#but ethari is higher so

[ask-runaan-anything]

Have you ever tried naan?

The flatbread? Ethari learned how to make it when he was young.

...er, this is about my name, I gather? Yes, of course it is. Well, in that case, you should know that Ethari was so delighted to fall in love with someone who had a food in their name that he wrote a song about it.

He would bake some fresh naan and bring me some while I was training, and then he'd sit down on a nearby rock with his lute and begin to play and sing.

Ru-naan, aah, eat it higher, higher, higher

Ru-naa-aan, climb and eat it in the tree!

Aah, eat it higher, higher, higher

Ru-naa-aan, eat that naan up in the tree!

Naturally, I had to oblige him by hopping up the nearest tree while he sang. He would do his best to keep a serious face and not break into laughter at the sight of his beloved scampering around in the trees holding flatbread in his mouth like a cat with a mouse. But sometimes the song ended early for giggle reasons and I didn't get to hear it all.

I got to come down and sit by him early though, and that wasn't bad at all.

Unfortunately, I now have a strong urge to eat my bread in trees. Ethari is extremely persuasive.

[tanbinokami]

My Runaan is for SALE from @thedragonprince

£70 +shipping (from uk)

Appox. size M-L (Uk 12-24)

Including:

Black shirt

Green vest

Blue coat

Belt

Shoulder guard

4 finger look Gloves

Arm guards

Wig with ornaments

Horns

Green leggings

Ethari's necklace £5 extra

Latex elf ears £10

Boots size 8 can be included if needed for free (but might be higher shipping cost)

[Scimitars not included]

I've worn this twice so there will be small marks of use

Feel free to dm me for more pics / measurements

[readsalot1]

New random TDP headcanon:

I read Bloodmoon Huntress today, and Rayla ends up going into the Moonshadow invisibility form comparatively early, so she probably got shoved into a bunch of moon mage classes when she was small ("natural talent" or something along those lines).

She does her best with material meant for a much higher reading level and barely manages to sit through lectures with a bunch of older students before running off to do swordfighting practice with Runaan. Ethari helps her write out her homework because the teacher thinks her handwriting is too sloppy. She gets kicked out before her final because of the fiasco about her parents' desertion, and fast-tracks the assassin final exams (she was going to take both--like a double major except for fantasy vocations), making it in time to join the team headed for Katolis.

She avoids telling her new travelling companions about this because she's still angry about it. (and she's had more than enough research to last a lifetime so she dips whenever Callum decides to head to the library)

[medu-nefer]

Can I know what pattern you used to made the little runaan and ethari

sure thing! (patterns under the cut)

disclaimer: I don't have patterns for Runaan's clothes, just pointers, because I was winging it at that point x_x

EDIT: if anyone wants to try to make these and struggles at some point (or needs those additional patterns), feel free to just reach out to me and I'll do what I can to help. Don't worry, you won't be overstepping at all and I'll more than gladly help a fellow TDP fan!

okay, so for the BODIES I used a pattern from a book called "Crochet Cute Dolls With Mix-and-Match Outfits" by Miya:

it's a purchasable book so I'd rather not share it publicly 👀

I'm sharing my own patterns below:

EARS

Sc 4 in a magic ring (4). Slst into the first st and ch 1.

Sc in each st (4). Slst and ch 1.

Sc, inc 2, sc (6). Slst and ch 1.

Sc in each st (6). Slst and ch 1.

Sc 2, inc 2, sc 2 (8). Slst and ch 1.

Sc in each st (8). Slst and ch 1.

Sc 3, inc 2, sc 3 (10). Slst and ch 1.

Sc in each st (10). Slst and ch 1.

Sc 3, dec 2, sc 3 (8). Slst and ch 1.

Fold the ear in half and sc 4 the two sides together (4). Fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing.

HORNS

Using 2,5 mm hook size: sc 4 in a magic ring (4). Slst & ch 1.

Sc in each st (4). Slst & ch 1.

Sc, inc 2, sc (6). Slst & ch 1.

Sc in each st (6). Slst & ch 1.

Sc, inc 2, sc, dec (7). Slst & ch 1.

Switching to 3,0 mm hook size: sc, inc 2, sc, dec, sc (8). Slst & ch 1.

Sc, inc 2, sc, dec 2 (8). Slst & ch 1.

Sc in each st (8). Slst & ch 1.

Dec, sc, inc 2, sc, dec (8). Slst & ch 1.

Dec, inc 3, sc, dec (9). Slst & ch 1.

Sc 2, (in hdc: inc, sc, inc, sc, inc), dec (11). Slst & ch 1.

