#+ a headcanon of this day celebration in the valley of peace

[infini-tree]

the world keeps turning

Summary: The masters across China have congregated to the Jade Palace to celebrate Po as Oogway’s Successor. Though how easily they manage to do this is another story entirely.

A/N: Big surprise, I missed the Soothsayer and I needed to get the Brainworms(tm) out. This fic is something of a sequel to fall (take two), as well as a prequel to my Gongmen Successor AU. It makes sense in context.

Whether I do anything more with this concept is another question entirely. This is headcanon-heavy and retcons the whole thing regarding the Dragon Master title.

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

The sun glints off the surface of the water, leaving the river sparkling in the early morning light. 

The Soothsayer exits the quarters on the boat and made her way to the edge, the assorted servants and workers not paying her much mind. Waves lap gently at the side of the boat. She is no stranger to travel, as more often than not she trailed behind Gongmen’s nobles long ago, and behind its present-day kung fu protectors.

A shadow looms behind her. “We should be at the Valley before noon.”

“Good.” She glances up at Storming Ox and the side of her mouth quirks up. “You’re tense.”

Her tone broached no argument. It was difficult for the master to hide anything from her own experience and insight.

“And so are you,” he said, nodding to the vice grip she had her cane in.

Her smirk diminishes. As it stands, the same went for her finding it difficult to hide from his analytical eye. Neither of them have made any sort of mention about it-- since where was the fun in that?-- but it was... amusing to outmaneuver the other.

“I feel it is only natural--” And she purses her lips for a moment. “Considering that we’ve been called to the Valley of Peace to celebrate the naming of a new Grandmaster of China.”

Storming Ox’s brow raised in amusement. “You and I both know you don’t give a rat’s behind about formalities like that.”

“Only when it is convenient. I am an outlier in a celebration that primarily consists of masters as its guests, and what knowledge of qi I know is theoretical and tied to the medicinal arts.” 

Her gaze shifts to the river’s edge, offering Ox some privacy regarding his own insecurities. When the masters had simultaneously come back as quickly as they were abducted, him and Croc had to decide who stayed in Gongmen and who would learn about qi.

“It’s a no-brainer, having you helm the Council, with your analytical eye,” Croc had said, before making eye contact with the Soothsayer. “Besides, I don’t exactly-- how you say?-- rank high in the Gongmen popularity poll right now.”

The months after Master Thundering Rhino’s death left them inseparable in their grief. Now, months of separation left Storming Ox unmoored in a way she couldn’t quite help out with.

“Oh, like that’s ever bothered you. And even if it did, the invitation specifically asked for you too. I think--” And he leans on the edge of the boat beside her, his thick arms folded. “You’re nervous for a different reason.”

The old goat looks at her distorted reflection. 

“The pandas.” 

The Soothsayer went still.

The fortune that spelt disaster for the nearby panda village was not common knowledge, and the late noble peacock family made sure of that. Only those in their inner circle would know of some of its details, but not all.

The Master’s Council-- as the protectors of Gongmen City-- was in a unique position to know all of it.

“I don’t think they’d... blame you, you know,” he adds, much more gently. “Croc says they’re good people, from what little he writes. Honestly, I think a good chunk of them would be too young to remember.”

She lets the din of the river and workers milling about wash over them in lieu of an answer. The houses were starting to dot the landscape much more frequently.

Despite this, he picks up the conversation for her. “Though, I guess you already know that. But knowing what’s right is different from feeling what’s right. Or something. I was never good with sayings. What I’m trying to say is that it’ll be fine.”

That, she lets an amused huff at.

“We’re ahead of schedule.” Storming Ox looks up. She couldn’t help but look up as well.

In the distance, they could see the mountain peak that held the Jade Palace.

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

If there was one word the Soothsayer can describe the Valley of Peace, it was quaint. 

While it was far from being a small village, it didn’t have the bustling streets or tall buildings she was used to in Gongmen. Even the higher-class buildings that housed what she could only assume were mostly Jade Palace servants and their immediate family were only differentiated by its red walls and proximity to the Jade Palace itself. It wasn’t uncommon to have said buildings neighbor the rice paddies.

Speaking of which, she could see the farmers stop their work to watch their boat pass by. As they approached, she saw the people crowding the water’s edge and surrounding bridges, watching for boats and palanquins and what other manner of transport masters had as they made the pilgrimage to what is essentially their capital.

When they finally made landfall on their small harbor (recently built, or rebuilt she noted), everyone had their eyes solely on Storming Ox. Which was fine by her, and was certainly fine for him as he quietly soaked in the attention. His street brawler days were far behind him, but he was not immune to feeling appreciative of the clamor celebrating his arrival.

Making their way through the winding paths of the Valley, they made it to its heart, where several other masters from across China were mingling. She recognized some of them, if only for their reputation, but the rest were strangers to her.

It was no different than the soirees the nobles would have, if only by scale and prestige. A closer look at the crowds showed the heart of the differences. The masters still mingled with the few villagers that made their way to them, the atmosphere less cutthroat. 

The majority of them wore modest hanfu-- which even then was most likely their most extravagant-- left her feeling overdressed with her usual attire of layered silks.

Storming Ox nudged her. “Welcoming committee's here.”

She gave a small huff at that... before having to step out of the way as Po made a beeline towards the master.

“Oh, Master Storming Ox! You’re here!” The panda was bouncing on his heels. “How’s Gongmen City since we brought justice to it? Have you mastered some new techniques? Could we do a training spar?”

“Still there, a little too busy with city affairs for that, and--”

“Po, can you please not do this every time a master arrives.” Trailing behind the panda was Shifu, his brows knitted and fur a little frazzled. He pushed Po back with his peach tree staff. “At least give them a moment to breathe.”

“But-- but--”

“The breathing space would be much appreciated, thank you,” the Soothsayer chimed in.

“Soothsayer!” Po beamed. “What’s been going on with you? Any future omens we should know about?”

She couldn’t help but let out a wry smile at that. “Nothing so dire as that. I should ask the same to you, Grandmaster of All China, Oogway’s Successor, and Dragon Warrior--”

“You really don’t need to--” he winced. “Just Po is fine.”

“Po the Just--”

Even the red panda’s ears jerked up slightly in mild amusement.

“Stop heckling the poor kid,” Storming Ox said.

“In all seriousness, it must be a great honor.” Then, to Shifu she adds: “You must be proud.”

Po falls silent at that, opening and closing one of his hands (with minimal burn scars on his pads, she notes).

“It is a momentous occasion,” Shifu said.

She lets out an understanding hm at that. As much as Oogway’s passing had been a shock to the masters across China, the sudden naming of his successor after years of not addressing it was even more so.

The clamor of the Valley she had been growing used to ever since they arrived suddenly spikes as a loud crash echoed from the other side of the center. The red panda jolts to attention, the fur on the end of tail standing up.

Po looks at the cloud of dust that was kicked up and winces. “Uh, I’ll get a look-see at what happened--”

“No, I will,” Shifu cuts in. “You get the rest of the Five and the pandas to escort the masters to their guest quarters.”

The panda hesitates to refute or insist but nonetheless complies, melting into the crowd to gather the mentioned group. The other master nods once more before doing the same, making his way to the source of the fracas.

A tightness winds the old goat’s guts. Granted, it may come with the nerves at the thought of the pandas being here-- did they not have their own lives to get back to?-- but the pauses between Po and Shifu spoke volumes than what amounted as small talk.

She had been so engrossed by trying to make sense of it that she had nearly missed the approaching figure. Though, it would have been difficult to not pay attention to the only bright spot of hanfu in a sea of soft greens and other earth tones.

“Hello, Gongmen City masters!” a chipper voice rang out. 

It was a bit jarring to come face to face with another panda. With Po, she was too wound up by nerves and grief and a great effort to keep up her veneer of smugness in front of Shen for the fact that it had been thirty years since she’s seen his kind sink in properly.

Now, it seemed that the shock was finally catching up with her.

The panda in question looked about Po’s age, with eyespots that framed her face like makeup. Though, that was on top of the actual makeup that was already there-- a bit of lipstick here, some blush there. With her bright, floral hanfu, it felt like she was glimpsing into another world where the pandas to thrive in Gongmen and managed to break through to afford fineries.

“Master, singular,” the Soothsayer managed to say. “I am simply the soothsayer advisor to the Mater’s Council.”

Storming Ox looked like he was about to object, but the panda took one glimpse at her and her silks and smiled. “My mistake. Love the patterns. Overwhelming, but you make it work.”

“Um, thank... you,” she lodged out of her throat. “And who might you be?”

She puts a hand to her chest in faux-dramatics. “Mei Mei. A pleasure.”

Storming Ox clears his throat, thankfully saving her from this moment. “Um, about those lodgings? We’ve come a long way.”

“Oh, of course, of course!” 

And with that, they were off to yet another part of the Valley-- also newly built. The Soothsayer let the conversation glide over her, only answering once in a while. She should be much more cautious of what she was saying, but seeing so many pandas helping with lodging the masters, or milling around, or playing in one place left her unmoored.

“And... here we are!”

They stopped at one of the newer buildings around the base of the mountain. It was a two-storey building, slightly taller than the older buildings, and with a small balcony that overlooked the river.

“I’m pretty sure this is the place Croc lived at, when he wasn’t up at the Jade Palace doing lessons or helping with repairs,” Mei Mei explained. “So I guess it makes sense!”

Now it was Storming Ox’s turn to feel a bit off-kilter. “Uh-huh...”

“If you need any help, don’t hesitate to ask,” the panda said. “Though maybe not now, since I’m also working the entertainment and-- well-- never mind about that!”

Before the Soothsayer had a chance to ask, Mei Mei was off. Once her trailing hanfu and ribbons were out of view, the both of their shoulders sagged.

“See, what’d I tell you?” the master said. “Fine.”

The old goat swung blindly at his direction, causing him to let out a shocked sort of laugh.

[saygracejude]

are they quick to violence? / when is their birthday? do they like celebrating it? / how bad is their temper? is it a slow boil, or a instant explosion? / what is their biggest fear? do they have any irrational / mundane fears? / what is their most vivid memory from childhood? / do they enjoy having their picture taken? what's their go-to pose? do they like taking photos? what do they take photos of? / what types of presents would they be most happy to receive? are they good at gift giving? / do they have any self destructive tendencies? what habits do they have that hinder them from becoming their best self? / random angst headcanon? / what could their partner do that would absolutely break their heart?

for jude pls thank you

oh boy, here we go

are they quick to violence?

often, yes. he tries not to but he has poor impulse control and will react to things before he can stop to think. usually when he does get violent, jude takes it out on inanimate objects than people. altho sometimes he does slip up and hit people too, every so often he’ll also punch or hit someone’s arm/chest if he’s excited & can be a lil too rough with it. but if someone is being an actual cunt or is being violent first, he has no problem hitting people - especially cos he loves a fight. he’s quicker to go to violence with strangers and people he dislikes where people he cares for, jude will make an attempt not to be violent.

when is their birthday? do they like celebrating it?

okay so i will admit that i had to think about an actual date. and it’s april 3rd! 🥰

also jude shifts between ambivalence to active dislike of celebrating his birthday. he would prefer to act as if it’s any other day because he doesn’t like the fuss & has some shitty bday memories from childhood so it’s not something he’s eager to pay much attention too. but jude doesn’t understand that people who love him want to give him a good birthday so he will celebrate it to keep the peace & ngl, the presents help him deal with it, that part he’s more open to. his preferred way to ‘celebrate’ his bday is to spend time with the ones he loves and spoiling them which jude is very good at coaxing lev & others to let him do.

how bad is their temper? is it a slow boil, or a instant explosion?

oh gosh, jude’s temper is pretty damn bad but it tends to come in peaks and valleys. when it comes to the people jude cares about, he’s usually a slow boil. to the best of his ability. he has a habit of letting his anger out in small ways, occasionally snapping or saying something mean or engaging in minor self destructive habits. every so often, he’ll go through a chaotic or messy phase and it’s usually around then that jude’s temper will finally boil over to start hissing and spitting making a god damn mess all over the stove top & he’ll yell and smash things and hit stuff, sometimes people. has often ended up unintentionally hurting himself in process of boiling over too.

however, when it comes to strangers or people jude actively dislikes, he’s a whole lot quicker to anger & depending on the situation that’s caused his temper, will easily go straight to oppenheimer.

what is their biggest fear? do they have any irrational / mundane fears?

his biggest is probably losing the people he loves in any way, i.e. death, abandonment, he fucked up, etc.

jude’s more mundane fears include losing control/someone trying to control him, the government, police, medical & social care professionals. he has a mild aversion to women he doesn’t know. also dislikes the idea of being in deep, open water and not knowing what’s beneath him but is mostly over it. really, really hates people coming up close behind his back if he can’t hear/see them.

what is their most vivid memory from childhood?

probably getting to hold gideon for the first time. it was the moment jude knew he had a reason to stick around. there are a lot of hazy parts to his childhood but that one is crystal clear.

do they enjoy having their picture taken? what's their go-to pose? do they like taking photos? what do they take photos of?

jude fucking loves having his picture taken and will happily be an absolute clown for the camera! his go-to poses usually involve making dumb and/or overly dramatic face & inappropriate gestures/poses like middle fingers, blowjob hand motion, etc. but he’ll also happily pose to actually look good too, you just gotta ask him nicely 😉

he also loves to take photos tho wouldn’t call it a hobby or something he’s skilled at. he loves to take photos of his family and loved ones (with or without himself in them) when they’re with him, whether it’s hanging out at home or on a special day out. jude is also the type who sends random pictures he’s taken of something he wants to show, which is usually something he knows the person likes; if he sees bugs when he’s out, jude will try to get a picture to show lev. but he’s equally as likely to take a picture of an overturned trash can and send it to his bff dima with just the words “thought of u”.

