #another similarity between orrin and murtagh fdhsdshk: every other character treats them like shit #(this post was brought to you by! ~rorans god awful conflict management skills~)

[sparklepirate]

Okay Orrin??? And just who the fuck are you????

#the king of Surda onviosuly but like #fight me #ashna reads the inheritance cycle #inheritance cycle #inheritance #nasuada #king orrin #disrespecting my girl

[bilboscanoes]

its both hilarious and incredibly sad that nasuada has to basically babysit orrin. like hes not the ruler of surda.

#nasuada #orrin #the inheritance cycle #eragon

[ashleybenlove]

Surda’s king, Orrin is kind of a scientist, it seems. Good for him.

#ashleybenlove posts #The Inheritance Cycle #Eragon #Eldest

[memoryofsound]

King Orrin of Surda 

“None of you would understand. You are too bound up in your own importance to see. How could you, when you’ve never experienced what I have?”

#Wanted this to look better than it does #when all fails go black and white I say #King Orrin #King of Surda #Orrin Larkinson #of the House of Langfeld #Fantasy #YA fiction #Book rec #Eragon #The Inheritance Cycle #Eldest #Brisingr #Inheritance #The unravelling of Orrin #poor bloke #just another victim of circumstance #moodboard #my edit #I think about this quote a lot

[inheritancecyclememes]

Surda: *exists*

The Varden:

#eragon #eragon memes #inheritance cycle #inheritance cycle memes #surda #the varden #varden #nasuada #orrin #king orrin

[inheritanced]

modern aesthetics moodboard: king orrin of surda

#yalitedit #orrin #inheritance cycle #eragonedit #alagaesianet #aesedit #mine

[eragontrash]

Fic I never finished

    There’s something about the rain.

He was staying in Carvahall. His mother's birthplace was not something that he had ever expected to see, but for some reason he and Thorn, the dragon to whom he was bonded, had decided to make this place their home. As Murtagh watched the storm from the doorway, he couldn't help but think of the reasons that had led him here.

They had gone north just after the war needing time to think and to heal. Better to leave now, they thought, than face the wrath of the people. With Galbatorix gone, all of their anger would have turned to him. From the time he was born, he had spent his every waking moment afraid for his life and now that he had Thorn to protect, he wouldn't dare stay at that viper’s nest of a court no matter how badly he missed being in the know. So north they went. It had seemed as good a place as any. They came across few people and those they met had stayed well out of their way. Eventually their solitude had grown tedious and they started their journey south.

They came to the capital, now renamed Illyria, to find it a much better place than when they had left. Queen Nasuada, the former ruler of the varden and now queen of all mankind, had welcomed them joyously. Life in Illyria was far different than it had been so far north, much louder and more boisterous. And while Murtagh was happy to once again be at the center of things, Thorn disliked the crowded spaces and noise that always accompanied the city, so they had begun to plan their departure.  

The day came for them to take their leave when it was announced that a dwarven embassy would be coming to the capital led by none other than King Orin himself. Nasuada had hoped to mend the bridges between the dwarves and the rider but could not think of a way to do so.  The night before they were to arrive she had come to his chambers to find him preparing to depart that very night.

“Where will you go?” Nasuada asked upon walking in the room.

“We don’t know yet. I know you think that I should wait to speak with King Orrin but dwarves have long memories and I doubt that they would forgive me so easily for such an act. ‘Tis better to leave now than to anger them by staying. Besides,” he added seeing the hurt look in her eyes, “I doubt that Lord Drakas wishes me to stay. It’s better this way.”

Lord Drakas was a Surdan Lord who had been sent on behalf of King Orran to serve as his ambassador. He owned rich lands in the eastern part of Surda and was well known to be a fair man. From the moment he arrived he made it plain that he would try to court the queen. For the first few weeks she seemed to ignore his attempts, but he was persistent. As relations with Surda grew more strained the possibility of an alliance through marriage began to seem like a necessity. And so Nasuada had turned her attention to the Lord Drakas.  