Switching 3,5 mm hook size: sc 2, (dec, sc) x3 (8). Slst & ch 1.

Slst 3, sc 5 (8). Fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing the horn onto the head.

I also used a little bit of wire to help accentuate the curvature of the horns. I did play with increases and decreases in the pattern so they do curve on their own but I thought the wire might be a nice failsafe.

Here are patterns for all of ETHARI'S CLOTHES:

It was my first time making patterns and I was in a bit of a rush to finish him before his birthday so they're not perfect, but if you ever need help with them, just hmu, we'll figure it out.

I first made his boots and then his pants in order to make sure I didn't mess up the length. Then the crop top and finally the belt to fill the space in between. Now I'm thinking that perhaps removing one row of single crochets from the crop top and adding it to the belt might give him a look more accurate to his original design but I think the way I did it he also turned out okay so it's just an option.

There are clasps at the back of his crop top and belt, and on Runaan's vest. The flap is sewn onto the belt but if you want it to be removable, just add more rows in purple and stuff it in between the belt and the doll while closing the clasp.

Unfortunately, for RUNAAN'S CLOTHES, the notes were a mess and I don't really have anything. They're similar to Ethari's with slight changes:

his pants don't have the increases, they're just sc for ~7 or 8 rows, then joining and continuing just like with Ethari's (also hmu if you need a diagram showing how to join the pant legs);

his boots are the same as Ethari's up to row 12, in row 13 I did bigger stitches in the middle - go from sc to hdc, then dc, back to hdc and continue with sc (if you want that part to be higher, go sc, hdc, dc, tc, dc, hdc, sc); then for row 14 change colour to brown and slst around;

his vest is a foundation chain of the desired length (I think I did about 36 but it ended up being a bit too loose - it all depends on your own doll's size), then 4 rows of dc - but in the 3rd row I did 2 dc-2-tog (about 8-9 sts from both edges, right below the arms holes, 1 per arm hole), then in row 5 I did ~8 dc, then ch 4/5, skip 3/4 (arm hole), dc 8, ch 4/5, skip 4/5 and dc in each st until the end of the row. Join yarn at the edge of the arm hole and ch ~8 and slst into the other corner for the double strap. (I have a similar diagram to show more or less what's going on)

PENDANTS

In purple, sc 6 in a magic ring, but while doing the 6th, do an invisible colour change to gray (6).

Slst around (6). Slst into the first st and fasten off, weave in the ends.

Then, join yellow yarn in that last slst and ch 12 (add or remove chains to get the desired length) and fasten off but leave a long tail end to tie it at the back. Repeat the same process in the same slst. Then, you can tie the ends at the back, make knots and trim.

HORN CUFFS

Ch 14. Slst into the first ch, ch 1.

Sc 14 (14). Slst into the first st and ch 1. Flip so you work normally.

Sc 3, dec, sc 4, dec, sc 3 (12). Slst and ch 1.

Sc in each st (12). Slst and ch 1.

Sc 4, hdc, dc 2, hdc, sc 4 (12). Slst and ch 1.

Slst around (12). Fasten off and weave in the ends. For Ethari's cuffs, make a few vertical sts in turquoise somewhere in the middle at the front for the gems (wrap the yarn vertically a few times around a stitch).

HORN TIPS (ETHARI)

Sc 5 in a magic ring (5). Slst into the first st and ch 1.

Sc in each st (5). Slst and ch 1.

Inc, sc 2, inc, sc (7). Slst and ch 1.

Sc in each st (7). Slst. Fasten off and weave in the ends. You might have to stretch it out with something like a pen tip to make sure they fit.

[beautifulterriblequeen]

Trickster: an Ethari theory

I've had yea many Ethari headcanons, and I hope I live to have yea many more. Most of them are probably wrong, or incomplete at best. But boy are they fun.

I love to wonder what Ethari will really be like in canon when we get to know him for more than 3 minutes, but whoever he really is on his own, he will have an effect on Runaan , Rayla, and everyone who loves him, because they love him.

The first headcanon I can remember having for "Tinker" was that he could be like Leonardo da Vinci: a genius, creative, surrounded by beautiful ideas given shape by his hands, but also capable of creating deadly weapons, enchantments, and devices with equal beauty, and perhaps not really seeing where the line between them was. It was fun, but Ethari has ended up far softer than my headcanon, and I love and support him in his softness!

After a nice string of Ethari headcanons, this year I've started poking at the Trickster archetype and seeing if it applies to him. And I think it absolutely does!