ALSO, jude has an intense uh, fondness for dirty pictures so he’ll regularly be taking pics of lev 😈

what types of presents would they be most happy to receive? are they good at gift giving?

jude loves presents more if they’re surprises rather than for a specific day and his favourite types of presents are things people have made whether it’s just a simple, small drawing or something bigger and more complex. he’ll also love presents that are activities like a day out or a meal at a restaurant!

he likes to think he’s good at gift giving & tries real hard to get something that will make the receiver smile. he’ll tend to look for things related to his loved one’s special interests or things that remind him of them. jude can go a little overboard with gifts tho cos he gets overly exciting about giving people things but he doesn’t pile on presents at bdays/etc, it’s more like he just impulsively buys shit he sees if he thinks you’ll like it & then just gives it to you.

due to his impulsiveness, lev has a lot of various bug teddies, toys, badges, entomology sets & also several plants.

oh, and jude also loves to buy his partners sex toys because he always gets something out of it. he makes sure he does. 😏

do they have any self destructive tendencies? what habits do they have that hinder them from becoming their best self?

oh god, so many lmfao. jude regularly drinks and smokes, does drugs, gets into fights, hurts himself hitting walls or smashing things. if he’s not doing too great, he’s also much more likely to engage in riskier behaviour & will get himself into all sorts of trouble.

jude has a lot of bad habits; he’s impulsive, chaotic, prone to violence, has mood swings & will regularly fuck things up for himself because of them.

random angst headcanon?

whenever jude has a big blowout fight with lev, the next day he’ll often wake up places he doesn’t know or remember going. regularly that place is the drunk tank 🥰

what could their partner do that would absolutely break their heart?

if lev started acting like he never existed or forgot about him, that’d probably do it…

[liosensei]

"You look totally gorgeous...", Shifu breathed softly, rubbing his nose against Lin's cheek and admiring her elegant golden-hued hanfu in the mirror.

"You aren't bad either, master," the red panda girl giggled, "Let's go."

"MASTER SHIFU! They hung the lanterns, hey, Lin - you look bloody awesome, the flowers are all over the Valley and stuff... me and the guys just thought... maybe..."

"Catch your breath, panda and inform the others you got my permission to go to the village and celebrate," Shifu smiled, and the Dragon Warrior surged towards the door, waltzing.

The Valley of Peace literally shone with an abundance of various shades of lights, mostly scarlet and orange - red pandas observed it while still standing on the Palace's forecourt. A pair of sparkling paper hearts swiftly passed over their heads as they descended the steps to the main square. 🎑

The signs were lavishly decorated with flowers and ribbons, the stalls were full of souvenirs, baked goods and sweets - couples strolling past stopped to pay the clerks and continue their way through the brightly lit streets with their paws entwined, enjoying delicacies. Shifu looked at Lin pointedly, then held out his paw, smiling broadly and she drew her hand through his arm. 🌺

The master's heart was filled with love and warmth as he selected the most beautiful amber mascot for her, and these feelings were multiplied when he saw Po at the next counter, treating confused Tigress, who slightly covered her mouth with her paw from happy timid laughter.

The black late-summer sky lightened with thousands of lanterns, simultaneously rose into the air.

"Isn't it charming?", Lin whispered, when they let go their one.

"It is", Shifu agreed, thinking about the brightest and most wonderful thing of today - it wasn't even a lantern.

"我愛你", he purred, and she raised on her toes to lick the bridge of his nose lovingly.

[luminous-letters]

Just a quick idea I wrote on a whim. I headcanon that Crowley used to serve the military before opening up NRC (and met Lilia along the way)

Where there is war, crows are certain to be found. And that narrative holds true even to Dire Crowley, one of Briar Valley's many jewels of military might, a renowned strategist and general. Many times he's led battalions of fae in the battlefields, be it the scorching waves of the dog days or the below-zero extremes of the frost, he will be there.

For many years he's held his head high, in honor and in power. He was arrogant, he swam in champagne and feasted on praise. It was a vice— fame and glory, he fed on it, he chased it. He was young back then, still new, still learning. He's charged at the human forces with fire in his eyes for the longest time, and he believes that fire won't be dying anytime soon.

The war raged on for hundreds of years, each side was fueled by hatred and grief.

Dire Crowley noticed something. He'd charge with a hundred-thousand soldiers, most of whom he'd drank and celebrated with, only to return with eighty-thousand...sixty-thousand...fifty-thousand... thirty-thousand...twenty-thousand... They've been deployed again and again until their numbers dwindled to mere hundreds.

They've sieged the humans with magic, the same magic that ensured their victory for centuries. But with every battle they come back stronger, armed with more, smarter.

The fae were losing.

Death rained from their skies, in the form of napalm and bullets. The scent of the burning flesh of their kin permeated the country's air, it was sickening. Corpses were left to rot in the streets and alleys, be it human or fae, death was never one to choose. They became each other's bogeymen.

Briar Valley called for a massive military enlistment, anyone who can use magic was immediately placed into the army in hopes of balancing their crippled military.

"Varouge, Lilia." Came Crowley's voice, clad in his usual wartime attire. Like the others, this one was prideful, but he held his own brand of strange. He was chippy in contrast to his hate-driven and gloomy peers. Maybe, just maybe, they had some hope in this person, Crowley thought.

Lilia Vanrouge was boyish, he looked like he barely knew how to wield a wand moreso a blade. But his marks spoke volumes, constant aces across all his subjects— both magical and physical.

Decades turned centuries flew by. Dire Crowley and Lilia Vanrouge, along with their troops continued to march into battle. Soon, bestowed upon him was the title of General, even Lilia Vanrouge grew tired of the carnage and death.

"Vanrouge, how's everyone holding up?" Crowley asked, surveying the camp's setup, making sure that come what may they're prepared to defend themselves. "They're sad." Lilia replied, doing his share of tasks at the fae encampment. Being two of the oldest fae in the force meant they had the most responsibilities.

"I want all of this to come to end." Crowley sighed, picking up one of the shields strewn across the ground. Reflected on the metal was his face, he looked tired and miserable. He looked of death and disease, the sleepless weeks were finally getting to him.

"We've fought for so long, too long that we've forgotten what we were fighting for in the first place." Crowley spoke, despair evident in his voice. "I wish we could all set down our weapons and lead a new start." He sighed. Sheathing a blade, he continued, "But that was just a wish. Something as shallow as that won't bring back out kin."

"You're right, a wish is useless."

"You continue to sit there and wallow, of course nothing will change." Lilia Vanrouge scolded his former captain, "If you truly desire peace then you should be brave enough to fight for it."

"We've seen the life leave their eyes, we've slaughtered their people as much as they did ours." Lilia looked up, admiring the glassy frost crystals that floated down the sky. "If we continue to let anger and grief get the best of us then this war would rage on for millennia to come."

"I plan on opening peace talks with the humans." Lilia played with the snow in his hands like a child, his sunny attitude hasn't tarnished, "The Queen would hear my words." The royal family had faith in Lilia, Crowley hoped that their trust is enough for then to listen.

"I will open a school." Crowley spoke, moved by Lilia's words. He wants peace, in honor of his troops, his kin and the departed, both human and fae. "A school that would be a shelter for those that are different." He continued daydreaming, his resolve was clear.

"Well then, I look forward to that."

Hundred years passed by, human-fae relations were slowly getting better. And Dire Crowley finally retired from the military, no one has heard from him for the past hundred years.

That was until four invitations arrived in Briar Valley's castle. The sender was 'Night Raven College', rumors floated around that only the most skilled of mages could be invited to attend such an academy.

When he read the headmaster's name Lilia chuckled, it took him back to the old days. "It looks like we've succeeded."

[mebssann]

I love your Kung Fu Panda Avatar au it’s so cool you combined my two favourite things together I also have a lot questions too like Po’s avatar form would look so badass I can imagine it still taking the form of a dragon, I can imagine Tigress going through an arc where she learns not to use her Fire bending with just anger and Po helps her with this, Viper being a water bender fits her so well with her especially her using blood bending remember the bridge scene in the first movie when they were fighting Tai Lung, Viper went on him and kept making him hit himself so I like to imagine in that said scene she was using blood bending.

At first I was wondering where Jade Palace would take place and then I realised it would obviously be in the Earth Kingdom, Since Lord Shen is from the fire nation it’s makes so much sense his family ended up making the first fireworks also Lord Shen gave me nightmares as kid cause how scary and intimidating he his and him being a non bender makes him even more terrifying.

Remember in the third movie when the pandas were the creators and masters of chi how about in this au its actually called Chi bending and it pretty much has the exact same abilities in the movie where not only can it heal others (probably even stronger and faster than a water benders healing) but it can also grow and heal plants and trees too also Po’s people are called the panda clan and (yes I still want the animal aesthetic to this au I mean already heard Shen’s family are peacock clan so it’s fair and I also find it really cool the nations in this au have animal clans in it) and the reason they call themselves this is because a long time when Po’s people were first becoming a village, they didn’t know any type of bending and they didn’t have any type of crops or nothing to grow food and were practically on the break of starvation until one day a giant panda spirit (and no not the one in avatar lmao) came to them and offered to teach them chi and they agreed and after it taught them chi it immediately disappeared never to be seen again and to thank the panda spirit for helping them they officially named themselves the panda clan and dawned the clothing of it and stories of this said spirit have been passed down from generations to generations (and I wouldn’t be surprised if they made a celebration based around it where they a bunch food together cause food is definitely an important thing to this clan and all of them being big and round us definitely a genetics thing and not because they eat to much) of course over time they’ll forget to know how to use chi and they’ll end up learning it again thanks to Po (also his clan is definitely in the Earth Kingdom).

The stuff I said before may explain why might some people might wear different type of clothing and colours to their nation, either their like Viper where their parents are from two completely different nations or your like Po where your family may be from a unique clan where they wear the the colours of that said clan to represent themselves Like black and white and that’s all I want to say sorry if it’s so long I just really love your au so much and just thought of so many ideas for it keep up the great work.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS, YOUR MIND???? DIFFERENT CLANS??? PANDA CLAN!!! BANGER ADDITIONS!

Tigress learning how to channel her firebending from means other than anger with Po's help is such a neat idea. Also, I'm definitely making Viper into another Ming-hua, her being born without arms and her parents (hc that her mom is an earth kingdom nobility while her dad is a waterbending chief) thinking she can't bend? Then her proceeding to beat up the bandit and save her dad just like in The Secret of the Furious Five!!!

Your points about the panda clan and them inventing anew type of chi bending is soooo good and since they're a unique little village, they wear distinct clothings, i.e. black and white, rather than the typical green attire most EK towns wear.

For the Jade Palace Location/ Valley of Peace, I'm thinking of placing it somewhere near an Air Temple and the earth kingdom. It'll probably a small, yet popular place for benders and non benders from different nations to live in. Kinda like a mini Republic City? This is all because i headcanon mister Ping to be a nonbending fire nation citizen lmao.

[absynthe--minded]

Could I beg something about your “Aragorn’s Upsetting Haircut” headcanon? No pressure of course!!

(this is going to be presented in more than one installment, but I couldn’t resist sharing! a few things: this fic is consistent with the rest of my personal canon, and it draws upon the headcanon that Aragorn and Arwen married by elvish standards upon Cerin Amroth but still consider themselves betrothed by Mannish standards.)

