#Black Blade Kindred | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

glorismorningstar · 1 month

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LIONHEART

Pairings: girlfriend!Lute x f!reader, fatherfigure!Alastor x f!reader, motherfigure!Rosie x f!reader, siblings!Emily and Sera x f!reader

Summary: Y/N, older sister of Emily and younger sister of Sera, mysteriously disappears from Heaven. She is found by two quirky overlords, who give her a fresh new start. Meanwhile, those close to her mistake her for dead.

A/N: this is just many thoughts put together, this would be the first time I'm making a serious project with fanfiction, so it could take me a while to get the hang of it :3

Warnings: mentions of sex, grief, canon-typical violence, WLW, eventual smut (probably), angst, daddy issues, mommy issues, approval seeking

| Part 0 // Part 1 |

˚₊‧ ꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

˚₊‧ ꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

They used to tell me that falling from grace was the worst thing that could ever happen to an angel. In my eyes, that was another of the multitude of lies I'd been told. The worst thing that happened to me wasn't falling, it was never seeing my sisters, my love or my home again. To never walk on the fluffy clouds. To be unable to protect Emily. To leave Sera to deal with responsibilities on her own. To never feel Lute's skin against my own.

What was true, however, was that falling was the most painful thing an angel could experience. The excruciating pain of my wings being torn off my back, the horror of seeing the six feathery stumps on the ground, golden blood spattered everywhere I turned my gaze, the agony of my halo being snapped, the tumble through the portal and the crash with the stony street of wherever I had stumbled upon.

Two people approached me as I laid stranded on the ground. Their shoes were right in front of my nose: one pair was black, red at the toes and above the ankles, the shape accommodated to hoof-like feet; the other pair was all black, a black and red striped gown draped over them. My blurry vision could just make out spots of colour and the lady's feminine appearance, while the one with hooves was more difficult to distinguish in the moment, but it was at best an effeminate man.

"A fallen angel?" A radio-filtered voice spoke right before I blacked out.

˚₊‧ ꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

"Look who's up!"

I opened my eyes, finally seeing more clearly than before. I was lying on my stomach on a red-pink couch and weakly lifted my head to look at what I could: the room was of hues of red, pink and boysenberry, a somewhat pleasing palette for Hell. I rolled on my back to get a better look around but the pain that radiated from my shoulder blades stabbed me again, making me cry out and sit up, leaning my shoulder on the couch. I could feel that the tiny stumps that were left of my wings were bandaged with gauze, the difficult tying of the material limiting the movement of my arms.

"Be careful with those, darling, don't push yourself." The lady from before spoke, seated on the bed in front of the couch.

"Thank you for rescuing me, Miss...?" I trailed off.

"Rosie, darling. Welcome to Cannibal Town." She introduced herself with a smile. She seemed quite lovely, almost motherly with the way she spoke.

"Cannibal Town?" The notion made me a little uncomfortable, but if she wanted to hurt me, she'd have done so already.

"Don't worry, dear, no one's out to eat you," the voice from before spoke, the man with the hooves, I guessed. "Alastor, pleasure to be meeting you, quite a pleasure!"

This Alastor seemed like a quirky fellow: his never-ending smile, his moxie, his mannerisms and his radio-like voice, to name a few, were quite charming, but at the same time off-putting. I didn't know whether he was to be trusted or not, but he did save my life along with Rosie.

"The pleasure is all mine, sir." I replied with a weak smile and a small nod.

"Now, tell us, however did we stumble upon Sera and Emily's kindred in such an unbelievably unpleasant condition?" Alastor asked. The names of my sisters sent chills down my spine. I wondered what they were even thinking of me, their own sister, vanishing like that. What if they thought I died? Or worse... what if they thought I left them? That I didn't love them anymore and found a better way to live? And what if Lute thought that?

My breathing quivered and my eyes brimmed with tears at the mere thought. I sniffed quietly and began telling them what happened, voice thick with tears. "Sera approved the extermination. It's disgusting, it's inhumane, it's hypocritical... I couldn't let that happen, I couldn't let Emily find out about such a thing. I couldn't let Lute get involved in such danger... and for what? I know she can handle herself, but I couldn't risk losing her... and Emily's far too innocent know. I- I tried to stop it, I tried to make peace, but what I got instead..."

"Oh, you poor darling..." Rosie frowned and sat beside me, patting my head with affection, and I couldn't help but lean into her touch.

"Say, let's keep your... old titles a secret, dear Y/N, hmm?" Alastor said with an exaggerated tilt of the head, his neck emitting a loud crack with the motion. The noise made me flinch, but the fact that he seemed to be perfectly fine only added to my wonder and curiosity about him.

"Yes, sir." I agreed, looking down at my torn-up gown littered with clumps of feathers.

"To do that, you need a new look, darling." Rosie smiled, to which Alastor agreed with enthusiasm.

"Indeed you do, my dear!" He said and paced back and forth in front of the couch, examining my figure. He seemed to disapprove of the tousled hair, ripped angelic gown, gashes and stumps. "You need new clothes, a fresh new start, and- oh! Animal ears!"

"Animal ears?" I ask with a confused tilt of my head.

"Yes, darling. It's already hard to hide your glow, dim as it may be, and your wings are still a little visible on your back. You need a little something to redirect focus," Rosie explained, resting her chin on her hand. "I bet a nice purple will look great on you."

"Hmm, agreed." Alastor quipped and snapped his fingers. In a heartbeat, the gauze and wounds were gone, replaced by a bright purple striped dress suit, a white shirt, a black and purple bow tie and a darker cloak draped over my shoulders. I was still weak from the fall, but the pain was gone and the look made me feel a little better.

I got up and looked at my reflection in the mirror, a small smile spreading on my lips at the sight. Perhaps it wouldn't be that bad here. "You look stunning, darling."

"Thank you, Rosie." I smiled.

"We're not done yet, my dear," Alastor snapped his fingers again, another beam of light flashing around me. "There we are. Perfect."

I opened my eyes and gasped softly at the reflection in the mirror: fluffy golden lion ears twitched atop my head, the tiniest rebellious mane sprouting from between them; a long tail curled and swayed back and forth from under my spine, fuzzy brown tip flicking idly. "A lion?"

"Indeed, dear child. The lion has been a symbol of courage, dignity and nobility for centuries. All qualities that fit you like a puzzle." Alastor encouraged, tapping my back with the back of his cane to correct my posture.

"What about me says courage, dignity and nobility?" I asked, ears drooping with sadness as I gazed up at him with a small frown. A fallen Seraphim, alone and damned forever could never be worthy of such appellations.

"Ha, ha, my dear child, you attempted to stop the extermination-" he began.

"And failed..." I interrupted with a soft sigh.

"Failure is the greatest teacher, Y/N. However much it hurts, what you can do is run from the consequences or face them and learn from them." Rosie spoke with a gentle smile. The feeling of approval, of being guided was so foreign, yet so warm and incredibly welcome. What she said made me think, I had never looked at it that way.

"Nevertheless, you stood up against something you deemed incorrect and you bore the title of Second High Seraphim with class," Alastor continued, tapping the bottom of my chin with his cane. "Walk with your head high, as if you still own your title."

I look at my reflection in the mirror and smile, my new fangs sparkling with cleanliness. Whereas before I saw a broken princess, a gangrenous limb that had been deemed infectious and severed from the organism, now I saw a woman with elegance and panache, the feline traits accentuating the good of my character. There was my new philosophy.

Courage, dignity, nobility.

˚₊‧ ꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

Lute had spent the entire afternoon combing through the denizens of Heaven to look for you. Her and Adam had split up to find you, and had had no luck. She hadn't tried asking your sisters yet, they must know where you are better than her, surely. Ever since Lute had made her relationship with you official, she had become a part of the family, treated like your consort.

"Your Highnesses, forgive me, but have you heard from Y/N?" She asked the two sisters.

"No. She was supposed to be here hours ago." Sera said, anxiously placing back and forth, throwing an occasional glance out the window for news.