Tricksters often seem like Chaos. But they're not. They're just Difference. "Chaos" is subjective. Like the "divergent" in "neurodivergent." Who says? Divergent from what, exactly? Perspective matters, and Tricksters have a very broad take on things which allows them to think outside any box people might try to invite them into.

My enjoyment of Loki has brought all kinds of ideas to my dash with the arrival of the Loki show. I've got a copy of the Edda, and I highlighted the hell out of it a couple of years ago as I searched for the roots of Loki's origin story. (It's truly fascinating reading and the symbolic language hidden inside their poetry is dazzlingly amazing and I'm super using it sometime just so you know)

Loki is a Trickster, and he's far from alone in myth and legend. Anansi, Coyote, and Sun Wukong are some you may have heard of. Aaravos is another, of course. Tricksters can be called upon to lend aid and wisdom when the rules don't have an answer for some extraordinary circumstance which the Trickster's people find themselves in. But that's not because they are truly outside the rule of order. They are actually a part of it. They are the catch-all for when the everyday ordinary rules fail people, and something "unthinkable"--in the literal sense--might just hold the answer.

This post crossed my dash today, and something finally clicked in my head, and all of this coalesced from what felt like separate places. But they're not separate, not anymore! Serotonin, baby. It's basically upped my headcanon to a full-blown theory.

What caught my eye was an answer to why Ethari's clothing is so determinedly asymmetrical, compared to Runaan's specifically, but Moonshadows in general. It's because of this:

Long protective sleeves below patterns on shoulders. A high collar paired with a bright and noticeable swoop around the neck. Fine detailing and graceful taste. Asymmetrical tunic point on the left, below broad strappy leather. Knee high boots with stylish protective gaiters.

And let's not forget the curling horns! In some comics, Loki has a broken horn. So does Ethari.

Yes, there is a lot of similarity here, but I'm not focused so much on the visuals as the reason they were chosen. Feel free to consider other aspects of Ethari's personality and how they might be similar to certain parts of Loki's. I did! But I wouldn't be me if I didn't go deeper than that.

My favorite book in the universe (so far) is Lois McMaster Bujold's The Curse of Chalion, and one of the many reasons why is because of her pantheon. It holds five gods, represented by a hand: Father, Mother, Son, Daughter, and Bastard. The first four all have their roles and places. The Bastard--the thumb--inherits everything else. He is the god of all things that do not belong to any other gods, and that includes self-sacrificing vengeance and queerness. He is a Trickster, and his influence on Cazaril's life is far deeper than at first glance. Chaos has its place. It belongs, and so do the Tricksters who engender it. God, I love this book. Please read it if you haven't. Bujold's work is amazing.

If you've seen or read any version of MDZS/Untamed, you know that Wei WuXian is a trickster. Competent and badass in battle, but playful and teasing to the point where sometimes even he isn't sure what he truly wants, he can bring a massive amount of power and focus when he wants to. It's always a matter of "but is it important to me?"

I love WWX so much. The Trickster vibe is very apparent in his character, and in a way you just don't get in Western media. We see him on his own, and we see him with family and loved ones. And he's always feeling something so intensely! He's driven by his emotions, for good or ill. He vibes with chaos, and he will create it if it doesn't exist yet. But he will also create family from nothing, and that's something you don't see enough of! WWX is a Trickster with an emotional preference for joy.

In TDP, Ethari doesn't have a lot of lore yet. It's being Moonshadowed because spoilers for future seasons, and I respect that. The longer the wait for S4, the more ideas I will just amuse myself with in the meantime--and yeah, this is one of them, so what? :))) But we do know a little about him.

He loves music. He loves to read. He leaves his mark on things in swirly form. He works very hard, even through headaches, because what he's doing is that important to him, even though he would much rather be making jewelry. He loves taking the time to polish rough stones into brilliant jewels, and he adores big pretty flowers and had them at his wedding.

Ethari has a temper, but he also loves puns. The weapons he crafts are exquisite: "light, elegant, strong, and clever." And he knew darn well that Runaan was trying to flirt with him, but why return a sentiment he may or may not feel yet when he can play with the overly earnest assassin just a little bit first?

Okay, just... A "simple craftsman" deciding that it's going to be fun to toy for a bit with a broody assassin's feelings? Would you risk that? Ethari got balls the size of the moon, and a brain to match. When he has to make weaponry, he does not half-ass it. Ethari's stabby creations nearly have a life of their own. His creations are literally called "trick weapons." This elf is a lot, okay. And it's possible that he doesn't even know how "a lot" he is. Yet.

We're meeting Ethari after he's found something that is, in fact, genuinely important to him: Runaan, and Rayla, and Laindrin too. Ethari has found a relatively stable place to settle and find a role to adopt. I say adopt, though, because making weaponry for his loved ones is not what he grew up wanting to do. It's what he had to do to keep them safe, once he found a place to bestow his heart.