“Have you considered your family?” she inquired, smiling.

“I have  none. At least, none that I would be willing to go to.”

“Have you forgotten Roran? He’s built himself quite a castle in Carvahall. One big enough to accommodate even a dragon. Just something to think about.” She wiped her eyes and strode out of the room.

He had had no better plan, so it was to carvahall he came. It took some convincing but Roran, at Katrina’s urging, had agreed to let him stay. Now here he stood. He and Thorn had not been here long but already they found themselves quite comfortable. Carvahall had surprised him with how welcoming the villagers had been. After all, it was his mother’s home, they reminded him. It was only natural that he should find comfort here. The village appealed to him for two main reasons: the first being that, while it was for enough away to be peaceful, it was not so remote as the areas in which he had stayed during his trip in the north, so that a steady amount of news still filtered in. the second being he had the opportunity to learn about his mother, even before she had died, Selena had spent very little time with her eldest son.

Thorn nudged him, shaking him out of his musings about his mother.

“Look.” Thorn gestured with his mind to the child running up to them.

Ishmera had been playing out in the woods with a few other children before the storm had hit. Now she came hurdling towards them. She stopped panting just before colliding with Murtagh. The child was soaked through and panting. She grabbed his arm and started pulling his back out into the storm.

    Urgency clung to the girl like mud. He quickly followed. There was no point in asking where they were headed. Ever since the girl had been born she had never spoken a word. Despite the best healers, no one could find what was wrong with the girl. Normally she carried around a book with little pictures inside and simply pointed to whatever she needed but it was nowhere to be seen. The book had been his idea, something he remembered the nannies at the palace had used for children with similar delays. He reached out to the girl's mind to find it shut off by panic. All he could make out was that there had been some sort of accident with one of the children. He quickly scooped the girl up and onto his back and began running in the direction she had pointed.

#murtagh #series of inheritance #my work #sorry #fanfic

[breakmuses]

“I will never be like ordinary people. If I must be different, then let me keep that which sets me apart. As long as I can control this power, as it seems I now can, I have no objection to carrying this burden, for it shall be by my choice and not forced upon me by your magic, Eragon. Ha! From now on, I shall answer to no one and no thing. If I help anyone, it will be because I want to. If I serve the Varden, it will be because my conscience tells me I should and not because you ask me to, Nasuada, or because I’ll throw up if I don’t. I will do as I please, and woe unto those who oppose me, for I know all their fears and shall not hesitate to play upon them in order to fulfill my wishes.”

General:

Name: Elva

Nicknames: Silverbrow

Chronological Age: 16

Physical Age: 25

Mental Age: Unknown

Gender: Female

Orientation: Demisexual

Species: Human/Graceling

Grace/Power: Elva’s power is a type of prophetic mind reading, she can feel everything that people around has felt in the past, and even sense a bit into the future if she looks for it. If someone is going to be hurt however she can sense their future pain and tell what it is that causes it without trying to look.

History:

Elva’s mother was the only sister of Darby; she was married 3 years before Leck became King to an Inn Keeper who she had met on some errands out of the Castle. When he learned that she was pregnant with her first child he feared for the safety of the child’s life; knowing the danger that it would be in if she had a girl because of the kinds of things Leck did and managed to sneak her onto a ship. The ship however got caught in a storm out to sea, ending up in a land called Surda where her Mother met a women named Greta who was visiting the country on a trip from the Varden which was a Resistance group. Greta took Larina in immediately because of the fact that she had no family and the fact that King Orrin wasn’t to keen on having a strange Women who had washed up on the shore in the wreckage of a boat and had mismatched Sea Green and Ocean Blue eyes staying in his city. Her Mother in fact being a Graceling who was graced with being able to navigate and survive in the water longer then most anyone.