"We were hoping you had." Emily spoke, approaching the taller soldier. She was trying to keep up morale for Sera, but it was becoming increasingly difficult to do so.

"No, I wish," Lute ran a hand through her hair, letting out a small sigh. If something were to happen to you, she didn't know what she'd do. "She spent the night before she left, she only told me she'd be back by noon."

"We'll find her. Don't worry." Emily offered with a soft, reassuring smile.

Before Lute could say anything else, a frantic knock on the door brought the women's attention to the matter at hand. Sera and Emily scrambled forward while Lute rushed to open the door, met with Adam's solemn gaze. When she saw the look on his face, she felt something eating her stomach from the inside. In all the time the three of them had known Adam, they had never seen him out of his obnoxious, conceited character.

"Sir? News?" Lute asked, the suspense so thick it could be cut with a knife.

Adam opened his mouth to speak, debating how to say the words, then closed it and sighed, handing a piece of a broken object to Lute and one to Sera.

Y/N's halo.

Sera cried out, the anguish in her sobs palpable as she dropped to her knees and buried her face in her hands. "No!"

"Adam, it can't be true...! She- she has to be out there somewhere!" Emily pleaded, trying to convince herself of what she was saying rather that everyone else.

"We found this outside the gates. It was in a pool of angelic blood with a clump of her feathers," he sighed, looking at the ground and closing his eyes. "I'm really sorry."

The eldest Seraphim felt her stomach dropping to her feet. She had failed to protect her own sister from this. Her gut-wrenching cries were difficult to hear, especially for Emily. The young Seraphim gently pried the halo from Sera's hand and held it in her own, trembling as her sister's blood stained her fingertips. The sobs racked her body as she clung to her older sister, the only one she had left.

Lute's airway felt like it was closing up. Whatever could you have done to deserve such a fate? The last time she had seen you was when you left her place to go to the meeting. The night before she had laid with you, spent feverish hours making passionate love to you. If only she had known, she never would have stopped. She never would have let go.

When Adam noticed her hyperventilating, he tentatively rested a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. However, Lute shrugged off his touch and slammed the doors open, flying away with a choked sob while holding the chunk of bloodstained halo in her hand.

Her black and white wings flapped with reckless abandon, carrying her to a quiet, isolated corner where she could think. Sobs of agony racked through her during the flight, bloodshot eyes blurring with ugly tears as she reached a lonely building and landed on the rooftop. Lute dropped to her knees and held the piece of you in her hand, resting her forehead against the object while her breath trembled and stuttered. Her other hand buried itself in her pristine white hair and she screamed her throat raw. She screamed for the love of her life, for her grief, for her anger. For never getting to see your face again, to kiss you, to hold you, to feel you. Because she'd lost who she was fighting for.

And all because of sinners.

Filthy demon scum had taken away her reason to live.

A low growl rumbled from her burning throat as her grip tightened around the halo, knuckles going white with the force. The thought of some disgusting unholy creature even breathing the same air as you made her blood boil.

In that moment, she vowed to do whatever it took to avenge you.

Starting with the extermination.

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arcielee · 8 months

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At last, when all of the world is asleep

Summary: A Dornish princess is the siren call to break the vows of the Kingsguard. Paring: Ser Erryk Cargyll x Dornish!Reader Word Count: 2015 Warnings: AFAB reader, plotting sexual situations, alcohol consumption, oral (f receiving), fingering, p in v, finger licking good. Author’s Note: Thank you to my beloved beta reader @sylasthegrim 💜 I appreciate you and your edits, always. Banner by @saradika Title comes from Hozier's lyrics De Selby Part 1 (are we surprised by this?) and the plot comes from this ask: "I want a beautiful princess to corrupt and completely ruin him and make him break his oath." Enjoy! Tags (Tumblr kindred spirits): @aaaaaamond @annikin-im-panicin @watercolorskyy @schniiipsel @aemondx @fan-goddess @babygirlyofthevale @httpsdoll @theromanticegoist @assortedseaglass @theoneeyedprince @babyblue711 @itbmojojoejo @girlwith-thepearlearring @lauraneedstochill @snowprincesa1

The shudder was gratifying, trilling your spine with how his beard tickled the column of your neck, his lips both soft and warm, and the welcomed contrast of his teeth to taste. Your fingers grabbed to pull him closer to the cradle of your hips, burying your face in the nap of his neck and your mouth suckling on his pulsepoint with enough pressure to bruise; you felt him shiver, his voice strangled, husky, when he called out your name.

To that, you pulled back, abrupt, catching his gaze and your hand coming up to wag a finger. “Good ser,” you tsked, your lips curling upwards, “do not forget who I am.”

His eyes were glassy, the blue-gray storm that was slowly being swallowed by black. “Forgive me, princess,” he was quick to correct, watching for your response.

You gave another smirk, your arms reaching to wrap around his neck to pull him back into your embrace, his welcomed musk of blade oil against the perspiration of his skin. “Gentle ser,” you almost purred before capturing his mouth again.

He was not Valyrian, not the dragon you sought, but the knight was handsome still. And besides, you were sorely out of practice after the imposed propriety of Northern Westerosi customs and the role of a grieving widow.

When your father had first mentioned the prospect of marrying into the Velaryon House, the Valyrian blood called to you, a curiosity if your babes would be born with silver heads or the crystalline hues of amethysts eyes, and you were quick to accept the proposal. You packed away your dresses and left Sunspear, boarding the ship to travel the Narrow Sea and bring you to your betrothed.

The marriage had been disappointingly short-lived; your husband was everything you had imagined, handsome, tall, his silver hair knotted back and his clever purple eyes bright, watching you every movement with care, with desire. The consummation had a passion that carried over until dawn, but only after he was gone did your cycle follow to show it did not bear fruit.

“Do not fret, princess,” Princess Rhaenys offered comfort, “you will have plenty of try-agains when they return.”

But she had spoken too soon and you received word that his life was claimed in the Stepstones, though the real tragedy that followed came from the widow garb you were now expected to don. The seamstresses were quick to fit you with the heavy, itchy fabric that covered your skin and robbed you of what little sunlight spilled through to the gray island that you were caged in a figurative sense.

While your family by marriage grieved the life lost, you mourned your freedom, you mourned the sun you had left behind in Dorne, of the air on your skin that would show in your garments that were now packed away.

Hope came as a raven, sent by the king and queen of the Seven Realms, extending their sympathies and offering the opportunity to leave the gray slab of land in the middle of Blackwater Bay, with an invitation to the capital so that you could serve Princess Helaena as company. You accepted with the same breath as you finished the words out loud, your claimant that your father’s intention wished you to be an envoy for Dorne, when really your sights were set on a Targaryen prince, your Valyrian bloodlust.

King’s Landing was bright, bustling with life; you were escorted from the docks inside to the Red Keep where you would meet with the royal family, astutely aware how every set of eyes followed your steps; you gave a wistful sigh, certain of the attention if you could be rid of the widow gowns.

Gratefully, the queen was considerate of the temperature change in comparison to Driftmark, and the seamstress was sent to recede the fabric in your neckline and sleeves. It still was far from the comfort of your own dresses, but considerably better after half a year of bereavement. It was a taste of freedom, and you dared to add subtle touches of make up, nothing exorbitant, just a touch of tinted beeswax to gloss your lips, a smear of kohl to frame your eyes.

Dorne was a nation that always embraced its sexuality, a sharp contrast to the pious King’s Landing that was laden with symbols of the Seven. You were determined to remarry–two Targaryen princes unwed, two possible dragons to claim–but to catch a dragon, you had to lay an enticing trap, but you wondered if you were rusty with the enforced bereavement having you feeling like a maiden once again.

So your attention turned to the piety of the Kingsguard that shadowed royalty’s every step. There were those whose gazes lingered well outside what would be deemed appropriate, the blatant, heady lust that enveloped the color of their irises and the bold reds that tainted their features–to which you scoffed.