When Arwen came down into the Valley again, the Sun was low in the sky, hovering just above the tops of the Chithaeglir and casting long shadows across the trees and the river below. She could tell, immediately, when she crossed their borders, passing through the wards easily. There was Song here, bound into the rock and the roots of the mountains, curling about her and pulling the weariness from her body. Celeg seemed easier too, slowing from a trot to a walk; she knew he could feel the change just as surely as she did. Come home, the Song whispered, threads of melody pulling her along the path toward the gleaming lights of her home. Come home, and be healed of your pains. 

It would be easy - too easy - to slip the bounds of her body and bone, to cast herself upon the shadows and ride the winds down to her own bedroom window. The thought was tempting, and even more tempting when she considered the ache in her hip that hadn’t ceased since the skirmishes three weeks past had left her with a deep and ugly wound.

Her lord father had sent her out in search of four hobbits and - perhaps - her betrothed, her secret husband, all wandering in the wilds while ulaer pursued them. She was not alone, though she had departed first, weeks before the others. It was foresight that had driven her father to speak with her, and foresight that pushed her to saddle Celeg and leave Imladris under cover of darkness. Glorfindel had been the next to leave, far later, keeping close to the Road, traveling westward and anticipating that the servants of Sauron would not have left it far behind. Last were her brothers, abandoning their errantry, making for what Men called the Angle where Mitheithel and Bruinen met and merged. It had been her lot to travel north, and north she had gone, albeit in a disjointed, somewhat defiant fashion, moving from the Ettenmoors to the North Downs and then at last down to Sarn Ford and the Dúnedain she knew would be there.

Her guess had been that her betrothed, if he was with the hobbits, had met them at that border of the Shire, and had accompanied them up the Greenway to Bree before striking out into the wilderness. None of her travels had given any sign of him, and so it was in frustration and defeat that she had come to the encampment, seeking some tidings that might guide her, and found it in disarray.

Aragorn had been there - days past, departing after a disastrous attack by the ulaer that had left three men dead and four wounded, with Halbarad trying valiantly to maintain order and hold the border. He had left in a great haste, as if fleeing from their enemies, saying only that he was making for Bree. He was followed shortly after by Mithrandir, who had come and gone from the Shire like a grey cloud blown back and forth by a storm. It had been her aim to seek them out, and offer her strength in song and sword against the darkness.

Fate had not been so kind. 

Sarn Ford had been attacked a second time while she was there, the enemies assailing it now flesh and blood. There were still evil Men who dwelt in the North and recalled the name of Angmar, and their blades were as formidable now as they had been in centuries past. Her voice had been needed, the night and the river turning upon the would-be intruders and her ancestress’s blood sparking in her veins to claim the borders, but she was no true soldier for all her skill with a blade, and her body was ruled by the limits of the Incarnates. The fighting had reached her, while she stood thigh-deep in rushing water and twined her words through its echoes of long-ago music, and someone now-dead had plunged a dagger into her hip. The wound would have been fatal if not for Halbarad, who had pulled her back from the thick of the battle and seared it closed with the flat of a pan from the smoldering cooking-fire before she could bleed out. She had not ceased her singing, and her assailant found himself dragged beneath the surface of the Baranduin and drowned. 

Two days were all she could spare, one to recover what strength she might and another to force her legs to obey her will. Halbarad had begged her to stay - what wrath their Chieftain might bring down upon them, he’d said, if his Lady died in the wilds when they might have saved her! But she was Lúthien’s heir, and would not be kept from his side, and no words would hold her in obligation. Celeg, for his part, was uninjured, having been kept from the fighting by his own good sense, and he gladly bore her northward a second time. 

That had been twenty-one days ago, and each day had been fruitless and empty. She searched through the North Downs again, and the Weather Hills, and the Coldfells, growing more and more desperate with each setting Sun. She could feel the ulaer on the move, dreaming of their horses’ hooves thundering over the hard-packed ground of the Road even as she slept, and she could not ignore the fear rising in her like a spike that sought to pierce her heart. Her betrothed was a valiant man, and canny, and careful, but there were terrors that sought him out unlike any he had faced before, and the hobbits were almost certainly inexperienced travelers.

At last, she had been forced to admit defeat. The year was truly turning cold, and her food had been exhausted, and it had been nigh on two mortal months since her departure. She had hoped that whatever tenuous thread bound her to Aragorn would have led her to him, but the world was dark now, shielded by evil mists that clouded her thought and her heart, and the closed wound on her hip had begun to fester beneath its scar. So it was to home she had turned, leaving the fells behind her, coming back down into Imladris from the north. She had not slept in three days, blind almost to all beyond her body.

A fine daughter I am, she thought as Celeg made his way down the ridge, careful and steady. A fine wife, for that matter. But daughters of Lúthien did not pout, and they certainly did not cry from exhaustion. 

The Valley was unusually quiet this afternoon. As always, the Bruinen sang, and the birds welcomed her, but her own folk were strangely absent on the pathways and in the trees. The wards still stood, so she knew there had not been some calamity, and there was no whisper of a siege on the air - it felt almost as if Tarnin Austa had arrived a second time in the same year, and all who dwelt within their borders had come into the house proper to celebrate. 

Or to mourn, she thought, and made a face and refused to dwell on that fear. 

The stables were just as quiet as the rest of Imladris, and she was able to dismount and lead Celeg back to his stall in peace. The great black gelding had borne her without complaint through the long weeks, and yet she could see in his ears and the swish of his tail that he was glad to be home. 

“I know,” she murmured, opening the door and stepping inside, watching him look at her expectantly. “You’ll get a full grooming, I promise.” And then it’s a long bath for me, and a visit to my father regarding my hip. 

“Allow me, my lady,” a second voice said, cutting through the silence. She flinched, shrinking back against her horse for half a heartbeat - it had been days on end since she’d heard another’s voice, and she was suddenly acutely aware of how detached from herself she had become. But she knew that voice, and shock and surprise were quick to take the place of fear.

“Glorfindel?” she asked, peering over the door to see her father’s captain leaning against a post. He was standing in another stall directly across from her, alongside Asfaloth, who was contentedly making short work of some hay. “You - !” Dismay stopped her, silencing her joy. There was only one reason he would have returned after so short a time away - he, too, had failed.

“I?” the ellon asked, raising an eyebrow. “What about me?”

“You didn’t find them,” she said. “You’ve the same tale to tell as I.”

His face grew serious and yet lost none of its joy, and he opened the door to Asfaloth’s stall and stepped out of it, closing the latch behind him. 

“No, my lady,” he told her, eyes shining as he spoke. “I’ve a different tale.” 

“What?” she asked, motionless, unable to look away from him. She could see now that he was dressed for merrymaking and revelry, clad in bright scarlet and deep blue, his tunic gleaming with passing thread and his hair braided through with well-placed gems. “But - I found nothing, and surely I would have known if - !” If he were slain, if he lay dead, if the ulaer claimed him for their number…

“My lady,” Glorfindel said, one hand reaching out and taking her gloved one carefully. “I found him in the hills, and I have brought him home.”

Tears filled her eyes, and she sat down hard, sinking to the floor of the stable as her hip protested and relief flooded every inch of her body.

[shojimezolovemail]

abt my writing 🦇

note: italicized means i prefer writing for it!

sources i will write for \(★ω★)/

⭑ my hero academia (minus overhaul and smut for any minor)

⭑ jujutsu kaisen

⭑ haikyu!!

⭑ marvel cinematic universe (comics are iffy but be very specific in requests and i just might)

⭑ identity v (platonic for memory and robbie)

⭑ danganronpa (platonic for warriors of hope)

⭑ stardew valley

⭑ bungo stray dogs

⭑ demon slayer

⭑ criminal minds (up until season 8)

⭑ supernatural (only really sam, dean and castiel rn)

⭑ harry potter franchise (iffy to write snape though)

⭑ resident evil 8

⭑ most slashers (ask and i’ll let you know!)

⭑ hannibal (nbc)

celebrities i write for \(★ω★)/

jackass crew (hesitant to write for newer cast)

5 seconds of summer (regressing to my wattpad days)

what i will write \(★ω★)/

⭑ smut

⭑ fluff

⭑ angst with happy ending (i choose peace)

⭑ HCs

⭑ blurbs

⭑ one shots

⭑ song prompts

⭑ fix it fics

what i won’t write \(★ω★)/

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⭑ major character death

⭑ graphic s*lf h*rm (it can be mentioned)

⭑ s*cide

⭑ r*pe/non-con (allusions to it are fine tho!)

⭑ graphic violence (i’m just not the best @ it </3)

⭑ minor x adult unless clearly platonic

⭑ real people x real people (minus the instance of a reader obvi)

keep in mind \(★ω★)/

⭑ i’ve written for sources i don’t consume like the walking dead, apex legends and etc so, if you can be specific and tell me about the character, i’m more than happy to write for you :-)

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⭑ be specific with requests! (prompt, pronouns, person, pet names etc etc)

⭑ ^^ if you’re not specific with pronouns, i default to they/them

[arledrone]

Hi I just saw your afterglow Savannah post (it was wonderful). Do you have any headcanons for other nations in twst? Like the land of proxyne or valley of thorns.

Personally, I’m not much interested in the Land of Pyroxene.  It’s basically modern fairy tale Western Europe, mainly France (Vargas based off Gaston, Jack presumably based off the wolves from Beauty and the Beast, Epel’s Harvest Village gives me Normandy vibes), ideally without the intense Islamophobia.  As for Valley of Thorns my headcanons for them aren’t as polished/planned out but I have a sizeable amount of them.

For the record, the Valley of Thorns give me big Unseelie Court vibes, so I use a mix and mash of lore here for them.  That being said I've generally only seen other fans use Fae lore in terms of their edgy yandere headcanons and I'm a huge contradictory bitch that isn't interested in that so there's a bit more nuance here considering the mentions of war and Fae and humans gradually attempting to live in harmony.  So I don't think ALL of VoT is this monolith of typical fae mischief and chaos.

Aspects of that absolutely reflect in the overall culture, you'll definitely have your fair share of troublemakers and smartass tricksters happily giving people grief, but not many fae are going out of their way to forcing themselves upon humans they find pretty or whatever.  Pretty sure if typical fae-to-human assault/kidnapping/rape was a widespread typical VoT thing there'd still be a massive amount of people out for fae blood, I sure would be <3

tl;dr I’m not interested in going all-out and literal with the Unseelie Court lore tying into VoT’s culture so I’m cherry-picking for my own enjoyment.

Smaller than the Rose Kingdom, the Valley of Thorns has a modest population consisting mostly of Fae.  There are some Beastfolk, but most Beastfolk sort of have a 'sense' that something in VoT doesn't agree with them.  Be it the overall isolationist nature of its society or the expectancy to tread carefully with the Fae, the Beastfolk that do live there tend to have close friends or partners they're involved with.  The bizarre passage of time within the Valley of Thorns is also very off-putting to most outsiders, since most of its communities have different perceptions of time.

 The humans living there more often than not find themselves isolated from Fae neighbours if not with a partner; but, coincidentally or not, most of the humans drawn to Valley of Thorns end up being magicaless.

You're more likely to get told that the pretty fairy pond nearby will give you immortality only to dive in and realise there's like.  A pack of crocodiles that you're JUST out of sight of than a Fae tricking you into eating fancy fairy food that imprisons you as their slave than anything.  The days of Valley of Thorns nightly troop rounds aren't necessarily over, but they're few and far between and not as drastic in nature.  You can find strong influence of the troops of the past in their Halloween and other national holiday celebrations.

 The big troublemakers in VoT make a lot of spectacle and many of the land's residents find them to be noisy, unrefined, and more trouble than they're worth.  The Valley of Thorns is a place seemingly devoid of meaningful passages of time, with its magic-centred ways and general lack of modern technology, but to a degree many are well-aware of changing social norms, regardless of agreeing or disagreeing with those changes. 

As Silver and Sebek are the only people in their generation, much of Valley of Thorns are set in their ways when it comes to traditions and expectations.  However there are plenty of Fae open to change, having loved long enough to understand it is inevitable.  Newborns are rare - the Fae live so long that it isn’t necessary for them to reproduce often, and family relations are practically eternal.  In modern times aiming for peace and cooperation with humans, you won’t find anyone enslaving human women to birth or care for Fae children unless it’s a particularly fucked up individual.

While it's not rare to hear about a Fae's mischievous or even malicious pranks, these stem from centuries-old legends, and the infamous pranksters and trouble-making troops of old have either mellowed out or disbanded to do as they please unnoticed.  It's not something most modern Fae engage in (they'd rather limit their interaction with humans overall), or publicly boast about if they do get into some hijinks.  It's common for older Fae, their past transgressions behind them, to spin a tale or two about their escapades, and some just love to embellish the truth. 