But in the show, Ethari has lost his family, one by one. First Lain and Tiadrin, ghosted. Then Runaan, supposedly fallen on his mission. Then Rayla, ghosted for abandoning Runaan. He and Rayla have reconnected now, but the rest of his family is still out of his reach. If Rayla has indeed told him, by S4, what she learned at the Moonhenge in TTM, then Ethari may parallel Rayla's journey to seek answers. But even if he doesn't know yet, and gets pulled into some other story arc first, we will be seeing Ethari without his family.

Remember the ATLA episode "Zuko Alone"? Consider: "Ethari Alone."

Ethari has chosen, for love, to fit himself into a box that wasn't of his own making. And now that box has broken. His family doesn't need him to be their craftsman anymore. Perhaps others will need him to be other things to them. Or perhaps he will know that his family does need him, but to be far more than just a maker of pretty swords. A rescuer, perhaps. A healer, a guide? An avenger?

A trickster. Capable of taking many shapes, because he understands them all. Ethari works with form and function. If he needs to transform himself, he will.

That's what Tricksters do. It's delightfully queer and delightfully neurodivergent. Ancient peoples accepted and revered the different among them and actively sought their help with things they themselves struggled with.

Tricksters are Difference. Sometimes that manifests as chaos, sometimes as genius. But if you do not love and appreciate your chaos, it will absolutely turn on you. Wei Wuxian did. Loki certainly has, many times. Perhaps Aaravos is doing so as well.

I cannot wait to see what Ethari does with his difference. I have something very specific that I hope he goes and breaks.

All this from a picture of Tom Hiddleston in his Avengers 1 Loki costume? Yeah. Because Ethari was designed to wear asymmetrical clothing, in a Moonshadow culture that prides itself on balance. Sure, there are some other Moonshadows who wear this or that asymmetrical item, and I do love to see it. But Ethari has the most asymmetrical lines of them all. The meta glee I feel knowing that Moonshadow elves are designed to hold many layers of meaning in their appearances--that the writers, creators, and character designers just flexed with them--is truly a delight.

Ethari is asymmetrical. The full and practical application of that is a glass casket, and I hope it becomes a gift that keeps on giving, because boy do I want to keep receiving it. But right now, I'm genuinely seeing evidence of the Trickster archetype in him. And I really hope it gets to come out and play.

[numptypylon]

for Rayla pov…

home free drabble? 🥰🥰🥰

preferably the chapter where callum twists his ankle on their hike??

—blu

This took me a while, because I suddenly got a lot busier than I had planned on being, and wanted to get the Homeward Bound drabbles done first so I could post the intermission chapter. But here you go, hope you enjoy! There's a little Rayla POV snippet taking place DURING this chapter here. This drabble takes place AFTER chapter 4 of Home Free

Callum didn’t even stir when she removed the no-longer-frozen peas from his ankle.

She should examine it, but that would probably wake him up.

She should wake him up.

It was barely even 6pm; he wouldn’t be able to sleep come bedtime if he slept now.

She usually had no mercy about waking him up.

He looked so cute though, hugging their froggie couch cushion, his face all smushed up against it, a tiny smile on his lips.

He could at least sleep while she showered and made them dinner. She might not be a particularly good cook, but she was an efficient cook when Callum and his extra-ness wasn’t involved; the pasta could cook and the mushrooms sauté while she showered, and then it was a matter of five minutes to put together.

He could sleep for 15 minutes. He had been up early. And then gone hiking after work. And then gotten hurt. And then his complete idiot of a housemate had thrown him down a hill.

He could damn well have 15 minutes.

Rayla got her galaxy-patterned snuggie from their blanket basket, and spread it over him, tucking it around his neck.

He sighed in his sleep and the warm exhale tickled her cold fingers.

It would be super-weird to touch his hair just because it looked super soft at the ends where it was starting to dry, so she didn’t do that.

———

“RISE AND SHINE!” Rayla announced. Food was almost ready, and you couldn’t go straight from asleep to eating, you needed a few minutes.

The peas were just an amuse-whatever, that didn’t count.

“M-morning-“ Callum yawned, blinking at her, adorably disoriented for a moment, before his face settled on an expression. “Are you eating the peas that were pressed up against my stinky foot?” He looked comically horrified.

Wuss. It was a sealed bag that had been wrapped in a dish towel, what philistine would waste perfectly good peas that had had no direct contact with feet?