A challenge was what you craved, and then you spotted him; his copper tones in duo, though the twins could be distinguished by how they held themselves, as well the fact that Ser Arryk served as Prince Aegon’s shadow.

Your eyes trained to the other, Ser Erryk Cargyll, the flutter of your lashes when he looked in your direction, the demure dip of your face to coyly cover a smile meant for him to see.

He did not fracture with your attention, but you–Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken–would not be dissuaded. It was a tantalizing game, something you swore to be playing solo until you spotted it; the tension held in his features by the shackles of his oath, a tick in his jaw or the flit of his smoky blue eyes in your proximity.

You chose a night to drink, indulging in the imported Dornish wines, a singsong request to be escorted to your rooms that the queen was happy to oblige.

“Ser Erryk, would you please help the princess to her quarters?”

And now you were at the edge of your bed like you were seated on the throne, watching the Kingsguard that was kneeled so prettily between your thighs spread. He is beautiful, you mused, looking over the warm tones that touched his features, clashing with the copper coloring of his hair.

He looked up at you, now bare from the waist up, his eyes wide, watchful, waiting for your command, your very breath of direction so that he may obey you; he was an incitant sight, from the cobalt ash coloring of his eyes, wet and wanting, to the flush of pink on his kiss-swollen lips.

“Please,” his voice was thick.

You could not help your smile, and asked with your slow drawl. “Please, what?”

“Please, princess,” he began again, his head tilted further to show the length of his neck, and how it bobbed when he swallowed. “Allow me to taste you.”

You indulged him, enjoying the vibration of his groan with his intimate kiss between your thighs made your own skin ripple with gooseflesh, along with the soft tickle of his beard. But he was a man starved, lapping without purpose until your fingers combed through his hair and pulled him back to meet with your smokey gaze.

Ser Erryk watched rapt as you lifted your hand, holding two fingers up; you could see the lustful pools of black claiming the coloring of his eyes, the bloom of rust of his beard around his mouth, the glisten of your arousal that shone on him.

You brought your fingers to press to his bottom of his mouth and he obediently wrapped his lips around; you giggled from his eagerness, from the tickle of his tongue on the pads of your fingers. The spittle broke and added to the rust when you pulled back, his eyes following as your pressed between your folds, watching you bring pleasure to yourself, showing him just how you needed to be touched.

A pitiful whimper spilled from the Kingsguard before you allowed him to feast again, and he returned with vigor, with purpose. Your wanton moans echoed against the cobblestone. “Princess,” he breathed against your wet cunt, “you must stay quiet.”

This was impossible to do; your time as a widow left you touch starved and your body was trembling, overly sensitive to his every deliberate touch–how he flourished with the bit of direction shown, and now, oh the gods, the pleasure curled something beautiful at the base of your spine, something sparking with familiarity from what felt like a lifetime ago.

Then you felt the pressure of his fingers, the careful add of one and the another, and they pushed within you, searching until you saw colors dancing in front of your eyes; Ser Erryk was pleased, focused, pulling you towards the precipice and it washed over you; your skin rose, your nipples pebbled, the cry-out from your lips and clenching response as your pleasure rippled over you with a vengeance, with its reclaim.

You laid there for a moment, the blood rising to your skin, your chest rising and falling with your breaths, a drunk smile on your lips.

The knight was now fully bare and was careful to move on top of you, the pale alabaster of his skin and its marking from his service was so warm to the touch. His palms were large, calloused and gentle to peel off your chemise over your head, the tickle of his kisses that worshiped every bit of your skin now showed, glowing with the attention from his mouth.

“Ser Erryk,” you gasped as he shifted between your thighs, “please.”

He obeyed, flushed, fumbling, his hand dipping between to trail your silken folds, to map your entrance and reached to line himself. He showed consideration with the slow motion of his hips, another gasp from your lips as he filled and stretched your velvet walls; Ser Erryk moved as if you were glass and you wrapped your leg around his slender waist, pulling him flush against you, wishing to be shattered beneath him.

It was all the encouragement needed and he rutted against you, his hot mouth biting into the nap of your neck to muffle his guttural groans. Your mewls were lilted with laughter, the crest of pleasure that rolled over with each of his thrusts; your hand dipped between to tip you over the edge once again.

The knight could not withstand the sinful clench and he pulled back, a desperate clutch to allow the pearly ropes of his spend against your stomach, his staggered breath as he watched your own fingers coax through your completion. There was a heady look between the two of you before he pushed back to rest on his heels, and you pressed to your elbows, bringing your fingers to your lips and cleaning them, your eyes never leaving his.

Ser Erryk blushed, pulling away and allowing you to admire his form, the lewd, intrusive thought, the sword in his hand and the sword between, as he moved towards your washbin and returned with a damp cloth; your eyes never left what swayed between his thighs with his each step. He was bashful, handing you the cloth while avoiding your direct gaze as you cleaned yourself, starting to dress himself.

You pushed from the bed, unabashed with your bare skin, sultry steps towards him to assist him with donning his armor plates to his lithe figure beneath his gambeson. When you finished, you could see his hesitation perched on his tongue and cannot help but toy further with the knight.

“Good ser,” you tone low to match your steps, and your weight shifted to accentuate your every curve, “can I trust you to always escort me to my quarters when needed?”

His jaw steeled beneath the reds of his beard at your implication, his tick returning as the shackles tightened again. It was a pregnant pause before his eyes met with yours, and you half-expected to see the beautiful blues, but were pleased to see his darkened gaze.

“Whatever you wish of me,” and his low timbre thrilled you. “Princess.”

arcielee's masterlist

#ser erryk x you #ser erryk x reader #ser erryk cargyll #hotd fanfic #hotd fanfiction #hotd smutty smut

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missiodei · 5 months

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Here's my third round of adopts let's go.

This time I have some Elden Ring-inspired oc/troll designs.

ALL ADOPTS ARE $30 EACH.

ALSO AVAILABLE THROUGH KO-FI AND VGEN.

Black Death - SOLD to asks-n-trolls

Lotus Blade

Celestial Sorcerer

Dark Star

Blasphemous King

Skinsuit

Dragon Blight

Stone Kindred

Rules and Info:

Paypal, USD only. For an extra $8 I will make a minisprite for the adopt.

First come, first serve. I will hold for up to 5 days.

Contact me via direct messages, my email [email protected], or Discord if you have me added. I’ll invoice you for payment. NO REFUNDS.

You will receive the full-sized png, both with the background in the image and a transparent background, without watermark. I'll move my signature to a corner. Do not remove it.

Skin color, gender and clothing are all free for you to change.

The addition/removal of horns tails, wings etc. is fine, but please keep the design recognizable.

Credit me when reposting. Do not claim the design as your own.

DO NOT edit/trace my work. Do not red-line my work. Do not make your own edits or pay another artist to edit my work.

DO NOT use my work as a base.

DO NOT use the adopts for weird shit. (Hate messages, NFTs, racism.)

You are NOT allowed to resell the adopts, however gifting is fine, please let me know who you gift it to.

#fantroll #demon #monster #adoptables #adopts #myart

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newtthetranswriter · 10 months

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Kindred Souls

Summary: Princess Zelda, her appointed Knight Link, and her advisor/ secondary guard Y/n travel below Hyrule castle to find out what is causing the gloom that is making people fall ill, they are met with mystery and challenges when they reach the source.

Warnings: Injury, maybe some angst done the line, Spoilers for LoZ:ToTK, that's it for now

Paring: ToTK!Link x gn!Reader

Word count: 2766

a/n: this does contain spoilers for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Let me know if you enjoy this and if you want me to continue it further. Name might change later MINORS AND AGELESS BLOGS DO NOT INTERACT

We were traveling into the depths underneath Hyrule castle, and by we I mean Princess Zelda, the one who wields the sword that seals the darkness, Link, and Me. I’m one of Zelda’s advisors. I wasn’t around 100 years ago when the great calamity first hit but when Link awoke from his slumber, I ran into him near hateno village and started helping him in his goal to save Zelda and the kingdom. But anyways we are currently making our way below the castle because there have been reports of people getting sick because of a red and black smoke-like substance rising from below.