 The sentiment of not giving the Fae your name holds some truth, but this requires advanced magic most average and common Fae have no experience nor knowledge in.  It's an exceptionally powerful spell, and most specifically a curse that's discouraged and rare, but that doesn't mean certain types of Fae don't know it.  Using it is a whole different matter, and anyone capable of using it tends to be powerful enough that they wouldn't even consider a mortal as a worthy or useful pawn.

 The Fae of Valley of Thorns are a prideful bunch.  The older Fae may bide their time in retaliating, whilst younger Fae generally retaliate almost immediately.  

Seriously, the Fae of Valley of Thorns have a reputation for a reason.  While not all, are petty, the stronger the Fae, the more likely they expect and demand respect.  Be it due to power, lineage, or both, disrespect is intolerable and can have drastic consequences, especially if they believe they can get away with it.  Even Fae with calm demeanours like Lilia can have a terribly petty, spiteful side - you really do not want to carelessly quip with the Fae if they do not know you well nor hold you in positive regard m. Close-knit relationships are important to Fae, and if you stand outside their circles, it's best to understand your place with them.

Also if a Fae holds you in high regard or expects a certain amount of respect from you, even in today’s age just.  Don’t.  Forget or neglect to invite them to your major celebrations.  It’s an easy way to piss them off and make them create distance from you, be it abruptly or gradually if the transgression isn’t addressed.

While protective and doting on partners, some types of Fae have more possessive and jealous tendencies than others, thus remain close-knit with their own trusted kind rather than mingling with other types of Fae they’re not closely associated or cooperate with.

Families, close friends, and loved ones have the highest regard for one another.  These are protective and social circles ranging from exciteable and expressive, to simply being comfortable with each other's company in silence.  Valley of Thorns consist of an ‘exclusive’ bunch, which made it all the more necessary and important for Malleus and his two guards to socialise outside a society that looks down on humans, and contributes to Lilia’s enjoyment of traveling and his overall experience with war and humans.

The Fae in the Valley of Thorns are generally some variation of 'dark' Fae, plus their allegiance to Malleus' grandmother, lead their overall aesthetic to dark clothing, so they don't often utilise the extravagant glamour of other types of Fae.  There is, however, a widespread consensus that Far of the Valley of Thorns have an ethereal, elegant allure to them, much like the Witch of Thorns of the Great Seven.

The Valley of Thorns leans toward a colder climate, and alongside its numerous cliffs and mountains, seldom any impressive, colourful flora.  The trees, if not the sturdy, coniferous sort, always seem in a state of perpetual autumn.  As soon as leaves grow, they flutter away.  Residential areas have the least drastic effects of its general climate, some areas even sharing the whimsy of typical fairy gardens.  However, the closer to the royal territories of the Draconias, the colder and thinner the air gets.

 Interestingly enough, while most its residents value their Queen, there are Fae not particularly aligned with 'dark' or 'light' Fae that prefer to stay in the Valley of Thorns.  These Fae tend to be more solitary than their neighbours, enjoying a quiet or secretive life without allegiance.  So long as they don't bother anyone and remain amicable, their 'courtless' nature gets overlooked.

No matter where you go, elemental fairies travel.  However the Fae of VoT tend to not notice their presence nor communicate with them, either being unable to due to language barriers of their smaller sizes or simple disinterest.  Indeed, even amongst other Fae, some types are more highly regarded than others, and despite their importance to nature and climate, your average elemental fairy isn't going to enjoy a stroll through the VoT, so the ones residing there have a tougher demeanour, and are especially distrustful of outsiders.

While iron isn't actually toxic to them, being a long-standing stereotype, there exists instances of Fae receiving iron-based objects out of animosity, by their rivals or humans.  Because of its negative connotations, iron is a rare occurrence in the land's structures. 

 Much like many Fae, those of VoT enjoy their fair share of sweet milk and bread, however actually cooking and baking have always been cast aside for letting magic spells do the work.

Having more than one partner is the norm for some, and can be an ectebsivyor spontaneous process depending on the parties involved.  Most of the time, if someone close to a Fae shows interest in their partner, they may try to work something out between all of them.  Of this occurs with all Fae, another's courtship may go without much fanfare or fuss, butit when involving non-Fae the topic gets brought up rather explicitly and bluntly, and to some even shamelessly.  As the Fae are simultaneously proud and devoted creatures, rejections often result in them having nothing to do with the uninterested party (without retaliation out of respect for their Fae friend), or simply moving on, being too proud to persist (but man they're obnoxious about finally getting their own partner).

This tends to be one of the more touchy subjects for non-Fae to possibly confront, but ultimately, Fae-human relationships are still looked down upon and discouraged, so occurrences are exceedingly rare, and most Fae interested in non-Fae are very devoted to their partners given the drastic detour from the Valley of Thorns' customs.

Being half-Fae, and moreover half-human, comes with its difficulties.  The Valley of Thorns has a strong, well-maintained educational system, but someone like Sebek or Silver, outside their circumstances of being directly associated with the Draconias, are going to get some side-eyes and harsh comments.  For the very small, few outside of Sebek that have been born in the past, they mostly cling to their Fae values more than anything.  Being raised in VoT, human traditions, even after being with a human parent for all their life, may seem foreign or disconnected with what’s expected of everyone.

[arofili]

elves of arda ✹ gondolindrim ✹ headcanon disclaimer ✹ @gondolinweek

          Turukáno Núrondil was the second son of Ñolofinwë Arakáno, and the King of Ondolindë. On the treacherous journey across the Helcaraxë, Turukáno lost his wife Elenwë to the icy depths, a traumatic experience that altered his fate forever. He was always a serious and fastidious nér, and in Beleriand his character grew even grimmer. He kept his daughter Itarillë close by, quarrelled with his elder brother Findekáno over whether to forgive the Sons of Fëanáro, and soon realized that what he wanted was to never have left the gleaming city of Tirion-upon-Túna.           But there was no turning back time, and Turukáno had no recourse to return to Valinórë either. Instead he set his mind to the creation of a new city, safe and hidden, where he would have total control over his life and his loved ones would never be in any danger.           First Turukáno settled in the land of Nevrast on the western coast, where he built the city of Vinyamar and spent much time looking out over the Sea, missing the life he used to have. Yet he was not idle: with him in Vinyamar were his cousin Laurefindil, a charismatic lord with a faithful retinue of warriors, and the harpist Nandáro who led a small group of farmers and musicians. In Nevrast, the Noldor mingled with those who dwelt there already, and Turukáno allied with Galdor, a lord of the native Sindar.           At the Mereth Aderthad, Turukáno broke bread with many lords of the Noldor and the Sindar, forming alliances and making many great speeches. He kept his plans for his hidden city vague, but promised safety and sustenance to those who would ally themselves with him. Not long after the Feast of Reuniting, Turukáno recruited the archivist and architect Penlod, a friend of his sister, to aid him in preliminary designs of a city resembling Tirion of old.          His daughter Itarillë grew ever more restless under his stern watch, eventually culminating in her secret departure to visit her uncle Fingon in Dor-lómin without her father’s leave. Turukáno dramatically lost his temper when he discovered what had happened, and his close friend and cousin Finrod decided he needed some time away from home to come to terms with his losses and fears.           Thus Finrod invited Turukáno to adventure with him across Beleriand. They spent a year together, wandering alone through hills and valleys, and Turukáno finally let his repressed emotions spill out. Finrod comforted and supported him, hiding his secret affections for his cousin all the while—at least until his own resolve broke as they spent a night together on the banks of the river Sirion.           The passions Turukáno and Findaráto exchanged beneath the summer stars were not to blossom into anything lasting, for that very night both were visited by Ulmo in their dreams. The Lord of Waters imparted visions of hidden kingdoms to them both, urging them to pursue their goals, but each thought they were the only one to receive the calling. Their minds were muddled when they woke, the night before hazy and indistinct, and clinging to their secrets neither Finrod nor Turukáno spoke to one another of either their dreams or their half-remembered confessions of passion.           Turukáno spent much time alone searching for the place Ulmo had shown him in his dreams, at last discovering the hidden valley of Tumladen. There, he knew, his people could be safe, and he immediately began to call upon the friends and allies he had made through fifty years of politicking to aid him in constructing a new kingdom.           In the one hundred and seventeenth year of the Sun, the city of Ondolindë was at last completed. Around him Turukáno gathered the greatest lords in his service, establishing ten noble Houses, with himself and his household as the eleventh. Thousands of Eldar, Noldor and Sindar both, quietly made their way to the gates of Ondolindë, but only one hundred were counted as part of the House of the King.           Among the folk of the King were the Unbegotten brothers Bruithwir and Finrun, serving as Turukáno’s personal bodyguard. They were grim folk, alike to their King in mood; they knew well the dangers of Middle-earth, for both had perished on the perils of the Great Journey and had been reborn in Aman. They served as guides to the exiled Noldor who had never before seen the far shores, and attached themselves to Turukáno, the prince they believed best knew how to endure the horrors of Morgoth.           A hundred years after Ondolindë was completed and its gates shut to the outside world, Turukáno completed his greatest creative project: artistic recreations of the Two Trees of Valinor, wrought in silver and in gold. He called them Lingancal and Valisil, known to his Sindarin-speaking subjects as Glingal and Belthil, and looked upon them with great pride.           Yet the day of their unveiling in the King’s Square, Turukáno’s counselor the prophet Amnon was gripped with a dreadful foresight. She prophesied that though they dwelt in a mighty and beautiful city, “great is the Fall of Gondolin, for when the lily of the valley withers then shall Turgon fade.” Already, Ondolindë had gained a number of praising names, including Lothengriol or Endillos, the Flower of the Vale, and the golden blossoms of Lingancal resembled the bloom of a lily. Though Amnon’s words unsettled him, Turukáno dismissed her warning and took heart in the artificial nature of his creation—for how could a lily of gold wilt?           Another hundred years passed in peace before trouble stirred in the valley of Tumladen. King Turukáno’s sister Aredhel Ar-Feiniel, Lady of the Tower of Snow, had come with him to Ondolindë for the sake of her friends and kin, but now she grew restless within the confines of the Echoriath and its surroundings. Though Turukáno was reluctant to let her leave, she refused to be kept caged any longer; Turukáno, knowing she would depart whether or not he permitted it, sent with her an escort of his three most valiant Lords and begged her to head straightaway the home of Fingon their brother.           But Aredhel went not to Dor-lómin as she had been instructed, instead turning toward Himlad where her friends Celegorm and Curufin dwelt. Along the way she was lost in the treacherous forest of Nan Dungortheb, and try though they might, her escort could not find her. They returned to Gondolin in sorrow, and Turukáno retreated into grief once more. Eventually he granted permanent leadership of his sister’s House to her friend Penlod, who had taken stewardship of her folk upon her departure, and all of Gondolin mourned her as dead.           Thus great was their surprise and joy when Aredhel returned unlooked-for—and with a son! For a day there was feasting and merriment, welcoming the indomitable Lady of the Tower of Snow back home, but soon the celebrations were cut short upon the arrival of Aredhel’s wicked husband Eöl, who when faced with the King’s decree that he may not leave Gondolin, slew his wife and was slain in turn.           Upon this great tragedy, Aredhel’s son Maeglin was left orphaned, and Turukáno took him under his wing. Maeglin was odd and reclusive, and Turukáno had never been the most emotionally intelligent nér, so while they performed an awkward familial act they were never as close as Turukáno wished. Upon Maeglin’s coming of age, Turukáno named him the Lord of the new House of the Mole in an attempt to show his love for his nephew.           When the Siege of Angband was finally broken, Turukáno did not send forth any aid to his kin outside Ondolindë’s walls. He did, however, send a select few mariners out to sea so they might beg the aid of the Valar, but none ever returned. Then came the fall of High King Fingolfin in single combat with Morgoth himself; his body was recovered by the mighty Eagle Thorondor and delivered to Ondolindë, where Turukáno grieved and built him a cairn. At this time Turukáno added to the emblem of his House a scarlet heart, representing the loss of his beloved father, before the symbols of the Sun and Moon.           Two years later, Thorondor delivered Turukáno another gift, this one more pleasant: he rescued the Mannish children Húrin and Huor and brought them to Gondolin, where never before had Men been seen. Turukáno grew fond of the boys, and at Húrin’s insistence he finally sent word to his brother that Aredhel had died, breaking his utter isolation for the first time. He was sorrowful to see the lads go when they returned to their homelands in Dor-lómin, his brother’s domain, and remembered them when word came to Gondolin a decade later of the formation of the Union of Maedhros.            Unlooked for, Turukáno led an army ten thousand strong to reinforce High King Fingon at the Fifth Battle. Gondolin’s sudden appearance turned the tide of the dreadful battle for a time, but in the end the Union was overrun and Fingon slain only days after he and Turukáno had reunited for the first time in over 300 years. The House of Hador, led by the now full-grown Húrin and Huor, defended the retreat of the Gondolindrim; in their final meeting, Huor urged Turukáno to escape and prophesied that from him and the King “a new star shall arise.”           Turukáno returned to Ondolindë amid great sorrow, having lost many soldiers including his faithful bodyguard Bruithwir, and assumed the title of High King of the Noldor in the wake of his brother’s death. The free-peoples of Beleriand were defeated in all but the three hidden strongholds of the elves—Doriath, Nargothrond, and Gondolin itself—and he saw himself as the last great leader of his people. Despite this, other Noldor yet lived outside his jurisdiction, and Turukáno’s new title did not extend his duties any further than the walls of his city, now more isolated than ever.           More mariners were sent begging aid from the Valar—and though none made it to the Blessed Land, this time one, Voronwë, survived, returning to Gondolin with a Man sent to the King with a prophecy from Ulmo. Turukáno was counseled to open the gates of his city and prepare for battle or else face the destruction of his people and city, yet Turukáno could not see any path to victory in open war and trusted rather in his own counsel and that of his nephew Maeglin.           Ulmo’s messenger was none other than Tuor son of Huor, and in memory of his friend Turukáno gave him leave to stay in Ondolindë. His daughter Idril was charmed by the Man, and in the course of a few years they asked for permission to wed. Turukáno hesitated at first, but recalled the last words of Huor and was moved to agree. Tuor and Idril were wed amid great joy, and he joined his wife as the leader of her House of the Wing; in only a year’s time, their son Eärendil was born.           But Ulmo’s warning soon proved true, for when Eärendil was only seven years old the golden lilies of Glingal were found tarnished and dented. Amnon urged her King to take heed of the obvious sign from the Valar and the fulfillment of her prophecy, but once more Turukáno refused to listen. This would prove disastrous, as on the morn of Tarnin Austa the armies of Morgoth attacked Gondolin and its great Fall began. Most of Turukáno’s Lords urged him to abandon the city, but Maeglin, who had for a year been acting fell and strange, convinced him to remain in an attempt to hold the city.           For much of the awful battle, Turukáno kept his House in reserve, but when Gothmog, Lord of Balrogs was slain he came down from his tower in all his splendour to cleanse the Square of the King. They drove back the enemy monsters for a time, but many of his folk were slain. The remaining folk gathered beneath Glingal and Bansil, slowly melting from the heat of dragonfire, and Turukáno at last saw that he had brought ruin upon his city. Now at last he recognized the truth in Amnon’s words, lamenting in an echo of her prophecy, “Great is the fall of Gondolin!” But Amnon did not live to see her King’s remorse, for she had perished in the battle.           Too late, Turukáno ordered the remainder of his people to flee through Idril’s secret way, though many had already begun the march. He threw down his crown and proclaimed that though all were free to leave, he would stay and fall with it. Galdor of the Tree attempted to return to him his crown, and Tuor and Idril thrice begged him to escape with them, but Turukáno refused and instead ascended to the height of the Tower of the King and cried out a challenge to the Enemy. He was assailed by dragons and Balrogs, fighting them off with his mighty blade Glamdring, until all his guard perished, Finrun defending him to the last, and the tower was felled by the might of many dragons, its weight and their flame killing Turukáno at last.           In time all those who were slain in Gondolin’s fall would be reborn in Aman, even twice-slain Bruithwir and Finrun and war-wearied Amnon. Turukáno’s return would come in time for him to visit Númenórë, the kingdom of his Elros his great-grandson, and he would be reunited with Elenwë his wife and Itarillë his daughter and even Tuor the Blessed, granted clemency by the Valar—and also his dear friend Findaráto, with whom he could now at last find new love amid the restoration of the old.