She made it back to the Varden where she was accepted into their fold; and gave birth to her daughter not 2 weeks after arriving only to die few days after; the strain on her body from the trip at Sea having been very bad; and then combined with the Trek back to the Varden’s Base of Operations–it’s likely that if she had not been Pregnant she wouldn’t have been able to hold on for as long as she did. Soon after that their was an attack on the Varden; and during the celebration of being victorious after wards was when the magic was put on her that corrupted her Grace; though it was far from an intentional thing-this is also when she received the star mark on her forehead. The magic caused her to grow and learn at an accelerated rate so that she would be able to help people with her ‘gift’; and within a few months she had grown to 6-7 years of age-though that was just a guess to her Physical age since you couldn’t really be sure.

From then on till the end of the war she worked as a body Guard to the leader of the resistance Nasuada; though she really doesn’t like to talk of the time she spent helping with the war because it was something she didn’t want to do-and she was able to feel the pain of everyone injured in any of the fights. Wither they were friend or foe. After the War in Alagaësia was over though she moved on; leaving with a Angela–having sought Greta out and offered for her to come with them after asking Angela if it was alright. Greta did come with them; however about 3 years after they left Greta fell ill; during this time they had been staying with the New Order of Riders, Elva having been chosen by a purple colored dragon who she named Esterní-meaning Good Fortune in the Ancient Language. When Greta came closer to death Nasuada sent word and said that they could come to say goodbye without fear of her trying to detain them and so her, Angela and Esterní flew back to Alagaësia.

Hours before her death Greta told Elva about her mother; and how she came from a land with 7 Kingdoms and an Evil King who clouded the minds of his subjects. She told her about her mother’s green and blue eyes; telling her that it was no wonder that her light blue eyes had turned to two different shades of Purple when she’s begun to grow faster. After Greta passed she asked Angela for help in finding the pace that Greta had talked off; but their was really no need to look. Angela had been to the land before; and had suspected for some time that Elva might have ancestors from their because of her mismatched dark purple left eye and bright-Amethyst like right eye. She suggested to the girl however that she return to the New Rider Order and compete her training before she left. And so she did gaining a sword that she named Raudhr, meaning misfortune, once she graduated to a full fledged Dragon Rider. After this she and Angela left, the Herbalist only accompanying her to show the young Dragon Riding Graceling how to get there.

#inheritance RP #eragon rp #eragonrp #indie inheritance rp #inheritance cycle rp #c; Elva

[incorrecteragonquotes]

hello amazing admin for this blog! do you have headcanons for any of the inhericharacters? :)

Hello my dear anon I have so many

- The Menoa Tree took Eragon’s capability to bear children. It’s terrible for him, because he never could quite get used to never having his own family, but at the end he finds peace with that being a father to the new young riders

- Most the new riders were young children of all species. However one of the first human riders was the middle aged, mother of five Birgitt of Carvahall. Everything was beyond awkward for Eragon.

- Roran was kind of scared of heights as a child, Eragon was a little monkey and he used that as avantage whenever

- Murtagh, as a child, wanted to be an hedge knight or an explorer. He got to live that sort of life for a while at the end of Inheritance and he really liked it, he discovered new places and actually made friends for once. He came back a couple years later to find Nasuada in an arranged marriage to Orrin where she’s princess consort of Surda and he’s prince consort of Alagaesia and they interfer in each other’s lives minimally.

- Nasuada is terrified of making the vision of the future Galbatorix gave her come true, to the point she barely wears yellow anymore and she was very careful not to have four children (she ended up having two girls and a boy by Orrin and then two bastard twins by Murtagh. I have names too!)