“We’ve been descending for a while now… These tunnels are deeper than I thought. What could be down here?” Zelda questioned noticing we had been on this journey a lot longer than we had expected.

“No idea, but whatever is causing all this gloom can’t be a good thing.” I responded as I passed a shrugging Link who also seemed just as confused by the journey as the two of us. We continued on through the depths. I was also actively tuning out Zelda’s ramblings about a race of peoples who once inhabited Hyrule known as the Zonai. I only stopped when we entered a rather large room, where the gloom was extremely thick and there was an ominous green glowing light.

“What is this palace?” Zelda asked knowing none of us would have the answer before stating, “Let’s continue Link, and Y/n, but we must be extremely careful.”

Link and I nodded in agreement and we proceeded into open space towards the light.

As we approached the source of the light we saw what looked like an ancient mummy with long hair and a weird stone on its forehead, it also seemed the light was coming from a glowing arm planted against the mummy’s chest with its own stone embedded in the back of its hand. “What is that?” I said as we got closer to the strange sight. The closer we got, I could see the hand start to spasm and then fall away from the mummy. As it fell from the corpse the stone fell from its hand and rolled to Zelda’s feet.

Zelda had bent down to grab the stone and once it was in her hand it began to glow a yellow color. As she rose to a standing position, what sounded like a heartbeat echoed through the room. We all turned to the mummy that seemed to twitch as if coming to life.

It feel back in a jerking motion only to turn it’s head towards our small group and reveal two red-orange glowing eyes. After it laid eyes on our group it released what seemed to be a massive attack of gloom in all directions, one stream heading straight for Zelda and the other coming at me.

I watched as Link jumped in front of Zelda to protect her, while I pulled my Hylian shield in front of me in hopes to lessen the blow that I knew I wouldn't be able to dodge. As I was pushed back I watched in horror as the gloom surrounded Link’s arm and the Master sword, leaving Link’s arm crippled and the Master sword with a strange red spot that looked almost like an infection. After the first strike the mummy sent out another stream of this hardened gloom directly at Link, the swordsman swung his sword at the attack in hopes of dispeling it only to watch in shock as the legendary blade shattered like a piece of glass. A small fragment flying and slicing the mummy’s check.

“Was that the sword that seals the darkness? A blade that shatters so easily against my power cannot save you from me.” The creature said as it rose to an upright position. “ Zelda… You, who carries that fragile sword… are Link, and you with the h/c hair are Y/n. Rauru placed his faith in you… and that was all you could do?” It continued shocking all of us as it called each of us by name.

Zelda stepped back “how do you… know our names?” she voiced in fear. I was also stepping back in fear as I watched the beast begin to release a catastrophic amount of gloom from its chest. And directed upwards towards the castle above us.

The entire room began to shake as the castle appeared to be lifting out of the ground and into the sky, rubble began to fall around as I tried to make my way back to the entrance of the room, not having realized that the princess had fallen as the floor collapsed beneath her until i heard her call for Link. I turned and watched as Link jumped from his position in an attempt to catch her only to miss by centimeters with his injured hand. I continued to watch in amazement as the light from the stone zelda’s hand enveloped her and then faded with a trace of her being there. I also witnessed the hand from before grab Link’s good arm and hold him in the air for a second before it also disappeared in a bright flash of light taking the man with it.

Not completely understanding what was happening I decided the best course of action was to get back to Look out Landing and speak with Purah about organizing a search party for the Princess, and Link. What I failed to realize was that when I had used my shield to absorb the hit from the gloom, some of the gloom had hit my leg making it difficult to walk now that the adrenaline of the encounter with an ancient mummy had worn off. With this difficulty to walk I was only able to just barely make it to the surface by crawling for what felt like days out of the tunnels under Hyrule castle. As I made it to the surface I hoped someone would realize that something was wrong and come looking for us and find me before a bokoblin or other monster who is freshly risen comes along to kill me in my weekend state.

As I laid in one of the barley standing rooms that didn’t rise to the sky with the rest of the castle I could help but to think of what the hell happened and where the hell did Zelda and Link disappear to. Are they in the same place? Are they still alive? What the hell was that thing and why was it under the castle? Will someone find me soon? Will we ever find them? Will I ever be able to tell Link how I feel? I mean I’ve liked him for a while now, but i haven’t found the right time to tell him. I don’t even know if he would like me back, but I shouldn't worry about that right now. I should be thinking about whether or not I should stay where I'm at and wait for help or if I should suck it up and try to get back on my own.

I waited for another hour for the pain in my leg to subside and the thoughts in my head to get back on track. I had finally decided that I wasn’t going to wait around for someone or something to find me here so I maneuvered myself towards the closest wall to use to prove myself up. I believed wholeheartedly I would be able to stand up and limp my way back to safety… I was wrong as I took a step forward with my good leg and then went to move the injured one my body gave out and I collapsed back to the floor. As I hit the floor I knew I wasn't getting out by myself and was left to hope that a search team found me before a monster did. The last thought to enter my head before I passed out was please at least let Link and Zelda be ok. And then my world faded to black.

I awoke with a jolt. I sat up in bed taking in my surroundings. I could tell I was in the emergency bunker in Lookout Landing, but I was sure how I got there. Last thing I remember was going with Link and Zelda to investigate the gloom coming from underneath the castle. I was about to ask one of the other people sitting in the bunker if they knew how I got there when a familiar white head of hair made an appearance in my field of view.

“Y/n/n, I’m glad to see you finally awake. How’s the leg doing? It was pretty messed up when we found you. Also could you tell me what happened, where are the Princess and Link?” Purah asked as she noticed I was awake.

I just looked at her in confusion, not quite sure what she meant. Then it hit me the ache in my left leg and the memory of that thing attacking us, Zelda and Link both disappearing in different flashes of light. “I’m not sure how to explain what happened and I have no clue where they are.” I responded still just as confused even with the memories flooding back.

Purah looked at me in slight concern knowing that a lot must have happened under the castle seeing as only one of our party of three returned and the castle was now floating in the air surrounded by gloom. “It’s ok, take your time. We already organized a search party to find them. You rest for now when you feel up to it just as one of the workers to get me and we can talk about it. Ok? For now just rest.” She said before making her way out of the bunker but not before telling one of the workers to get me something to eat and drink.

I just watched her leave and accepted the small meal of fish and mushrooms offered to me by the cook. I uttered a quick thanks before eating the meal and trying to sort through everything that happened. The only thing I was sure of was that Link and Zelda were gone and that weird mummy thing was plotting something. It was bad news and I hoped Link would return before things got any worse. I could fight off some monsters by myself but I couldn't possibly beat whatever that was.

After resting for another day I was able to pull myself up the ladder and then limp my way over to Purah’s makeshift lab here in lookout landing. When I got there I was greeted with a tight hug and Purah urging me to explain anything I could about what was happening.

“ I don’t know how to really explain it, maybe if Zelda or Link were here they could explain it, but what I do know is your search party probably won’t find either of them at the castle.” I said knowing that wherever they were it was nowhere near the castle. The lights that seemingly teleported the two definitely took them somewhere completely different. Plus if Link was still in the castle or in the tunnels below it he would have made his way back here awhile ago.

“How are you so sure? What happened that’s making you think they wouldn’t be in the castle? You were pretty beat up when we found you, I wouldn’t be surprised if you had a concussion.” Purah stated somewhat doubting my comment because I wasn’t explaining it more than stating it as fact.

I got slightly irritated, “ They aren’t anywhere near the castle, I watched both of them be surrounded by bright glowing lights before disappearing into thin air. I doubt whatever took them would have just moved them around the castle. You’re looking in the wrong place.” I said with obvious irritation in my tone. I didn’t know how to explain what I saw but this is the best I can do.

“Ok, thank you for at least telling me that much, but then again it does kind of make sense as we have been getting reports from all over Hyrule that Zelda has been spotted in random places these past couple days.” Purha said finally, listening to the fact that our missing friends weren’t in the castle.