[marcoriccii]

steven yeun & he/him/ demi-man ‷ watch out , jay seong has crash-landed into roswell !! they look 34 years old and celebrate their birthday on july 10th . they are from busan, south korea, reside in jupiter valley and are currently working as a yoga instructor at satellite sports complex. one thing you should know about them is he was in a toothpaste commercial when he was a kid and for years had people singing the jingle at him ”

Name: Jay Seong (born Seong Jae-eun (Korean: 成재은)) Nicknames: None Age: Thirty-four Date of birth: 10th July 1987 Birth place: Busan, South Korea Occupation: Yoga Instructor @ Satellite Sports Complex Romantic/sexual orientation: Heteromantic/heterosexual

ABOUT.

tw: cancer

Born in Busan, South Korea, as Seong Jae-eun (Korean: 成재은),  but moved to Chicago when he was young, his father getting remarried not too long afterwards and as such, he gained two step-siblings on his now step-mothers side.

He became a total drama geek, he was in every school production and constantly taking part in talent shows, as well as heading into the city to attend auditions. It was a passion all of his own, yet he kept at it.

Spent years trying to follow his dream but didn’t manage much other than a toothpaste commercial and a multitude of extra work. (But he was totally that kid from that toothpaste commercial. You know the one, the one with the annoying jingle that everybody always sung when your character was only a kid themselves… yeah, that one). The final nail in the coffin came when he lost out on an audition to one of his best friends who’d only tagged along for a joke.

Decided to try and make it on Broadway instead when he was around 20 and moved to NYC on a whim with barely anything to survive on. He got nowhere and instead worked multiple jobs at coffee shops, diners, etc. Took a long stint at TGI’s in Times Square and kind of lived for interacting with the customers.

Eventually got a job as a city bus tour guide, which apparently he was great at, and also met his soon to be wife.

They launched a family YouTube channel through the channel she already had, along with their two kids Dea and Xavier, and it soon became pretty big, amassing around 2 million subs in the end. Think something like Sacconejolly’s (I’m British, they’re really the only YouTube family I know well and adore lol).

Then Jay got diagnosed with testicular cancer, he pushed the whole family away (those in NYC and back home) and dealt with it himself, going into remission a little over a year later following surgery and chemo. He left the channel to his wife and abandoned it entirely himself, he no longer had any interest. 

Went on a trip to where he was born not long after this (getting to know his mother’s side of the family). He spent time discovering himself, he embraced Buddhism and explored the fact he had some days where he didn’t feel 100% male. That’s when he started to identify as a demiguy. It may have been late in life, but he finally felt at peace.

Got divorced from his wife upon his return, even though they definitely still love one another, and then moved over to Roswell where his family had relocated to. After six months or so he began to share his experiences online through a new blog, although chose instead to train as a yoga teacher for his main profession.

He’s been running classes at the sports complex for the last year or so. 

HEADCANONS.

Can be petty as hell, but is a total goofball and spends his life “playing up to the camera”.

His girls talked him into a buying a dog the last time they visited. He’s named Newt. Jay still has no idea why.

Likes to think he’s mega close to his step-siblings, but still isn’t entirely sure they feel the same way.

WANTED CONNECTIONS.

Step-siblings.

Ex-wife.

Cousins on his mothers side.

Best friend.

Ex best friend from home.

Close friends.

High school ex.

Ex since arriving in Roswell.

Work colleagues from NYC (TGI’s, etc.).

Neighbours in Jupiter Valley.

Fellow parents (kids are 6 & 8).

People who attend his yoga class.

Fans of the old family YouTube channel.

Hook-ups (NYC before he met his wife or Roswell).

First failed dates (2019+).

Drinking buddies.

Work out buddies.

[vezely-a]

The Fall of the Balchoth

Disclaimer: This is a mixture of canon, merp/extended Arda/non-canon, and headcanon. Links to various sources provided for my reference.

This is also Chapter 2 of Vezely’s narrative. Chapter 1 can be found here.

The “Balchoth” that invaded Calenardhon in the T.A. 2510 is a Sindarin misnomer of the Pult or Pultai, a vast collection of tribes that began to coalesce into a confederation in Rhúnic lands around T.A. 2370. The forerunners of this peaceful though sometimes forceful assimilation were the Magriags, long-time followers of the Necromancer at Dol Guldur, who they declared as their war-god, Maladûm. The Magriags’ priests were instrumental in discrediting other worshipped deities and helped convince the tribes to follow their god’s orders and march westward. Vezely was adopted into a tribe of Magriag descent in T.A. 2460.

The Westlands falsely assume that the Pultai were completely destroyed during the Battle of the Field of Celebrant (T.A. 2510) with the arrival of Eorl and the Éothéod who rode in aid at the request of Cirion, Gondor’s steward. This loss instead meant the Pultai never regained former dominance. The resulting power vacuum, with several tribes weakened or obliterated, gave rise to intermittent periods of civil war among descendants.

Several significant cultural and political changes also took place during these years. Traditionally nomadic tribes began to transition into semi-nomadism and later formed settlements in fertile valleys. By T.A. 2766, three successor realms formed: Rostamush on the Eastern borders of Mirkwood, Narimanush in Dor Rhúnen, and Bozorganush surrounding the Sea of Rhûn. [map for reference] Vezely was of the Narimanush, living in the former Pultai capital of Kravod. The Narimanush remained most loyal to Maladûm, and they were also the Easterlings who led the assault on Aldburg in T.A. 2545. The Battle of the Wold resulted in the slaying of Eorl the Young, the first king of Rohan. I non-canonically place Vezely as Eorl’s slayer.

The Rise of the Golden Army

At the same time, a new power began to take shape in Bozorganush around the Bay of Mistrand. The “people of the bay” represented a very different amalgamation of Easterlings than elsewhere. This small region off the inland sea stood at the center of trade in Rhûn, and one whose leaders too often controlled the merchants and their markets. A leader called Bountîg, a former servant and a betrayer of the Blue Wizard Alatar began to spread the sect of the Lôke-Egleria; a cult of dragon-worshippers. Bountîg was an audacious ruler, always wearing a golden mask and claiming himself a god of men. His influence soon propelled him to becoming the first Lôke-Kan/Dragon-Ruler of a grand dynasty that stood well into the fourth age and would play a role as Sauron’s Golden Army during the war. It was not long until the power of the Lôke-Egleria also expanded into Narimanush, where Vezely’s tribe sat. Two routes were presented to the weaker state: either peaceful annexation or face war.

A relevant side note on tribal politics: the principal head of the Pultai and their successor realms was the “Bom,” an elder presiding over a council of patriarchs. Two patriarchs from each tribe were chosen for the council. When reaching “elder” status, Vezely was elected and remained as one of the two patriarchs residing on the council from her tribe even though she is female. This was allowed because at a young age she was deemed agender. Due to the taboo of miscegenation, priests deemed the elf child unmarriageable, unclean, and unfit for childrearing. Never to fulfill traditional female gender roles, she was categorized as other. Her race forbid her from ascending to Bom, but as a steadfast council member she remained influential.

Vezely was an upholder of the old ways. She saw the cultural and political transitions taking place among the Pultai’s descendants and the worship to a god-posing man a disgrace. To her, absorption felt as the final death of her people, and she vehemently rallied against it. At one council where Bountîg was in attendance, she called out his mortality to his golden face and reminded fellow members of her own longevity. A mistake to do to one whose authority was enough to sway her tribe against her.

Betrayal and Departure to Mordor

This was not a request for her to leave, but rather a request for her execution. Bountîg was no fool, and knew it was dangerous to leave a viper in his mist. There were enough tribal members seeking a rupture from the past (which Vezely represented) to assure this task was done. Case in point was Öldür, Vezely’s co-council member. The two agreed on little and were constantly in conflict. Bountîg found in Öldür an easy ally to sway into betrayal, since the man had much to gain power-wise by Vezely’s absence.

The brutality of this coup against Vezely and other loyalists cannot be understated. However, it was taken care of discretely. During the night in question, Vezely and other council members were poisoned by Öldür during a banquet. They were brutally beaten and defiled before being dragged out into the arid wastelands away from public view to be executed. Executions were crucifixion-style which consisted of binding individuals on crosses and taking a mallet to both their legs. Öldür also cut off Vezely’s ear as plunder for Bountîg in hopes of further gaining favor. While others quickly perished, Vezely’s suffering persisted.

She was not without allies, however. Aware of this deposition, several priestesses of a sect of the Cult of Sarshen Meltek (worshippers of Maladûm) rescued her days later and nursed her back to health. After months of recovery, along with a willed acceptance of her people’s final destruction that came not at the Battle of the Field of Celebrant but at the hands of Bountîg and the Lôke-Egleria, she departed south to Mordor. There she would seek servitude to the one who still held her loyalty. The year was T.A. 2780. Vezely was approximately 220 years old.

Sidenote: The continued losses of her people, civil wars, the execution, etc. darkened Vezely’s heart and turned her into a perfect instrument of violence for Mordor. A few years later she would return to Kravod and seek vengeance on Öldür, murdering him and his family. If there was a point of no return, she passed it. 