- Nasuada really liked making her own court on the ashes of Galbatorix’s. It helped her go on when she had very little to be happy for. She was a patroness of art and fashion and encouraged cultural exchange between the races

- She is also bisexual and she had a thing with Trianna going on and off through her teen years and she’s kind of an unofficial mistress even after Inheritance. I like to think this is not a problem with Murtagh and they are very polyamorous

- Elva after the end of Inheritance tries to adapt to the life of a normal girl and lady in waiting to the queen. It doesn’t always work but one thing she really likes is embroidery: it relaxes her and everything she has seen gives her lot of ispiration for tapestries

- Nasuada’s mother is alive, she just didn’t want anything to do with Ajihad so she abandoned them.  Trianna’s mother left her with the Varden at the age of thirteen claiming she had too much talent to go wasted in an healer’s shop in Surda. This abandonment was one og the first things they bonded on

- Selena was a very rebellious child and abused for that by her parents. She was the hunter of the family and a bit of a sadist since childhood, Eragon’s hunting bow was hers. She never really had a good heart - she just did her best to change her true name because she had fled with Morzan to be free, and suddenly she realized she wasn’t free at all

- Morzan had is finger chopped off as a very young child for theft, he was the son of two famous outlaws from Dras Leona. The ‘Blackhand’ nickname comes from his infamous mother, who was given that because she was a very good thief and came from a Nomad Tribe

And… I probably have so many more but I won’t make it too long. Feel free to submit your own y’all

#eragon #inheritance cycle #murtagh #nasuada #elva

[alagaesia-headcanons]

In my efforts to help people appreciate Orrin more, I want to talk about ~choice and loss~ in his story and how those make him an outlier to the rest of the central cast. And I will be starting with choice because his story also starts with choice, or rather, the lack thereof.

The other main leaders of the force against Galbatorix choose their involvement in the war. Eragon, though he didn’t choose to be a Rider, chose to join the war (as did Saphira). Nasuada chose to accept the council nomination to replace Ajihad as leader of the Varden. Arya chose, despite opposition from her mother, the queen, to become an ambassador to the Varden. Orik chose to campaign to become king instead of backing another dwarf. Roran chose to involve himself in the war instead of hiding safely in Surda. Nar Garzhvog and Grimrr Halfpaw lead their races to join the war of their own volition.

The leaders within the army by and large had a choice in their positions of power and in how much that would involve them in the war, with the sole exception of King Orrin, who inherited his crown. Which is of particular importance when it comes to him because, from what we see of Orrin, he almost certainly wouldn’t have wanted to be king if he’d had a choice in how to lead his own life. He has both passion and skill as a scientist and he’s the happiest we ever see him while in his lab.

This inherited position also strips him of the choice to fight in the war or not, which is immensely important. He is forced to fight, risking his life, and forced to lead, responsible for the lives of his people. And given the very reasonable fears he expresses about the war leading to their unilateral slaughter, he likely would have made a different choice in those matters too, if he could have.

And like I pointed out, this is only true of King Orrin. The way he is involved with and regards the war is fundamentally different from the rest of the main cast on the Varden’s side. Inheritance is the titular theme of these books, and Orrin’s inheritance is a cage, which, during the war, looks indistinguishable from a death trap to him. It’s only by chance that it wasn’t.

(Wow, I wonder why it’s a recurring issue that Orrin feels that he’s been wronged when other leaders of the Varden ignore his thoughts and opinions and make choices that he should have had a say in without him hmm...)

When it comes to the war, the fighting Orrin experiences can only be accurately compared to what we see Roran experience, which is exceptionally grueling and detrimental. He similarly has no inordinate physical or magical abilities, and as opposed to Nasuada who pulls back after the Trial of the Long Knives, he continues to fight in every battle. Inarguably this would take a toll, which it does, and not just on him.

By merit of the tone of the series, we don’t see too many companions of the main characters die (excluding parental figures bc paolini loves to kill them off). They all have friends that stay with them through the end. But then, to still illustrate the death inherent to war without pushing the story to a much sadder, heavier place, people die off screen and are then mentioned in passing by background characters.

Which brings us around to loss, and how Orrin experiences it in a far less forgiving way than the other characters. And by forgiving, I mean that when the main cast lose someone, the narrative gives them room to heal to some degree instead of forging ahead and crushing them. But as a minor character, the story has no incentive to let Orrin recover. Whether or not Orrin gets to process the losses he suffers, we don’t see enough of him to get emotional satisfaction from a recovery if he does or to be pulled along with his despair if he doesn’t. So Orrin lands in a perfect place to be crushed by the loss of war while in the shadows of the narrative without weighing down the story or the mood of the readers.