“ wait a second past a couple days… How long have I been in the bunker? It couldn’t have been more than a day since they went missing.” I asked in confusion thinking I had to have been found shortly after passing out at the castle and had woken up shortly after being placed in the bunker.

Purah looked at me almost sadly. “ You’ve been unconscious for about a week. We found you at the castle about twelve hours after the castle lifted into the sky. We only waited that long to see if you guys would come back on your own, and when you didn’t that's why I sent out a search party.” Purah said it was obvious she felt bad for not sending people sooner, but it was understandable. She had complete faith in all of us that we would all come back safely no matter what happened.

“Wow, a week. I’m sorry, I must have worried you, but right now we need to focus on finding Link and Zelda. I'm not sure where to start looking but we need to find them soon.” I responded trying to get the topic back on the important fact that we need to find them. “I will help as best I can but with my leg messed up I’m not sure if I should be traveling to the ends of Hyrule on my own. Is there any one who can a-” My sentence was interrupted by Josha saying something outside that I could barely make out.

“Doctor Purah! The swordsman! The swordsman has returned!” I heard her yell loud and clear. Purah and I made eye contact and we both immediately scrambled to the door.

“Where have you been?! Linky… You’re not a ghost, are you?” Purah asked Link who was standing out front wearing what looked like an old shawl over one shoulder and a kilt looking skirt with sandals. His hair that was normally in a half up due is now falling nicely over his shoulders bangs still framing his face. The most notable change to his appearance was his right arm, the last time I saw him, his right arm had been completely crippled from the malice of the attack from that beast. In place of the destroyed limb was a gray arm with what looks like brass arm bands and rings along it; it also had lighter gray marks moving up from about the elbow working its way over the right side of Link’s exposed shoulder and chest.

Seeing him standing there after what was apparently a week of him being missing, took my breath away. I wasn’t accepting him to just show up here , let alone with a new arm and in a completely different outfit. I also made note of the fact the Master sword was missing from his person, it was odd but i pushed it to the back of my mind focused on the joy of seeing him again. I was so overwhelmed with joy I couldn't stop myself from running into his arms and hugging him.

After the shock of being nearly tackled by me wore off, Link wrapped his arms around me as well. Not letting go of me, turned his attention back to Purah who also seemed slightly shocked by my display of affection for our dear friend but brushed off to start asking more questions.

“What exactly happened?” She asked now, having two people present that had been under the castle when it lifted from the ground into the sky, she figured she’d get some answers.

Finally releasing Link with a whispered apology, I turned back to Purah and said “Let’s go inside to talk about it, I guess, my leg is starting to hurt again so I'd like to sit down while we talk.” Feeling my injured leg start to hurt more. I also felt a little more comfortable having Link here to help me explain what had happened under the castle, because it wouldn’t sound as crazy if two people agreed upon the story. With that we made our way into Purah’s lab to discuss what had been happening and where Link had gone.

#legend of zelda #botw link x reader #link x reader #tears of the kindom spoilers #tears of the kingdom #loz: tears of the kingdom

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bri-the-nautilus · 11 months

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Blorbo Headcanon: The Tragedy of Gurranq

This is one I've been kind of mulling over, but was spurred to devote some serious thought to tonight. Maliketh/Gurranq is adorable. The best, hungriest boi. A faithful shadow, true to the Golden Order. But I think his tragedy extends beyond just feeling like he let Marika down on the Night of Black Knives. To start, we'll need some background.

Farum Azula is a crumbling city in the sky at the center of a time storm. The southern provinces are dotted with debris from Farum Azula, but the city when we visit it is not only reasonably intact, but frozen. Nothing is actively falling. There's no day/night cycle. Passing time doesn't alter the skybox and nothing changes based on when you enter. It's clear that Farum Azula exists outside the normal flow of time, and can even counteract it: when we travel to Placidusax's arena, a destroyed section of the city reforms itself and the Erdtree doesn't exist. Farum Azula is populated by a society of intelligent beastmen, who were blessed with intellect and five fingers as stated by the Cinquedea, Gurranq's clerical shortsword.

Gurranq, the Beast Clergyman, is a robed figure who makes his home in Dragonbarrow, protected by a Black Blade Kindred. He guides and leads the Hunters of Those Who Live In Death, who weed deathroot. Deathroot is said to be the source of Those Who Live In Death, and Gurranq eats it. The Stone and Claw of Gurranq incantations say that he once went by a different name, which meant "Death of the Demigods." If the player feeds every obtainable deathroot to Gurranq, he thanks them for being a friend but states that he has "done all he can for this world" and promptly disappears.

Maliketh, the Black Blade, is to Queen Marika as Blaidd is to Ranni. He wields and protects Destined Death. It was he who defeated the Gloam-Eyed Queen in battle (Godslayer's UGS) and he who was robbed on the Night of Black Knives to create the blades that slew Godwyn and Ranni. For a shadow like Maliketh, the feeling that he let Marika down and the tragedy is his fault must have been impossible to bear. He vows that Destined Death shall not be stolen from him again. We meet Maliketh in Farum Azula, where he first dresses as a Beast Clergyman and wields the Cinquedea before unchaining Destined Death and facing us with his black blade and armor.

The game makes it pretty clear that Gurranq is Maliketh. Besides their identical appearances, Gurranq's old name meaning "Death of the Demigods," and Gurranq's sanctum being guarded by one of Maliketh's black gargoyles, as you progress Gurranq's questline he makes repeated references to a "past sin" and speaks of Marika as if he knew her personally.

Upon dealing enough damage after feeding the fourth Deathroot

"Put it away. I won't forget... again... mine appetite... My sin... So please.... Enough."

Fifth Deathroot

"My thanks Tarnished.... Death... My sin... Should not be touched by the hand of man... I shall grant thee... my claws... Feed me... more..."

Sixth, seventh and eighth Deathroot

"I won't forget... again.... mine appetite... My sin... I must have more... I must consume more..."

Ninth Deathroot

"It is... it is all... consumed. Still., I am not sated... Not nearly sated..."

"Marika... Is this... what it is... to sin?" "Will things... never be the same... again?"

"..."

"Tarnished... my thanks... for thy... long labor. But I have done... all I can... in this land. Henceforth, mine appetite shall be my sole companion. Farewell."

Moreover, if you complete Gurranq's quest before challenging Maliketh for the first time, Maliketh phase one has special dialogue where he recognizes you and laments that he has to fight you.

Tarnished, why wouldst thou... Why... Tis no matter. I hereby vow, that Destined Death shall not be stolen again.

On the contrary, killing Maliketh before/during Gurranq's quest doesn't affect the Clergyman's dialogue.

But this leads us to some questions about the true nature of Gurranq and the timeline of Maliketh's life. Other demigods, such as Morgott, show the ability to project illusory duplicates of themselves. The Omen King does this twice: once in Stormveil and once in the old battlefield. One could easily assume that Gurranq is such an illusion. But there's one problem: He exists even without Maliketh. If you kill Morgott in Leyndell before either Margit, the Margit(s) in question won't spawn. If you kill Maliketh before finishing Gurranq's quest, it doesn't despawn Gurranq. Now the question is, when is Gurranq? Where in Maliketh's life does he fall?

My headcanon is this: After the NoBK, Maliketh seals Destined Death in himself. Marika orders him to go to Farum. Outwardly, she says that having him in the Capital where Destined Death could be stolen was a mistake. Privately, she doesn't want him around when she rebels against the Golden order, similarly to how Iji suspected Blaidd needed to be removed before Ranni killed her Two Fingers. Maliketh has dialogue expressing a strong adherence to the Golden Order, so it's safe to assume that unlike Blaidd with Ranni, he would not have been willing to side with Marika over the Greater Will. Maliketh leaves, but he doesn't go to Farum immediately. Yet. Confused? So am I.

Marika sticks her head into Farum, sees a self-loathing ball of fur, and leaves to plot the Shattering.