[unendingcompassion]

Headcanon Dump!

Nea has written her own song! Entitled ‘Daisies in the Wind’, the lyrics are upbeat, but it’s sang in a soft, almost melancholic tone. A followup song, ‘Flower Valley’, is much more cheery and full of energy! The latter is a cheery song about her love for her friends. 

Nea is a casual gamer! She won’t play shooters, or any game with excessive violence, but she is rather fond of Spyro.

Nea was once convinced to play Portal - she was very guilty afterwards and cried quite a bit during the credits. She refused to play the second game.

Nea has played ‘Getting Over It’ to completion. Being a very patient & humble individual, she actually enjoyed it, and drew no frustration from it. Rather, she had a lot of laughs, and thoroughly enjoyed the game!

Although Nea plays Minecraft, she only plays it on peaceful - she feels guilty about killing the monsters. Even still, most of her time on the game is spent making beautiful flower gardens, or decorating homes she’s built.

Nea is a very festive person and thoroughly enjoys celebrating holidays! Though she spends Thanksgiving alone with her cousin, both of them being orphans, she’s much more active during other holidays, often grabbing anyone who’ll tag along to go caroling on Christmas!

Despite being a firm believer in the notion that no one should be alone on Christmas, Nea is, in fact, often alone on Christmas. More specifically, Christmas Day. She spends time with others on Christmas Eve and will go caroling, but on Christmas Day, knowing most are spending time with their families, something she lacks, she determines it’s best not to bother them, and keeps to herself. Christmas Day is normally spent alone, under a blanket with a mug of hot cocoa, reading.

In her main ‘verse, Nea is part of a close-knit group of friends! This group includes Nora Cooper, Fred Cooper, Haru Umeki, Miko Shinobu, Morgan Wright, and Flora Hendrickson. Nea isn’t quite as close to the others as she is to Haru, a childhood friend, but she will often bring them up in conversation - though much of the time it’s to reference one of Nora’s stunts.

Nea met Haru when she was 11 years old, whilst visiting her father’s grave. He invited her along to walk home with him, and they’ve been close friends ever since.

In her main ‘verse, Nea cannot speak any language other than English. She knows a select few terms in Japanese, though this is largely because of Haru. However, in her Danganronpa ‘verse, Nea is fluent in Japanese.

Nea’s hair is important to her. This isn’t to say she won’t allow anyone to braid or play with her hair - but if someone tries to force her to change her hairstyle or dye her hair, such as an overly strict school, they won’t get such a kind response from Nea. Her hairstyle is one her father suggested to her before his death and she refuses to change it.

Nea is a fan of Professor Layton and Phoenix Wright - two of her favorite series!

Nea carries a small dolphin plush with her everywhere she goes. She doesn’t allow anyone to take it from her; if it leaves her side, she may have a panic attack. This plush was the final gift she ever received from her father, given to her on her 8th birthday, when her father was on his deathbed. He died within minutes of giving it to her. She takes extremely good care of it, so even despite traveling with her every day, it still looks as good as new. She named it Theo, after her father - Theodore Withers.

In her Bleach ‘verse, Nea is much more serious & alert, though still naive. She doesn’t subscribe to the prideful attitude of the quincy, looking down on others & fighting soul reapers. She wants to help the shinigami if she can; Nea hopes to someday get hold of a zanpakuto of her own, knowing her arrows kill instead of purifying the hollows she fights. She’s not very well-versed in the lore of shinigami, however, and thusly isn’t sure if she can even wield a zanpakuto.

Nea owns a jet-ski, though she rarely gets to use it. It sits unused in a storage shed by her father’s home.

Theodore left his home, and all belongings within, to Nea - unfortunately, she was only 8 years old and could not live there by herself, so it became a problem. The house, in time, was left alone - Theodore had fully paid it off and had full ownership, so the bank couldn’t take it. Occasional checkups are made to keep the home from falling into disrepair, but it sits empty, gathering dust, until the day when Nea can move back in & support herself.

Nea befriended a murder of crows! When she was 4, she saw an injured crow out in front of the house, and brought it in to her father. They saved it, and Nea personally looked after it whilst it recovered. After releasing it upon its recovery, Nea was often seen with crows perched on her head or shoulders, and would find numerous shiny trinkets and coins left on her windowsill. Nea often leaves food out for them along with shiny little trinkets of her own. The bond has only increased in the years since, and she now effectively has a whole flock of bodyguards, eyes in the sky looking out for her!

[papa-rhys]

New Dawn: Where are they now?

Here are my headcanons for what Hope County folk would be up to in New Dawn (if they all survived). I stuck to main characters (catergory 1 and 2) for this and I didn’t count anyone who died in fc5 canon because there’s 100% no chance they’d be in New Dawn and this is meant to be a “what I expect from X character if they appear in ND” thing. If I missed any important people out, then let me know and I’ll see about adding them in!

Holland Valley

Mary May Fairgrave: Lives in Prosperity, even though she doesn’t enjoy it as she can’t quite shake the thought that John used to live there. She runs a makeshift bar in the kitchen. She tells everyone that it’s because it boosts the morale of the people living there, but really it’s because she misses the connection that the Spread Eagle had to her parents. She grew up behind the bar, so in the first 10 or so years after the bombs fell, when she was kept away from the Spread Eagle, she didn’t feel like herself. Making her own replica of the Spread Eagle in John’s old kitchen makes her feel like she’s a little closer to home.

Jerome Jeffries: In charge of Prosperity. He lead a few people to John’s ranch to look for shelter after they crawled out of their bunkers and as the group has steadily grown in size, they all look to him as the founder/man in charge. He doesn’t like to sit indoors and let people do his bidding though, so if he sends someone out on a supply run or a job, he’ll likely go with them. Otherwise, he feels like a bossy control freak who doesn’t care about his people and just has them running around and working themselves to the bone for him. It makes him feel too much like Joseph and he obviously hates that.

Casey Fixman: Casey still cooks for the people of Prosperity primarily (also sending nice home cooked meals to the Wolf’s Den once a week as a treat for the remaining Whitetails), but he also provides valuable knowledge about combat and the inner workings of human beings. He’s a very knowledgeable guy and Jerome can often be found having hush-hush meetings with him behind the kitchen whenever Jerome needs advice on how to handle a problem.

Nick Rye: Nick looks after the kids of Prosperity. He doesn’t fly much anymore as he’s found happiness in other things, like spending time with his family and looking out for the children that were born into this new world. He finds it incredibly rewarding to give them some kind of normality in the form of reading to them or playing hopscotch with them in the grass – things that he believes all kids should do.

Kim Rye: Kim works with Nick as a duo. Whilst he has fun with the kids, she gives them an education. She teaches them basic things, like reading, writing, maths (the important bits), etc. But she also teaches them basic (and age-appropriate) combat. Among other things, she teaches them how to hold a knife, how to fire a gun, and how to break free if someone grabs them. She loves working with the kids and takes pride in knowing that she’s helping them to stay safe. Nick is also super proud of the work she does and tells her everyday, of course.

Carmina Rye: Much to Kim and Nick’s misery, Carmina is a total brawler and is always desperate to go out on runs with the supply team. She wants to explore the world outside the walls of Prosperity and meet new people, often sneaking out of Prosperity and scaring her parents to death. She gets into trouble with Hudson a lot, mainly for silly teenage pranks or generally causing trouble. She likes Wheaty a whole lot and always finds an excuse to go with the trading team when they deliver things to the Wolf’s Den. She denies that it’s a crush, but it 100% is. Safe to say Nick doesn’t like Wheaty much anymore.

Grace Armstrong: Grace runs an adult combat training program. The kids get basic training from Kim, but once they get to a certain age, they move up to the adult tier, where Grace will give them full training. Including, but not limited to: how to use all types of firearm, how to properly use knives, how to fight without weapons, how to free yourself from restraints, different signals used in combat (and what they mean), and how to stealth kill. She’s basically doing the same job as Jacob, except she does it way better than he ever could.

Joey Hudson: Hudson is still a cop! She’d live in Prosperity and she’d patrol the place and make sure that everyone is getting on okay. She’d handle any arguments and disputes that people had, because even though they’re all on the same side, they’re still bound to fight. So she keeps the peace. She has a shorter fuse these days and has a tendency to get mad at people pretty quickly sometimes, but everyone knows what she went through and they cut her some slack, knowing that she doesn’t mean any harm.

Whitetail Mountains

Tammy Barnes: Tammy lives in the Wolf’s Den and still does the same kind of stuff. She “handles” what’s left of the cultists and still looks after Wheaty (who is now 36 years old and still doesn’t do his own laundry). She’s toned it down with the torture in recent years though, and has more time to do mundane things (like cooking, cleaning, and spending time with Wheaty) which she finds a lot of solace in doing. She also managed to find her true calling – knitting copious amounts of scarfs that Wheaty wouldn’t be caught dead in, although he appreciates the sentiment.

Wheaty: Wheaty now runs what’s left of the Whitetail Militia out of the Wolf’s Den. He went straight to the bunker when the bombs hit and after things had settled, he focused his efforts on rounding up as many of the remaining Whitetails as he could, desperate to hold onto Eli’s legacy. Now he trades with Prosperity and offers the help of his men and women should Prosperity ever need it (and vice-versa). When he’s not swamped with work and making sure his people are safe as they scavenge for supplies, he’s winding down by watching old tapes of Eli’s favourite TV show or home videos of Eli and his family celebrating Christmas or birthdays. He also still enjoys his music; often playing records for Tammy - the same ones that the Deputy collected for him all those years ago.

Hurk Jr: Still resides in Fort Drubman, which he’s built upon and fortified since his dad’s death. He doesn’t really do much outside of shooting at beer bottles and setting off rockets in his backyard, which he claims to have a good reason for beyond “it’s a whole heap of fun, amigo.” He occasionally works as a hired gun, helping out on supply runs for the Whitetail Militia whenever they need someone a little more… “heavy-handed.” In exchange, they give him a fraction of the supplies that were found (which is increased if he sustains an injury on the run). Other than that, he’s all about “kicking back and gettin’ buzzed, man.”

Jess Black: Jess lives in the wilderness, setting up her camp in a different place each night. She makes an effort to stay pretty clear of other people, suspecting that human beings have only gotten more dangerous since the end of the world. Tammy gets in contact with her from time to time, just to make sure she’s okay (after Eli and Dutch died, Tammy took on the responsibility of checking in on Jess), but other than that, Jess rarely has contact with people. She dedicates all of her time to surviving in the wilderness and any spare time that she has is spent on hunting and crafting. I could see her sat in front of a campfire crafting arrows or cooking a rabbit for her dinner. She doesn’t really care for anything else and is more than happy to live a secluded life alone in the forests of Hope County.

Staci Pratt: Pratt needs something calm, easy, and mundane ever since his brains were scrambled by Jacob. He can’t handle stress anymore and isn’t safe enough to be in combat or unsupervised around people. So he assists Casey in the kitchen, cooking food for Prosperity, which he enjoys more than he thought he would. In his spare time, he likes to read – mainly because it helps him to practice focusing his mind. He struggles picking out individual thoughts, often jumbling things together and getting stressed out by it. So reading a book and forcing himself to take time focusing on each individual sentence is really helpful for him. He also enjoys the escapism and seeing characters get happy endings. Other than reading, he likes spending time with friends; especially Hudson, who he feels very connected to after going through similar things.

Henbane River

Earl Whitehorse: He tried to secure the prison after getting out of his bunker, but it was too far gone, so he moved on to Prosperity. For a while, he acted as Sheriff of Prosperity, helping Hudson keep the peace in the ever-growing settlement. But he eventually began thinking of the apocalypse as his second chance. He figured that if he survived the war in Hope County, the Bliss, and then the nukes, then that has to mean something. And he didn’t want to waste his new lease of life on doing the same thing he’d been doing for the previous 30+ years. So now he spends most of his days fishing in the river behind Prosperity, providing fresh (albeit oddly coloured and disproportionate) fish for Casey to cook and providing himself with a taste of the well-deserved retirement that he never got to see.

Tracey Lader: Tracey has a whole lot of anger to share with her enemies (and people in general) so she found her place as a soldier. She acts as one of Jerome’s most trusted lieutenants and is second in command (and sometimes completely in charge, when Jerome isn’t there) of most of the supply run teams that are sent out. She debated going it alone like Jess for a while, but she ultimately likes human contact too much to live like that – no matter how annoying people can be sometimes. She’s pretty busy running the show for Jerome, so she doesn’t get much spare time, but when she does, she spends it in her room, brooding.