And that’s exactly what happens. Orrin does lose people. One of my favorite scenes with him, which is so evocative, is after the first battle against the laughing dead. We only see the aftermath as Eragon comes in and Orrin clings to composure as he finishes off the last enemy of a horrifying and grotesque battle. He returns to report to Nasuada while in shock and says, “‘Of my cavalry, few remain: fifty, seventy. Many of them were my friends.’” (The whole scene of him is fantastic and his reaction to the first laughing dead is gripping, please consider going back and rereading the whole thing, it’s towards the end of the chapter ‘Fire in the Sky’ in Brisingr.)

The other significant scene to note is in the beginning of Inheritance (‘The Price of Power’) where Orrin demands Nasuada break the pact with the Urgals because the people of the Empire refuse to surrender or join them because of the alliance. He then admits he’d just watched a friend he grew up with die when he was speared with a pitchfork by a man who refused to yield because of the Urgals. It’s also important that, in this scene, Nasuada asks Orrin about an experiment he planned to do and he says, “‘I was too tired to assay it. I went to sleep instead.’”

By this point, Orrin has now lost many, if not all of his closest friends. We don’t see Orrin interact with anyone in a familiar, companionable way, and the only mention of anyone like that to him is when he says that they died beside him. And the books make a point of showing how isolating power and authority can be, and how important loved ones are to mitigating that. Orrin no longer has that support. Alongside that, he’s also lost his energy for science, the one part of his life he chose for himself and genuinely made him happy.

I want to point out that any drunkenness or issue with alcoholism is never mentioned before this. Never even foreshadowed. For all that we can see, it develops in its entirety after this point.

And given all of this, I think that then makes a lot of sense. From Orrin’s perspective, he doesn’t have the ability to choose the course of his own life, and to continue on with the course forced upon him means he will continue to suffer loss after loss of what he loves. All this topped with the fear that Galbatorix will kill every last one of them and all that will have been for nothing. Especially when interpreting that he’s now lost everyone he felt he could confide in, it follows that Orrin would turn to wine to cope with everything falling apart.

To bring this back around, let’s return to the instance of the friend killed by a farmer enraged about the Urgals, a pact Nasuada formed without Orrin’s knowledge or consent. We’re left with a man who sees the choices that have been stolen from him are the ones destroying everything he cares about. Orrin has been thrust into a position of enormous responsibility as king, and even as he’s supposed to oversee the lives of countless Surdans, he’s been left there without any true control over his own life.

Guys I fucking care about him.

Now if I may push an agenda of mine (beyond my ‘Orrin is incredibly compelling’ agenda). As I mentioned, Orrin’s lack of choice is unique amongst all the leaders of the Varden and their allies. However, it is remarkably similar to the lack of choice that Murtagh faces. He is forced into his position of power as well, when Thorn hatches for him while he’s imprisoned by Galbatorix. Then he is also forced into the role his father once held and has to fight in the war against his will.

And we know it’s against his will. In both Orrin and Murtagh, we see glimpses of the lives they would have chosen if they could. Murtagh runs away from the Empire and tries to remove himself from the conflict. Both Orrin and Murtagh show a desire to preserve their own personal peace and safety and live a fulfilling life away from the war. And this may be an unpopular opinion, but I feel this is well within their rights and is no moral failing on their part.

They are both denied a place in the world of their own choosing, and suffer terrible consequences for the fate the world forced upon them. Unlike many of the main characters, who make it through the story with their passion and drive perhaps altered and battered but intact, theirs have been broken and they’re left to pick up the pieces.

Orrin and Murtagh are both left in the end in the remnants of these positions they never wanted to fill, and it’s unsure how either would or could adjust to that reality after the destruction of the war. The parallels between them are fascinating and I think they would resonate with each other deeply if they ever interacted.