Maliketh, meanwhile, feels a duty to help rid the world of the evil that he thinks he allowed the creation of. Those Who Live In Death are a new phenomenon. Godwyn being slain and buried caused his influence to spread along the Erdtree's roots, raising the dead. Although he has restrained Destined Death and no longer wields it, Maliketh is both qualified and honor-bound to fight Those Who Live In Death. And as long as he's in Farum in about half an hour when Marika goes to see him, everything's fine.

Adopting the name 'Gurranq', Maliketh heads for Caelid. There, he sets up shop leading a cadre of Golden Order adherents (eventually including Darian and the Tarnished) in weeding the deathroot that allows the dead to wake. When Marika shatters the Elden Ring, he feels lied to and betrayed, but he pushes it out of mind. The Tarnished succeeds in excising every major deathroot node from the Lands Between and feeding them to Gurranq. Gurranq has done all he can for this world, and thanks his truest comrade for their service before they part ways.

Farum Azula is a city out of time, and Maliketh is demigod and high priest of the city out of time. He arrives right after Marika dismissed him, on time for her to see him there. He knows what she's going to do, but has to bite his tongue. There he sits for all the years after the NoBK. Until one day, the Tarnished arrives.

For them, it's been just days.

For Maliketh, it's been centuries.

Maliketh was betrayed by Marika. He spent centuries simultaneously laboring to repent as Gurranq and sitting alone in a lost city and blaming himself for what went wrong as the time-displaced Black Blade. He had one companion who shared his mission towards the end of his time in the Lands Between, but they parted ways and Maliketh lived all that time again alone. But now, his truest of comrades has returned to kill him and steal that which he swore would not leave his side again.

A second betrayal, more painful than the first.

#elden ring #fromsoft #gurranq #beast clergyman #maliketh the black blade #crumbling farum azula #farum azula #headcanon

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guillotine-of-the-snake · 24 days

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Derrinall Evramont

Guillotine of the Snake

"I am no knight, I am a killer. There's no illusions of grandeur here. I am but a blade in my Lady's service. She decides who dies, and my sword falls. I am no knight, I am an executioner in all but name."

Hello, and thank you for stopping by my blog! I'm Hazel and this is one of my alt characters for FFXIV. My pronouns are he/him, I'm an early 20's college student still trying to figure out what to do with my life, but I'm getting there!

I'm still very new to roleplaying but I've always had a ton of thoughts and ideas about my characters so this blog is both to help consolidate those thoughts and to also share them with anyone who wants to see them.

Derrinall's Carrd cannot be found anywhere as I haven't made one yet lmao. It'll get done...eventually. Blogs for my main XIV character can be found here however:

Hazel Kha

I'm situated on Zalera (Crystal) and spend most of my time either raiding or taking GPose shots, but regardless I look forward to seeing everyone around the great, vast star we find ourselves on.

About Derrinall

Derrinall Evramont, Knight of Gelmorra, should be dead. He had breathed his last some 500 years ago, his bloodline cursed to live short lives in part to the Elementals of the Black Shroud. For 5 centuries he laid in the ruins of the once great Duskwight civilization...

That is, until he was brought back to the star for reasons he did not know. All he saw was a glimpse of a woman's figure before slipping into a slumber. When he awoke again he wandered the ruins, eventually stumbling upon two he would learn to be kindred spirits, in a way. The two strangers helped him to recover even as he kept his personal information close to his chest, eventually pointing him to work and housing in Ishgard.

In the service of Lady Lia Amelune, the White Snake, Derrinall found himself quickly rising in the ranks of her knights, soon becoming the Captain himself. He now resides in Ishgard to always be at the ready to serve his new calling in this second life.

#ffxiv #ffxiv oc #pinned post #introduction #elezen #duskwight #derrinall evramont

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how-and-why-do-i-know-this · 3 months

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Curious. The Vulgar Militia here have Gurranq's incantations and that same black and red power as the Black Blade Kindred.

#andy plays elden ring #elden ring liveblog #elden ring #gurranq #vulgar militia #black blade kindred

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foulbearobservation · 4 months

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WIP Tag Game

I got tagged in a fun little tag game by the bestie @euhemeria who has,,, about as many wips as me so we are kindred spirits on the path 🤝

Post the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them and then post a little snippet of it or tell them something about it!

I'm gonna split these up by fandom but not pairing/gen so genuinely good luck figuring out what pairing is which!

warrior nun

a love song pitched down low ● to bleed is the [unintelligible] thing ● the improbable, probable ● the black blade of blaviken ● a knife, a leash ● a vision of spring ● just one more thing ● there will always be a (man/lighthouse/fall) ● close your eyes, sweet angel ● a prized possession ● old woman yuri ● family and associated words that begin with f ● root cause ● crime dot net ● avalil smut 2 electric boogaloo ● they live happily ● outlook, teams, and other services associated with the devil himself ● getting a good grade in gladiatorial combat, something that is both normal to want and possible to achieve

rwby

crossroads ● expectations ● a question of inheritance ● atlas, after the shrug

hawkeye (tv) (aka mcu but I won't say I've fallen that far)

my sorrow will take wings in the morning ● Big Brother: Lame Little Superhero Edition ● what is a body but a weapon ● second date

league of legends

bilgewater baptism ● the horrors I promised ● darkness, whole and complete ● again ● [ARCHIVE :\\ADMIN\START] ● you have your mothers hands ● what your husband doesn't know

the wilds

poison poorly proctored ● daughter of apollo, portent of ruin

fire emblem three houses

the delta sky miles lounge in the salt lake city international airport ● oceans dumbasses ● your wife is not a librarian ● a song of springtime ● what coin will make you leave ● lawless dream ● dilf ingrid ● the first clue: foot fetish

original work

the voice behind the mirror ● cassik county, iowa ● a fishhook kingdom ● the lamplighter

I tag.... the bug bucket! you all know who you are, expose ur wips or not, it's up to u 👀👀

#tag games #look upon my wip list and weep #I had to leave some out too like only wips over 1k made it onto the list 😭#I think perhaps I am the one who should be weeping after gazing upon this list actually this is so bad for me

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warrioreowynofrohan · 10 months

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For the Choose Violence ask game: 22 for any of Tolkien's Middle Earth works? (Histories of Middle Earth included.)

Two asks for this one!

@nopewood: 22 for the ask game pleaseee ^^

22. your favorite part of canon that everyone else ignores

It's not entirely ignored, but the poetic Leithian deserves way higher profile than it has! It's absolutely magnificent as poetry and also elaborates a lot more of the events of Beren and Lúthien's Quest than the text of the Silmarillion does (for example: the spell Lúthien uses to grow her hair is incredibly complex, cool, and rather spooky).

Another part that I really like that almost everyone ignores is "The Coming of Tuor to Gondolin" in Unfinished Tales. I love the characterization that we get of Tuor during his time as a outlaw and his journey to Nevrast and thence to Gondolin - he, well 'chill' compared to the other Edain we get, but he's not entirely chill and it's really not sufficiently recognized that he waged a single-handed guerilla war in Hithlum for about three years when he was little more than a teenager.

A specific bit of that that I like and that no one else seems (understandably!) to care about is the description of the gates of Gondolin. I love it. The imagery of the different materials, colours, the structure, the designs and what they symbolize/convey. And we're also told that the Elves created a lot of magnificent things, but they're rarely described in detail, and we get such great descriptions here.

Gates!