Sharky Boshaw: Sharky goes back and forth between locations; sometimes living in Prosperity, and sometimes living in Fort Drubman with Hurk. He still likes fire. A lot. But he contributes a little more to the grouthan he used to, using his “creative genius” (his words) to devise traps for enemies, ideally keeping said enemies as far away from the walls of Prosperity as possible. There’s sharpened branches, there’s tripwires, and most importantly; there’s fire. In his spare time, he messes around with Hurk, getting up to all kinds of trouble and not being inconspicuous in the slightest – much to Jerome’s dismay.

Adelaide Drubman: Adelaide is 83 years old now so it’s a miracle she’s still alive and you best believe she doesn’t let anybody forget it. She’s still rampantly horny, but doesn’t have the energy to keep up with her own needs anymore. So she spends most of her days messing with people around Prosperity; picking on them and getting a kick out of getting adverse reactions from them. She’s quite close with Carmina Rye (unfortunately for Nick and Kim), who keeps her feeling young, and Carmina finds her hilarious. The pair can often be found sat on the front steps of the former ranch, giggling at passers by and enjoying some time away from the destruction and misery.

[silmarillionwritersguild]

Holiday Feast - The final round-up

Happy New Year! Our holiday feast challenge came to an end on January 10. We hope you all had a good start to 2019. Thank you for sticking with us through 2018! We′re looking forward to discussing, enjoying and sharing our excitement for the Legendarium and for Silmarillion fanfiction with you in this new year. In this final round-up, we′re going to give you the answers to the scavenger hunt for the Starter course and celebrate the participants who joined our little feast by reading, commenting, writing stories and meta, or producing fanart and playlists. Thanks for joining us – we hope you enjoyed your meal!

Reading

For the starter course, we gave you a couple of first lines to search. Participants didn′t have to find them all, but discover at least one and read the corresponding chapter (or work). For everyone who didn′t manage to hunt down all of them and is curious, here are the answers:

There was a cold wind blowing off the North Star when they got near the world’s edge, and the chilly spray of the waterfalls splashed over them. ~Roverandom, Chapter 4

In that time were made those things that afterwards were most renowned of all the works of the Elves. ~The Silmarillion, "Of the Silmarils and the Unrest of the Noldor"

’Well, master, we’re in a fix and no mistake,’ said Sam Gamgee. ~The Two Towers, "The Taming of Sméagol"

In the South from sleep | to swift fury / a storm was stirred, | striding northward / over leagues of water | loud with thunder / and roaring rain | it rushed onward. ~The Fall of Arthur, III

Ægidius de Hammo was a man who lived in the midmost parts of the Island of Britain. ~Farmer Giles of Ham

It is said that Beren and Lúthien returned to the northern lands of Middle-earth, and dwelt together for a time as living man and woman; and they took up again their mortal form in Doriath. ~The Silmarillion, "Of the Fifth Battle: Nirnaeth Arnoediad"

In the days of the Dark Kings, when a man could still walk dry-shod from the Rising of the Sun to the Sea of its setting, there lived in the fenced town of his people in the green hills of Agar an old man, by name Hazad Longbeard. ~The Peoples of Middle-earth, "Tal-Elmar"

Grundy, Zdenka, Independence1776, StarSpray and Nienna have let us know that they′ve completed the full Reading menu. Great job! Mysterious_jedi completed the cheese course. Well done!

Commenting

Of course, everybody who commented on at least one of the fanworks created for this challenge took a nibble of the cheese course for this aspect of the menu. Accordingly, Silver Trails, StarSpray, Kimaracretak, Himring, Gabriel, CeeCee, BaileyBoyBee, Dawn Felagund, Oshun and yours truly have already earned a Commenting stamp for this challenge.

Grundy, Zdenka, Independence1776 and Nienna have managed to complete the entire Commenting menu. Again, congratulations! If you, too, have completed one of the Reading or Commenting prompts – or even completed all five courses – and we′ve somehow missed it or you haven′t told us yet, please drop us a comment here or on LJ, send us an ask or mail us at moderator@silmarillionwritersguild.org.

***

We were hoping for a splendid array of responses for our Artwork, Meta and Writing prompts, and you did not disappoint. 38 pieces have been newly created for these aspects of the challenge – a spectacular holiday buffet that we present you now. If you enjoy an author's work, please consider dropping them a comment to let them know!

Artwork

Starter:

Gil-galad with Palantír  by hennethgalad.

"They’re out there." - first line of ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest". (digital art)

Arien/Ilmarë Playlist by Nienna324.

It is a little harder to fit the prompts with fanmixes, but it sort of fits in three ways. One, some of it takes place before or in the beginning of time. Two, it could be thought of as the start of a relationship or at least a few of the songs are. And three, my prompt for this course was "It was a pleasure to burn"-Ray Bradbury. This made me think of Fëanor, but also Arien.

Fish:

Tropical Waters Uinen by Hrymfaxe (watercolour)

Temperate Waters Uinen by Hrymfaxe (watercolour)

Númenor Playlist by Nienna324.

A Youtube playlist for the Art challenge of the Holiday Feast Fish Course.(fanmix)

Main:

Never Fade Away by Nienna324.

A Youtube playlist for the rebellion and exile of the Noldor. (fanmix)

Dessert:

And She Might Know Me Well by Kimaracretak.

This mix is dedicated to Elleth, the one who got me into the world of Tolkien-fandom-on-the-internet in the first place. She requested something with Goldberry femslash, because "eldritch river spirits are always good". A Goldberry/Lady of the Blue Brooch sad eldritch ex-girlfriends mix, set in my AU where the Lady becomes a Black Rider! (fanmix)

Maglor and the Twins Playlist by Nienna324.

A gift for independence1776. (fanmix)

Cheese:

Beren and Lúthien Playlist by Nienna324.

I know Beren and Lúthien were listed for the reading challenge, but as far as "scene that you think they would ham up the most" is concerned this would be it, so I think it fits either way. (fanmix)

Meta

Starter:

A New Day: The Dawn of the Second Age by Grundy.

While the Silmarillion includes the Akallabêth, and an account of the line of Elros is included in the Unfinished Tales, very little is written about the early years of the Second Age. (Part of the Collection "Food for Thought: A Meta Feast")

Fish:

Naming the Sea-Elves by Grundy.

The text is concerned primarily with the Noldor and presents most events from their point of view. Nowhere is this more readily apparent than in the treatment of the third group of elves to undertake the Great Journey – first named as the ‘Teleri’. (Part of the Collection "Food for Thought: A Meta Feast") Main:

Blinded by the Light by Grundy.

If there is one thing that stands out about the Noldor, it is how important light is to them. (Part of the Collection "Food for Thought: A Meta Feast")

Fate and Free Will in Arda by Lyra.

An informal bibliography with tongue-in-cheek commentary.

Dessert:

Sugar in Middle-earth by Grundy.

We don’t have much to base our knowledge on in the First or Second Ages, but The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings give glimpses of the food of late Third Age Middle-earth, including sweet dishes and desserts. (Part of the Collection "Food for Thought: A Meta Feast")

Sweet Speculations by Grundy.

Random headcanon that may or may not be in any way defensible. (Part of the Collection "Food for Thought: A Meta Feast")

Cheese:

What It Says On The Tin by Grundy.

I searched out all mentions of cheese I could find in the books. (Part of the Collection "Food for Thought: A Meta Feast")

Writing

Starter:

Moments of Healing by eris_of_imladris.

Nerdanel receives comfort and healing from an unexpected source.

The season will not wait by quillingmesoftly.

Elwing does paperwork.

All That May Become by Grundy.

After the Sack of Eregion, the situation for the elves is dire. Celeborn's army is on the verge of being caught by Sauron when unexpected help arrives.

Negotiations by arafinwean.

Haleth looks at Caranthir and wonders what he's lost.

A Trace of Light by Silver Trails.

Glorfindel misses his cousins and feels lonely after Fëanor is exiled to Formenos.

Lovely, Dark and Deep by StarSpray.

Elwë gets sidetracked on his way to visit Finwë.

Fish:

From Sleep to Swift Fury by Raiyana.

Ossë's rebellion.

Missing the Past by StarSpray.

"But no, it is not ruins or pottery I am interested in. They told me that Maglor was living on Himling." (also covers some Main Course themes)

Times of Change by hennethgalad.

Ereinion Gil-galad sets out for the Falas.

Long Time Passing by Grundy.

Eärwen's thoughts on a journey to Alqualondë prior to the War of Wrath.

Music and Song by Silver Trails.

Little Maglor hears Omar's and Salmar's music for the first time in his life.

Main:

Kinship by hennethgalad.

Gil-galad, Idril Celebrindal and Celebrimbor meet on the Isle of Balar.

By Any Other Name by Grundy.

After the Sack of Eregion, Celebrían is trying to reach the valley where her father's forces have taken refuge. The situation is grim until she gets some unexpected help.

Light and Darkness by Silver Trails.

Caranthir and Aegnor meet again after the crossing of the Helcaraxë.

Dessert:

Yule 3018 by hennethgalad.

The Fellowship have just left Imladris... (for anneway-nithiniel)

The Dance of the Lights by Narya.

Aredhel and Egalmoth share a quiet moment on the Grinding Ice. (for Tolkien Secret Santa 2018)

Smoldering by Grundy.

Finrod discovers at least one family feud he'd hoped was settled hasn't been laid to rest yet. (for gabriel-seven)

The King′s Peace by Idrils Scribe.

In the dead of Hithlum's icy winter, a battered Maedhros restores what peace he can to himself and his people, much to his brothers' chagrin. (for Dawn Felagund)

Still a Child by Silver Trails.

Findekáno wants to go out and meet his cousins. (for Mor2904)

Cheese:

Ode to Gil-galad. by hennethgalad.

Cheesy ode for the cheese course of Holiday Feast.

The Cheese Stands Alone by Grundy.

The twins thought Arwen would enjoy the lesson on Beren and Luthien. They were rather surprised...

Writing a Song by Silver Trails.

Daeron reflects about love and time. Maglor tries to help him.

As you can see, Nienna324 has created a fanmix for every course of the Artwork menu and Silver Trails has written a piece of fic for all five Writing course.

Hennethgalad has created content for every course across different prompt sets.

Grundy, on top of her achievements in Reading and Commenting, has written an amazing six pieces of meta and five stories for the Meta and Writing menues. Awesome work!

***

Whether you felt inspired to comment, read or create, and whether you created several pieces or one, we′d like to thank you for joining our holiday feast! We hope you had fun and found something to your tastes. And if you were too busy to take part in this or any of the previous challenges, take heart! As we already announced in our newsletter, the January challenge will be dedicated to beginning another year of creative accomplishment on the right foot. For our first challenge of 2019, participants can choose to complete any of the previous year's challenges. Did you miss a challenge you wanted to complete? Do it now. Did you start a fanwork for a challenge but never completed it? Here is your chance to finish. If you didn't leave any unrealized or unfinished projects behind you (congratulations!), choose from any previous prompt and start the year by creating a new fanwork. You will receive a stamp on your 2018 collection for any 2018 challenges that you complete now, as well as a stamp for this challenge on your 2019 collection. So this is your chance to catch up on challenges that you didn′t manage to fulfil last year!

The official announcement will be posted on January 15. See you then!

[sonofshin]

Gaoyao headcanons

Day of Remembrance: A yearly festival in Gaoyao. Although festivity is not the main point of the day. It is a day where the residents dress in red, symbolising the blood shed in past wars. If you have nothing red to wear, you stay inside.

It is a day to remember those who passed away. Family members, soldiers, children, adults, old, young, pets. Even remember those from other countries, even your enemies, for they had lives and loved ones as well. It is a day that gathers many individuals from other places as well, if only to share in the symbolic festival.

During the day, it is usually quiet. People go about their business as usual. Oftentimes people visit graves or other family members. It is a day to stand still and think about mortality, though most of them don’t.

A lot of people go to Taohua’s temple to leave offerings in hopes of long, healthy lives, or to pray.

As the sun starts to set, it becomes time for everyone to head to the river and place a small floating device in the water. Most people make their own but they are also sold. Each floater has a little red candle that gets lit before being released into the water. When the sun has set completely and the valley is dipped in darkness, the lit up river gives a magical sight.

At night, it becomes time for the children to go to bed, and for the adults to party. To remember and be grateful that they are alive. To make the most of it and share in their current existence.

Hot Springs: Gaoyao is trying to get more tourists to get there. Both for economic purposes and because it is a lot of fun. They have been a little cut off from the outside world for quite a while.

Which is why they are advertising with their unique hot springs.