#eragon #inheritance cycle #orrin #character analysis #murtagh #conclusion- orrin is tragic and deserves more sympathy #i feel for him So MUCH. #the guy is so traumatized #like damn id be too #fic may come in the nearish future #also #he and murtagh should kiss #then murtagh should steal him away from surda and the throne and let him have a life that actually belongs to him

[sparklepirate]

Alright, final thoughts on Inheritance.

;-;

Eragon continues to be the guy of all time. I love him. He really displayed a maturity in this book that I think supersedes anything we've seen of him in all the previous books, and just like... His strength really is that he is compassionate and thoughtful towards everyone. Even Murtagh, now, too. He had the realization of how close he was to sharing his fate, sought to understand him, and that was ultimately what led him to realizing his true name had changed, tearing down Galbatorix's wards, etc etc. I don't know that I could properly articulate everything about him here, but Eragon definitely became the hero he needed to be by the end of the series, 100%. He is the only person who could've possibly thought of the final piece of magic to defeat Galbatorix. Even the dreams of starlings are equal to the worries of a king. Ahhh, it's so good. ❤️ I'm so proud of him.

On the other hand, Barst was some bullshit. Bro. Like, on the one hand, it was a very good climactic battle for Roran to participate in, and his triumph was the perfect culmination of his character- cunning in battle, cunning in strategy, the intelligence and charisma to sway everyone around him into cooperating and working together, sheer determination so intensely strong that he was able to crush and Eldunarí with his bare hands. His role was perfect! But Barst as a villain was kinda... Well, first of all, he came completely the fuck out of nowhere. He wasn't mentioned at all until they were already on their way to Uru'baen, and then he was only MENTIONED. They didn't hype him up enough before the actual battle in my opinion. And ONE human and one Eldunarí being enough to beat the QUEEN OF THE ELVES in hand to hand combat...? I mean, I guess that could work but... Ehhh... I dunno. It kind of felt like an excuse for Islanzadí to die, and Roran to triumph more than anything. It was cool, but it was probably the weakest part of the plot in my opinion.

That said though I think it's pretty safe to say this was my favorite book of the series. I'm having trouble recalling all the iconic shit (I took a pretty long break from reading about halfway through the book) but there was soooo much cool stuff in here. The Nasuada being kidnapped and being helped by Murtagh arc is GOLD, Vroengard was amazing, and all the battles were SO well written??? I need to study these books more closely just to learn how to write compelling fight scenes. Honestly, it's gripping stuff. I was on the edge of my seat, despite knowing how everything turns out.

Nasuada is amazing, Arya is amazing, Saphira is amazing, Roran is amazing, MURTAGH is amazing... I think I already liked basically every character in this series going in, but I somehow like them even more now that I've read it again. Everyone is so good, and interesting, and I want to be everyone's friend. I think the only character I liked less this go around was Orrin (sorry to my Orrin stan friend out there). That said, though, I don't dislike him, I think I just went from positive to neutral about him.

Orrin honestly just didn't get nearly as much screen time as I remembered? We only see him a handful of times throughout the book and each time the only thing he's doing is getting drunk and making an ass of himself, though... Idk, he also has a point? He has his own unique point of view, and his own unique experiences that lead him to his own ideas of how to conduct things, and it is definitely kind of true that like no one ever really listens to him or takes him seriously, despite being the King of Surda for w while at that point. I don't think there was a more graceful solution to the division of power/territory after Galbatorix was killed than what was decided upon, because like... Realistically, Orrin was never gonna be high king. He had good reason to assert for the throne, sure, but actually ascending to the throne? That is SUCH a far reach for power, unless the aim was to assimilate Surda in and have all of the humans under one crown. Nah, Nasuada giving up territory and ascending to the throne was the better choice, even if I do empathize with Orrin's point of view. It seems like Nasuada did as well, because even though she was persistent, she seemed to be gentle and sympathetic with him. He even had his line about like... "Why do you even want to do this?" "None of you would understand." Idk. Very interesting, but not tremendously notable compared to others, and he definitely was a bit of an asshole at times.