Thus they came at length to a wide art with tall pillars upon either hand, hewn in the rock, and between hung a great portcullis of crossed wooden bars, marvellously carved and studded with nails of iron. Elemmakil touched it, and it rose silently, and they passed through. "You have passed the First Gate, the Gate of Wood," said Elemmakil. ...Some half-league from the Wooden Gate Tuor saw that the way was barred by a great wall built across the ravine form side to side, with stout towers of stone at either hand. In the wall was a great archway above the road, but it seemed that masons has blocked it with a single mighty stone. As they drew near its dark and polished face gleamed in the light of a white lamp that hung above the midst of the arch. "Here stands the Second Gate, the Gate of Stone," said Elemmakil; and going up to it he thrust lightly upon it. It turned upon an unseen pivot, until its edge was towards them, and the way was open upon either side; and they passed through, into a court where stood many armed guards clad in grey. ...After a little space they came to a wall yet higher and stronger than before, and in it was set the Third Gate, the Gate of Bronze: a great twofold door hung with shields and plates of bronze, wherein were wrought many figures and strange signs. Upon the wall above its lintel were three square towers, roofed and clad with copper that by some device of smith-craft were ever bright and gleamed as fire in the rays of the red lamps ranged like torches against the wall. Again silently they passed the gate, and saw in the court beyond a yet greater company of guards in mail that glowed like dull fire; and the blades of their axes were red. Of the kindred of the Sindar of Nevrast for the most part were those that held this gate. [NOTE: Another reference to the Sindar using axes as their main weapon, something that I almost never see in fic.] ....Thus at last they drew near the Fourth Gate, the Gate of Writhen Iron. High and black was the wall, and lit with no lamps. Four towers of iron stood upon it, and between the two inner towers was set an image of a great eagle wrought in iron, even the likeness of King Thorondor himself, as he would alight upon a mountain from the high airs. But as Tuor stood before the gate it seemed to his wonder that he was looking through boughs and stems of imperishable trees into a pale glade of the Moon. For a light came through the traceries of the gate, which were wrought and hammered into the shapes of trees with writhing roots and woven branches laden with leaves and flowers and as he passed through he saw how this could be; for the wall was of great thickness, and there was not one grill but three in line, so that to one who approached in the middle of the way each formed part of the device; but the light beyond was the light of day...Now they passed through the lines of the Iron Guards that stood behind the Gate; black were their mantles and their mail and long shields, and their faces were masked with vizors each bearing an eagle's beak.

What the Fourth Gate reminds me of at the moment is Menegroth - trees carved in iron, as Menegroth is trees and birds and other animals wrought in stone, the combination of the love of nature with the love of craft through the work of two different peoples. And the sequence - the different materials (wood, stone, bronze, iron), the number of towers matching the number of the gates, the guards outfitted in a way that matches the gates - really appeals to me. The connection of Gondolin both with Ulmo, who showed Turgon the location and concealed his people so they could get here, and with Manwë via Thorondor (who is really Turgon's link to the outside world, and brings him news on more than one occasion) is just fantastic.

Then we have the gates of Silver and Gold:

Tuor saw beside the way a sward of grass, where like stars bloomed the white flowers of uilos, the Evermind that knows no season and withers not; and thus in wonder and lightening of heart he was brought to the Gate of Silver. The wall of the Fifth Gate was built of white marble, and was low and broad, and its parapet was a trellis of silver between five great globes of marble; and there stood many archers robed in white. The gate was in shape as three parts of a circle, and wrought of silver and pearl of Nevrast in likenesses of the Moon; but above the Gate upon the midmost globe stood an image of the White Tree Telperion, wrought of silver and malachite, with flowers made of great pearls of Balar. And beyond the Gate in a wide court paved with marble, green and white, stood archers in silver mail and white-crested helms, a hundred upon either hand. Then Elemmakil led Tuor and Voronwë through their silent ranks, and they entered upon a long white road, that ran straight towards the Sixth Gate; and as they went the grass-sward became wider, and among the white stars of uilos there opened many small flowers like eyes of gold. So they came to the Golden Gate, the last of the ancient gates of Turgon that were wrought before the Nirnaeth; and it was much like the Gate of Silver, save that the wall was built of yellow marble, and the globes and parapets were of red gold; and there were six globes, and in the midst upon a golden pyramid was set an image of Laurelin, the Tree of the Sun, with flowers wrought of topaz in long clusters upon chains of gold. And the Gate itself was adorned with discs of gold, many-rayed, in likenesses of the Sun, set amid devices of garnet and topaz and yellow diamonds. In the court beyond were arrayed three hundred archers with long bows, and their mail was gilded, and tall golden plumes rose from their helmets; and their great round shields were red as flame.

As I reread this...I had thought before of Gondolin, the image of Tirion in Valinor, being a symbol/indication of Turgon's inability to let go of his homesickness, and the images of the Trees being connected to that. But it doesn't feel like that now - it feels like a fusion, of the past in Valinor (the two Trees) and present in Beleriand (the Moon and Sun, and also the pearls of Nevrast and Balar; the latter indicate that Turgon must also have had a close relationship with Cirdan and the Falathrim) - and by the way, how did Turgon realize the connection between the Trees and the moon and sun, when as far as the Noldor know the Trees were entirely dead? It's an impressive connection to work out by himself.

These gates - and their matching flowers, which is an amazing touch - are more decorative and less military than the others, as though, having passed the gate of iron, the focus is now more on beauty rather than defence. And then we're slapped in the face with this:

The way was short to the Seven Gate, named the Great, the Gate of Steel that Maeglin wrought after the return from the Nirnaeth, across the wide entrance to the Orfalch Echor. No wall stood there, but on either hand were two round towers of great height, many-windowed, tapering in seven storeys to a turret of bright steel, and between the towers there stood a mighty fence of steel that rusted not, but glittered cold and white. Seven great pillars of steel there were, tall with the height and girth of strong young trees, but ending in a bitter spike that rose to the sharpness of a needle; and between the pillars were seven cross-bars of steel, and in each space seven times seven rods of steel upright, with heads like the broad blades of spears. But in the centre, upon the midmost pillar and the greatest, was raised a mighty image of the king-helm of Turgon, the Crown of the Hidden Kingdom, set about with diamonds.

This is grim and forbidding and hostile after the Gates of Silver and Gold - like passing from an intricately carved gate of a garden to a fence of razor wire. It's the only gate that Elemmakil can't open for them, and there's no elegant way to knock - you just have to bang on the bars. The pillars of steel might be the size of young trees, but they aren't carved to look like trees or anything else - they're just spikes. The other gates had images of nature, and sometimes of the world outside; this gate is hostile to the world outside.

And, after the three previous gates with Thorondor followed by the images of the creations of Valar - the Trees and the Moon and Sun - we have an image of Turgon's crown on this one.

This is a very clear warning to the reader - something is wrong in Gondolin. Turgon has grown proud and shut out the outside world, and is putting himself and his desires as of the foremost importance. This Gate tells us what Turgon's answer to Tuor's message from Ulmo will be even before Tuor delivers us. And the statement that Maeglin made this gate shows him symbolically as an influence upon this change of attitude in Turgon. Everything about this gate foreshadows the fall of Gondolin.

Thank you for indulging me on this super long post! Look, I just really enjoy imagery and patterns!

#tolkien #the silmarillion #unfinished tales #gondolin #the fall of gondolin #turgon #the lays of beleriand #history of middle-earth #beren and luthien #ask game

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miss-nymphetamine · 8 months

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Info that matters to no one: my Choices' favourite books.

-Across the Void: I loved it, the concept was original and OMG Meridian!

-Blades of Light and Shadow: I mean... of course I love BOLAS. Tyril is my man.

-The Bloodbound series: While I'd like to see a story perhaps more related to the Underworld concept, I like the series and don't get me started on Jax.

-Crimes of Passion: With the releasing of the second book I just realized how much I loved the first one. I'm not that sure about this second one.

-Getaway Girls: I enjoyed it a lot, it felt very different to other books in some ways (probably because there were actual black people involved in its creation and development). It was very refreshing and I have to say, I'm a Dee stan.

-Hot Couture: I still can't understand the hate for this book, because I truly loved it.

-Laws of Attraction: It was modern, it was different and I really felt my MC was really intelligent and had real power to change things, to make a difference.

-Mother of the Year: first time a kid isn't annoying in these stories. Also, it touches very contemporary issues, and Thomas is to die for.

-Shipwrecked: that, kids, was actually sensual, sexy and steamy, and not the shit we had to endure in crap like Wolf Bride or Surrender.

-Slow Burn: I love cooking, so a book about food is something I will automatically like.