Surrounding the volcano, are a number of natural springs where heated water steams in the open air. Of course you can bathe in the wild springs, but Gaoyao also has a few bath houses where you can bathe in private or with other people of your gender. The water in those springs has a most soothing effect and it is a good place for sick people to soak for a while. Although the sick bath house is apart from the others. Many people have quickly gotten better after paying them a visit. They have yet to find out if there are legit benefits or if it is merely a placebo effect.

Flower Festival: It is the short name for a festival that lasts three days, one day for each village. Its purpose is to remember the peace between the villages. Many folk visit the other villages to see what differences in customs they have or simply to sight-see.

It is a new tradition to give flowers to someone you fancy before the dance. But people mostly use it to give flowers to those they simply cherish.

Like the festival of remembrance, this festival has many people walking around in a unified colour although it is not required or symbolic. In this case, most people wear the colours of Ionia, particularly honeysuckle.

The festival is ended with a grand show of fireworks.

Blood Moon: (you may discard this as I am unsure if the Blood Moon festival is still a thing with recent updates) Gaoyao, of course, celebrates the Blood Moon festival. But it does so with it’s own unique flair. Instead of telling the tale of Reina and the evil spirit, they invite hunters on stage to tell their own tales of monsters, spirits and legends. Of course, should they not have a hunter in their midst, the honors will go to Taohua, who retells the tale of the old Lord. Every time they tell it, they change or add the information given to the crowd, so it is never the same story. And, hopefully, the residents will learn something from it.

After the plays or stories, it is the turn of the dancers to take the stage. A dance symbolising the strength and spirit of Ionia. It is a dance meant to invigorate, strengthen, and to be a reminder that together, they are strong. They swear the dance could even lure spirits to dance with them and enchant anyone who would look upon them. But that may just be a tale started thanks to the intoxication of the alcohol.

Pecora: A large, moose sized ride animal. Its antlered head is a fierce weapon and also used to intimidate. Its long legs allow it to scale the side of the mountain or step over the densely growing forestry. They usually move in small herds, foraging for food. They usually headbutt trees for the fruits to fall out so they can eat it off the ground. They have an acute sense of hearing and smell, but rather poor eyesight and are therefore easily spooked. It then happen that they rile each other up into a stampede. If that happens there is very little that is able to stop them. Every now and again, this happens to Gaoyao. As the village is the safest way to cross the river, the Pecora rampage through the village. Which is why, when you visit, you will often see houses being rebuilt or fixed.

Surroundings: The nature around Gaoyao consists mostly of outshoots of rocks and stone. The village itself has therefore a natural barrier around it. Unless by river, it is difficult to get to them. However Gaoyao has been taking steps to provide better roads to and from the villages.

Gaoyao also has a large garden in their village, maintaining it with the purpose of relaxing their inhabitants. Once entered, it is like they have been taken to a faraway place. A sweet aroma always fills the air around the place.

You may encounter fountains or a few rock formations where small waterfalls cascade from the stones. You may find yourself enjoying a rest on one of the benches they have there. Or a free game of checkers or chess on one of the stone plateaus.

During Gaoyao’s nights, you may see lights on Taohua’s mountain and hear the sound of bells faintly in the distance. It’s an enchanting sight to behold and is the sound of thousands of natural spirit creatures calling to one another. It is a sign of a healthy environment. But beware not to join them for those that did have never been seen again.

Before Taohua: Gaoyao used to have wars between them and two other villages nearby. Every few years there would be a battle between them. The reason Gaoyao stayed so small is because there were literally not enough people to fill the village. Most of them died in battles or the aftermath of them.

Either it was a fight as revenge for the previous one, fight for more land, fight for different land, or just because they needed to show their power. Either way, it left Gaoyao with less and less able bodied people to teach younger generations to fight properly. And after the volcano erupted because the Lord who ruled it had gone mad, the village ran empty. People fled.

After Taohua had taken their place, and the volcano calmed down, people returned to Gaoyao. The land had become incredibly fertile and given the location of their village, it was hard for others to come to take their lands. The other villages, as well, now had land they could grow crops on and, as a sign of a new start, decided to keep peace between all of them. And so it decidedly happened that, with a time of little to no worries, the villages became less and less interested in the art of combat, favouring the art of agriculture.

This left Gaoyao with no defenses other than those who knew how to get rid of dangerous animals. Taohua kept the village protected with a giant mountain, a large river kept them fed, and the other villages made sure they got a good variety of food.

This is why it has now become very easy for a small army of Noxian soldiers to set up camp some distance away from Gaoyao. No one dares stop them because no one has the weapons or knowledge to do so. And the reason, Yun is slowly teaching his students to handle weaponry.

Gaoyao: It is always easy to see which parts of Gaoyao were built first. The center of the village exists mostly from stone paved ways, sidewalks and houses. In the middle of the village stands a proud tower, watching over the rest. If you go further from the center, paved roads will make way for dirt roads and neat buildings, made of stone will make place for tree weaved houses instead. The buildings near the center are also mostly covered in plaster to give it a smoother, finished look.

The mayor’s tower has a large, gold plated sun on it that is used to keep track of time and dates. Various circles are etched in it with symbols for each month and extra symbols for festivals.

Gaoyao houses more than three thousand people. Many of the buildings house an entire family, often joined by a smaller building on the side to separate nagging grandparents from their offspring. Gaoyao is therefore both roomy and crowded at the same time. You can easily get lost between the many narrow pathways between the buildings, especially newcomers and visitors.

Other than the other villages, Gaoyao uses the river they are built around for more than cleaning themself and catching fish. They have dug canals and use those waterways as efficiently as the normal roads they made. Small boats are always nearby to use freely. They are popular with couples for going on dates.

The other villages: Toutori and Wonsan.

Toutori is bigger than Gaoyao. They live on a flatter spot of land, nearby a large water plain. Large, floating rocks hover above the surface. Some almost touching it, others soaring higher in the sky. It is a lot of fun to jump between them, provided you have the skills to do so. They provide a habitat for unique animal species. Around the water plains are lush hills, overgrown with colourful flowers, fireflies, butterflies and many other beautiful animals. Quite relaxing to visit.

Wonsan is roughly the same size as Gaoyao and is unique in its environment. Instead of lanterns and lights, they grow star trees to illuminate their village. The trees can only grow around their area, as some unique minerals can only be found in the ground there. Every tree has a small necklace tied around them, marking them as ‘holy’. They are never to be touched unless they are sick.

Inbetween the three villages are deep, densely grown forests. They are dangerous, even to natives. It is important to not stray from the path they have made between the factions. While the area is reasonably flat, it is not easy to navigate at all. Stone pillars and rock formations make trekking through the area treacherous. It is easy to become lost and never return.

Aside from Toutori, there are many more water plains. Among those plains are small, hidden stone groves. They protect ancient trees, that are deeply tied with the magic and spirits of Ionia. Ethereal, glowing trees and shoots tend to grow around the trees, marking their devine heritage. Some of them are popular places to ask your beloved to marry you as those trees are said to bless love.

[amira-darkhall]

~ amira + relationships with the inhabitants of jorvik ~

stuck it under a read more so i don’t make everyone scroll through it but anyways, here it is! (sorry it’s SO LONG but i got into it hope you don’t mind detail)

@rsenak

all the other tumblr people/characters - amira gets along pretty well with almost everyone! she’s kind of shy, so even though she might be interested in getting to know people better, she doesn’t really have a best friend. elizabeth sunbeam - amira looks up to elizabeth like she would an aunt. she respects her a lot. even so, sometimes amira goes against her a bit, because she feels that the druids aren’t moving forward/making decisions as urgently as amira thinks they should be. avalon - amira’s a little bit unnerved by avalon, since she’s never seen his face and he’s very cryptic. fripp - similar to elizabeth, amira looks up to him but can get annoyed when the druids refuse to take immediate action. lisa peterson - amira doesn’t always know how to act around lisa, because while on one hand she’s famous and kind of a celebrity, on the other hand amira pulled her out of pandoria when she was weak and vulnerable. it’s hard to reconcile that in amira’s mind, so she can be a bit awkward around her, but the two get along fairly well. linda chandler - amira and linda bond over mutual interests and their similar personalities. the two are pretty close (they both love to read). alex cloudmill - amira wishes she was more like alex (confident, brave, etc.). they’re good friends, and amira has known alex the longest out of all the soul riders, so she feels comfortable around her. anne von blyssen - (is anne rescued yet?) amira doesn’t know much about anne. she doesn’t seem like the type of person amira would gravitate to, but she’s still a soul rider, so amira is curious about her. keepers of aideen - although frustrating at times, amira is proud to be in their inner circles. she takes their trust in her seriously, and hates to disappoint them. druids in general - amira wishes she knew a bit more about them. to be safe, she’s extra respectful when she has to interact with them, because she’s always unsure of what they’ll say or do next. pi - amira holds grudges for a long time, and she hasn’t really forgiven pi for turning her (however briefly) into a frog. she tries to avoid her. mrs. holdsworth - none of amira’s grandparents are still alive, and she misses them. mrs. holdsworth fills the role of grandmother, and amira often confides in her, or comes to visit. witches in general - amira is fascinated by witches. they’re quite secretive, so she’s really curious about them. ydris - amira regards him with a certain level of distrust. he’s unlike anyone else she’s met on the island, and his magic seems unpredictable. magicians in general - they’re alright. amira can’t always tell if they are capable of real, powerful magic or just really good at sleight of hand/stage magic, so she’s a little cautious around them. justin moorland - (after he’s been rescued) amira is worried about justin’s mental state, and doesn’t believe he’s anywhere near what he used to be. she’s suspicious of what they did to him on dark core. before he was taken away, the two were friendly. thomas moorland - amira will always owe him a debt for giving her storm. she stops by often to check on the stables and offer to help out. she feels tied to moorland since it was her first home on the island, and she loves the people there. conrad marsdeen - sometimes amira will hang around the forge just to chat/be annoying. she likes conrad. the bobcats - it’s been a long time since amira was a newbie at moorland, and she’s pretty friendly with most of the bobcats. she still doesn’t like julie, but she’s friends with all the rest, and she and loretta have even come to a grudging peace (loretta is not nice in my headcanon, she’ll always be her grumpy old self) josh - amira thinks he’s cool, and doesn’t understand how someone so calm can stand to be around the bobcats all day. jasper holbrook - amira actually likes jasper, and will stop by to visit/bring news from time to time when she’s in golden hills valley. james - amira kind of treats him like the little brother she never had. and even though he can be annoying and greedy, she respects the way he manages to keep fort pinta running (who put a kid in charge again??). herman - herman is amira’s trainer, since she works at jorvik stables. she has a huge deal of respect for him (is he still stuck with g.e.d.?). raptor - honestly, amira isn’t a huge fan. she likes weird obscure music and doesn’t think raptor has any talent. she doesn’t understand his cult following, and she doesn’t have a high opinion of his intelligence. the baroness - amira doesn’t know her very well, but the two are polite to each other. amira’s done her a few favors in the past, and she is always welcome at the winery. mr. sands - amira both hates him and is kind of scared of him. she’s frustrated that she can’t really do much about him, and dark core is often on her mind because of this. the dark riders - not their biggest fan. amira thinks katja is a creep and quite powerful, sees nihili as the biggest threat, and views sabine as more... human? they’re kind of antagonistic towards each other, since sabine is easily riled up, and they would probably get into petty fights. amira doesn’t know jessica very well. darko - for all the hype, amira doesn’t see him as the worst threat in the world. she thinks she could probably take him in a fight, and she’s scornful of his posturing as mr edgelord. garnok - amira’s worried about garnok, but she doesn’t really think about him directly. she’s more concerned with mr. sands and the dark riders, since they’re the people that need to be stopped in order to stop garnok. dark core - too many goons. amira knows the only reason they have any structure is the result of mr. sands’ influence. without him, they’d be useless. g.e.d. - at least they’re normal people. amira still hates them due to her love for the island, and she can’t wait until they’re gone for good. gary goldtooth - amira likes him, and wants to know more about where he came from. he seems to take good care of his horses, and that earns him another point in her books. the sunfields - if those hens get out another time, amira might physically fight filip. she thinks martina is a bit uptight sometimes, but she likes freja (and her cats). the hermit - amira likes him a lot. they have a lot in common (shy, love horses, etc.), and she spends time with him now that she’s won his trust. they mostly talk about horses. the hightowers - the adults and amira all get along pretty well, but she mostly spends time with madison. amira loves her, and understands what it’s like to be a kid with a lot of imagination, so the two are great friends and amira would probably kill for that kid (she’s never had any siblings and she’s very protective).

(extra) stein - stein and amira both work at jorvik stables, and they’re really good friends. he’s probably the closest amira has to a best friend. they often go riding together and hang out when they’re done with work.