Murtagh my beloved my BELOVED I'm honestly just gonna make a whole separate essay post about him because his shit is Complicated™️ but one little note it was such a small detail at the end but I love that he said to Eragon "Hey check in on Arya about killing Shruikan. It couldn't have been easy for an elf to kill a dragon." And Eragon hadn't even THOUGHT of that and Arya probably would've been the last thing on his mind but he still was just so thoughtful. He is thoughtful like his brother and he cares so deeply and AHHH!!! And actually I want to see him and Arya be buds. I think they would have a cool dynamic. And also I love that he never once hesitated to acknowledge Eragon as his brother and just wanted to be with him and finally Eragon also acknowledged him as a brother too that last scene with them was just so good 🥹

Also I love how Thorn's like only spoken line in the whole series (until November) is to boop Eragon on the forehead and say "Hi. Thank you for not killing my rider. :)" and Murtagh is just like "Yeah thanks for that. 😒"

Love how quick Saphira and Fírnen hit it off lol. They really played tag and wrestled for like five minutes and then were like "Alright we're gonna go fuck like now see y'all later ✌️" And Eragon's like "Is this??? Okay???" And Saphira's like "Pfft dragon's don't mate for life 🤷‍♀️" Their little romance was so cute.

CAN WE FUCKING TALK ABOUT QUEEN AND RIDER ARYA??? That shit is by FAR the wildest endgame decision Chris made because like. That. That's so fucking. Oh my god??? Like, one, poor Arya!! She just wanted to be a rider and have adventures! She probably would've either spent her time happy herrying eggs across Alegaësia, or she would've gone with Eragon to Mount Arngor, but you can NOT convince me that she would be particularly happy as queen. She's grieving the loss of her mother that she barely had a relationship with, and denied the other eleven leaders for a full week before they convinced her to do it!!! Girlie!!! You deserve to be happy!!! And, two, the obvious point of holy shit that is such an enormous power imbalance in favor of the elves. Like, there is a REASON the riders were separate in the first place!! And, you know, Galbatorix JUST died and now there is another rider/monarch and it's the ELVES who have historically been both the most powerful race, and the race with the best relationship with the dragons. And Arya is the ONLY RIDER LEFT IN ALEGAËSIA!!! Because Eragon is gone (and stubbornly convinced that He Shall Never Again Return Oh Woe Is Him) and Murtagh is... Also gone to an extent. He at the very least holds no political power. Basically everyone hates him, and those that don't can't do more than, like, pardon him, for whatever that's worth. I just can't see this not rubbing people the wrong way, and not coming to an eventual head. Nasuada and Arya are both great, but I just get the feeling there is going to eventually be some sort of conflict between them, no matter how much neither of them want it. I do think Arya is perhaps the least corruptible person, other than maybe Eragon but... I don't knowwww maaaan it's complicated!!

Also I regret to inform everyone that rereading the last little bit did make me ship Eragon and Arya a teensy tinsy itty little bit. Just a liiiiittle bit. Like idk the last fairth and the telling each other their true names and calling each other their true names and Eragon's grief at leaving and his vow to love her forever and her insinuation of maybe one day just got to me alright???

There were a lot of cool magic things in this book! Like the pocket space that the Eldunarí were kept in? Cuaroc's body? More shit that I'm forgetting? God I would just love, like, a magical encyclopedia or something idk. Lots of cool shit. And artifacts!! I want to learn about more magical artifacts.

Also at my Galbatorix stan mutual? I'm a certified Murtagh Girlie™️ and therefore obligated to hold a grudge but like. I do get it. He is a... Very competent villain.

Alright I think that's it for now but. Wow. Man oh man. There is a reason I love this series. I'll probably think of some more things to talk about later, and I'm gonna be participating in the Big Bang, and I'll probably post about The Fork, The Witch, and The Worm as I reread that but yeah!!! Can't wait for November!!