-Veil of Secrets: It didn't feel sugarcoated at all and I liked both the MC and her attitude towards the whole problem.

Honorable mention to Kindred's asian Kaine. It stirrs something inside me.

#Choices #Pixelberry #my faves #Across the Void #Blades of Light and Shadow #BOLAS #ATV #Bloodbound #Crimes of Passion #Getaway Girls #Hot Couture #Laws of Attraction #Mother of the Year #Shipwrecked #Slow Burn #Veil of Secrets

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katyspersonal · 4 months

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Send us your Edgar headcanons!!!

@ anon, I am so sorry. When you've sent this ask one eternity ago I started to reply and then got interrupted by mom and then forgot ;-; I can't be trusted with this stuff sometimes I swear.

🔎 I like the idea about him infiltrating Yahar'gul for spyoning, however my "official" timeline and headcanons are different! (is "official headcanon" even a thing? xD) I have him go into Byrgenwerth with Yurie/Julie and Fauxsefka and make his way into Nightmare of Mensis under pretense of being a wayward Byrgenwerth scholar! I've had posts covering this thing in more details as it draws upon some cut content and obscure implications from Mico's dialogoe in Japanese original, but in summary, I think that Lecture Hall used to be accessible from the part of Byrgenwerth in "real" world and it only got locked when Micolash had Rom block the Arcane Lake! Why he blocked the way in the end? Well.... because slowly, Edgar started to warm up to Micolash and find a kindred spirit in him, realizing that Choir was never a right place for him and fellow choirlings never "really" understood him. So he ended up confessing having been spying on him and playing part in figuring out how to ruin his Nightmare.

(Here are the posts about what's the deal with the Arcane Lake if you need them: ( x ) ( x ) !)

🔎 I think he avoided wearing Blindfold Cap back in Choir, and now that he "joined" School of Mensis he doesn't wear a cage intentionally as well! Choir's Blindfold symbolises entrusting your way and what you are allowed to see to the 'Stars', whereas Mensis Cage missing only one bar at the eyes level symbolizes being allowed to see the cosmic horrors how they are but also repressing free will and personality to not (literally) die from horror at these visions. Neither really appealed to Edgar as he is an individualists and prefers to preserve both the autonomy of his research and autonomy of how he will "take" his discoveries. It is a risky strategy but he is a strong-willed and strong-minded man, besides he got a lot of Sedatives! This attitude made him similar to Laurence which is something I've realized only late in writing him, but now I am using it as an excuse for what attracted Micolash to him.

🔎 Edgar infiltrated at 'warm' season:

🔎 He originally was a teacher in one of the schools under Healing Church's influence! I assume Healing Church hired the foreigners abundantly that's hinted by how Brador's clothes (stated to be foreign) copy male Black Church clothes and foreign set of Paleblood Hunter copies male White Church clothes. But Edgar started to notice that whenever after the nights of the hunt any of his pupils became orphans, soon nice people in white robes from higher echelons would take them and these orphans would never be seen again :/ He was nosy enough to try and figure what was going on, but thanks to his intelligence and actor skills he managed to convince the Choir to let him work for them rather than getting thrown into a jail for people that learned too much. It was painful to manage being around people experimenting on children... at first. He was able to stomach the idea that after how much cosmic horrors were unleashed the world was as good as ending and orphaned children objectively had much higher chance to call upon Great Ones of higher rank than Choir's half-human ally Ebrietas and receive their wisdom and blessing.

🔎 He is really physically fit, actually! The guy can throw a very good punch. Not just because he uses Ludwig's Holy Blade, but there are also stats indicating he is stronger than frikin ALFRED and I can't forget this detail for even one day:

🔎 For as long as Edgar remembered he was unintentionally rude, very rarely emoting and when he did it was very strong and explosive, appearing as though he was not interested in feelings and lives of others, not running his mouth in vain (save for his special interests) and of course he would not do things that made no sense for him. His first attempt at dating ended up pretty toxic as his girlfriend not only could not quite accept him and expected him to magically "warm up" in relationship, but also kept emotionally manipulating him into abiding by her demands. Like I said, he would not do shit for others, no matter how simple, if it made no logical sense in his eyes, so seeing how she never could have her way with him without going through proving her point to him rationally, she resorted to the worst kind of behavior - guilt-tripping and threatening. He was only a teenager back then and that unfortunate relationship made him falsely conclude that maybe women were just like that, so he searched a guy to date later. The very first guy that shown interest in him, who was also..... well, older let's call it that. But that guy walked his own dark path, did crimes and tried to pull Edgar into all that using Edgar's extraordinary intelligence and sense of alienation from society, and eventually absconded.

🔎 He also had a best friend that his parents tended to treat more like their son than Edgar himself. A friend who also claimed credit over blueprints of Edgar's inventions that he left behind when he departed to seek Yharnam unable to help his curiousity over what THE heck that town was doing (the world travelled). Some people were sad that Edgar left, like teachers, library workers, various people he's been helping with voluntary work. He also once protected a couple from getting robbed - like I said, the guy is STRONG. But yeah, he was a good man, and for many people, he just had a bad luck of choosing the wrong kind as close ones.

🔎 Pearl Slug item suggests that the Augurs might be all different colors! At Choir, Edgar enjoyed sorting the unhatched eggs of the slugs by the color when he had a free minute x) Another funny habit is to pretentiously fumble with an abacus when he is sharing some numbers. He would also get very antsy if someone took HIS Choir Bell, even if they were all the same and not branded and interchangeable. He actually always gets extremely protective over 'his' things in terms where they are all interchangeable and there is no ownership per say.. Once he uses something, it is now HIS and he feels nearly spiritual attachement to it. When he abandoned his Choir tools to display to Micolash that he DID stick by his side from now own, he was especially reluctant to give away his Call Beyond simply because Micolash would keep it instead of just letting it flee. To this day Edgar is slightly uneasy with it, as if Micolash owns a part of his 'soul' by it.. and at the same time, he finds strangely erotic enjoyment in the fact.

🔎 It is really hard to make him laugh, but he does have sense of humor! He just 'laughs internally' most of the time.

🔎 Remember how I said he was brave and disobedient to authority to a fault, and it was his intelligence that had Choir decide he was worth this stress and too precious to just get rid of? This guaranteed he heard all about Laurence from his new friends. People that knew Laurence well joked that they could've been "twins" and would get along. It was not the first in his life when he felt like he knew people he never met better than people in his own life.

🔎 He can get overly affectionate at someone saying a lot of smart things (that they genuinely comprehend, of course) or passionately sharing something they know a lot about. If he is close with someone and they are doing this, he will reach the point of shiny eyes and willing to suffocate them in a hug :') When Micolash is being very nerdy, Edgar might start smooching him uncontrollably. Like... yeah, normal flirting will make Edgar a bit shy at most, you charm him by opening your soul to him by infodumping!

🔎 Edgar strongly prefers to 'stay in shape'. That's why he'd go fight some beasts willingly even when they were not a direct treat to him and it was predominantly "dirty job" for Black Church hunters escort, that's why he carries people in his arms when there is a reason (so yes, do not confuse it with him being overly gentlemen-ish x) ). In the Nightmare, he might as much as pick a friendly fight with the residents, like fencing with one of the Shadows for example xD He sometimes also likes testing himself by being around Winter Lanterns.. That usually doesn't end well and Micolash has to save him. Yes, MICOLASH has to save someone from going insane. I swear all kind of wild shit happens with these two fjhfdhfsd

______________

Thank you for an ask!! Again, sorry I forgot about it.. You've sent it when I had a bad day and seeing it in my inbox did cheer me up, though! I always like to talk about Edgar, he is genuinely one of my favs! (With headcanons posts though I tend to default to 'story and loredigging' aspects so narrowing headcanons asks to concrete topics like relationships, habits, etc is always acceptable and even welcomed! Helps me to focus and cover more things rather than my default settings)

#bloodborne #bloodborne headcanons #edgar choir intelligencer #ask replies

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