#can't WAIT for November!!! #ashna reads the inheritance cycle #inheritance cycle #eragon #inheritence #murtagh morzansson #saphira #murtagh thornsrider #nasuada #roran stronghammer

[samoililja]

😘

I was tagged by @kotochi thanksnks bro (sorry the keyboard lagged XD)

RULES: choose any three fandoms (in random order) and answer the questions. Then tag some friends~

I choose:

• Eragon/The Inheritance Cycle (book series) • Outlander (tv-series) • Mahou tsukai no yome (manga)

The first character you loved:

• Saphira •  must have been Jamie? • Elias Ainsworth

The character you never expected to love so much:

• Brom & Eragon, also Saphira, omg Murtagh too (a different murtagh, not a scotsman but a dragon rider) • Murtagh (that bearded bro, that’s loyal and never breaks a promise, in a kilt) • Ruth and Silver

The character you relate to most:

• that’s Saphira too • Claire Randal/Beauchamp/Fraser • Chise Hatori

The character you’d slap:

I would actually not be this violent, but I just don’t appreciate rapists or murderers - Orrin is just kind of dick • punch: King Orrin of Surda (the worst military strategist) • decapitate: Jonathan “Black Jack” Randall and that one douche of a duke (oh wait I wouldn’t have to). Brianna is also the most annoying character, but I’ll try to give her a chance • exorcise/destroy: the animal murderer

Three favorite characters (these are in order of preference): (no they’re not)

• every dragon ever • Craig na Dun (a stone circle but still my fave character) • the dragon that grew into a tree

A character you liked at first but not so much anymore:

• none?? • the king of France (at first he was kinda gay but then it turned out he wasn’t) • idk man

A character you did not like at first, but they’ve grown on you:

• Eragon • • pervy king of faeries? Oberon? (as in the Shakespeares play I read)

3 OTPs:

• Nasuada&Murtagh • obvious Claire&Jamie, tho Murtagh and that French maid is good too • dunno yet

tagging: @fuckingmastermind

#the emoticon is there just bcs it looks so cute on my phone #i was tagged #fandom stuff #vois soittaa huuliharppuu

[theironeinparticular]

Is anyone else upset that King Orrin’s character kind of fell apart in Inheritance and he turned into a giant jerk? I mean he was kind of a jerk in Brisngr too, but it was like an acceptable amount, and kind of expected because he was a king who now had to deal with the Varden, who were gaining more and more power. The thing is I understand why Christopher Paolini made him a jerk, if he didn’t, there would be more of a competition between him and Nasuada for the throne, and CP (as well as anyone who ever read the books) wanted Nasuada to be Queen. Just, having Orrin turn into an angry drunk, really seemed to be a big change. I mean this is a character who had been leading Surda for years, obviously with the help of advisors, but he seemed capable of doing an adequate job. I honestly don’t think he would have been capable of leading the empire, he just isn’t that kind of person, but I don’t think he had to become a drunk for that to be apparent. Honestly, just have had some kind of scene where he casually talks to a couple of elves about science and they give him like 50 years worth of ideas for experiments so he besically tells Nasuada “sorry, too busy with my science, I’m ok to manage what I have right now. Have fun being queen." So just increase the nerdiness instead of the drunkness I guess.

#inheritance cycle #nasuada #orrin #eragon #inheritance

[memoryofsound]

King Orrin of Surda

“If I may be arrogant enough to offer advice, I’ve found that it’s essential for my sanity to allocate a certain portion of the day for my own interests.”

#King Orrin #Orrin Larkinson #Surda #King of Surda #Eragon #The Inheritance Cycle #when does he appear? #Eldest #yes #I do believe #Ah I had such high hopes for his character #but his downfall was well written and believable #although I really disliked the last conversation with him #felt a bit forced #but maybe because I was in denial about how much he was changing and unraveling #YA fiction #fantasy #book rec #moodboard #this is obviously based on before his depression and anger and drinking #my edit