“Yeah?” She scooped another spoonful of buttery, garlicky peas into her mouth. Yum. “I had a thawed bag of peas and already got the garlic press dirty for the pasta. What, you expected me to not eat the peas?”

“No.” He smiled at her, so… he was just so- “Never.” So fond. Of her.

It was a really amazing feeling, being so sure that someone liked you. The real you and all of you. Even if he didn’t love her like she loved him, he loved her and had said it.

She couldn’t remember… anyone ever saying that to her.

Her parents must have, at some point when she had been too young to remember, right? They had written it plenty, in their letters. She had stopped believing it fully, at some point.

To be fair, she was reasonably sure Ethari and Runaan did love her.

But Callum had said it.

He sat up to make room for her on the couch next to him, hair mussed and bleary-eyed.

He was careful about moving his foot to rest against the floor, but he didn’t look like he was in pain, and she wouldn’t be the kind of sappy, fussy idiot asking if he was okay, when he was going to be fine-

His warm fingers brushed her hair away to inspect the abraded skin at her cheek and brow. “You feel okay?” he asked. “You’re sure you didn’t hit your head?”

She snorted. “I faceplanted into some snow. I think I’ll live.”

“That wasn’t what I asked!” he snapped. “And if you think I’m too fussy you can thank your own dumb butt!” Sheesh, she had called him to pick her up at the emergency room one time in two years- “My ambitions for your wellbeing are higher than ‘you’ll live’, unbelievable as that may be to you!”

He’d been scared, too. Because he loved her. She softened. “I’m okay. No headache or dizziness. Just the regular kinda sore bits you get from skidding down a hill face-first.”

“You mean to say… this wasn’t your first time…?”

She bumped into his shoulder. “First time with someone I love.”

He softened too. “Me too.”

[zuppizup]

A Simple Life

Out of Her Depth

Rayla feels ridiculous. She knows Callum is humouring her but really, this is stupid.

The ponds are for babies. They are supposedly here with their baby, but she knows most of this is for her.

He’s not trying to push her. Quite the opposite, in fact. She’s pushed herself too much. Insisted on all of them going in and swimming whenever they visit Janai at the palace in Lux Aurea. Gritted her teeth and attempted to smile the entire time her skin crawled and hair stood on end as Tio giggled and squealed and splashed about.

She is being ridiculous though. It is cute as anything. Objectively, the whole scene is cute.

So, why can’t she ignore the way her skin crawls as the water laps higher and higher against her? Why can’t she repress the shiver that runs up her spine when her toes encounter something unfamiliar in the murky depths? Why does she desperately want to drag Tio from the clear, beautiful turquoise waters, even though she’s clearly having the time of her life.

“She’s safe, Rayla.”

Callum’s calm voice startles her, making her keenly aware of how tense she is.

“I know.” She doesn’t look at him when she answers, her jaw tight and tense.

Callum sighs, and moves closer to her. His actions awkward and clumsy in the shallow water. “You don’t have to do this, you know?” He takes her hand under the water, eyes on Tio as she grins and splashes Ezran and Soren. “Tio won’t mind if Mum takes a break.”

Rayla sighs, trying to force herself to relax. “She’ll notice if I’m afraid though. I don’t want her to think there’s something to be afraid off.” She looks away from the happy scene. “I’m just an idiot.”

Callum sighed, shuffling around to wrap his arm around her waist. “You’re not an idiot, Rayla. You just have… a thing. Lots of people do.” He kisses her on the temple. “It’s nothing to be ashamed off.”

Rayla sighs anyway. Maybe for humans fear isn’t an issue, but that’s not how she was raised. And sure, she’s learned so many things since she met Callum and Ez, yet old habits die hard. “I know.” She leans into him, swallowing against her tight throat. “That’s not what I’m worried about.” She turns to look at him, then Tio. “I don’t want her to think she should be afraid of water, just because her Mum might be.”

Callum exhales, looking between her and Tio, clearly trying to think of a way to fix this. To make her feel better.

“It’s okay.” Rayla touches his face, coaxing him around to look at her. “I don’t mind. I want to do it for her.”

He smiles at her fondly. “You know you don’t have to though, right? It’ll be okay.” He kisses her on the forehead. “And you deserve a break every now and then?”

“Oh, and you don’t?” She leans back to grin at him before becoming a little more serious. “I want to try.” She ponders for a moment. “I want to… I don’t judge my parents, or Ethari and Runaan but…” Her eyes glisten a little. “I’ve learned… different ways of doing things and… I want to try and do differently by Tio, you know?” She looks at the happy little girl, gleefully splashing her uncle.

Callum looks at their daughter for a moment, then back at her. “Yeah, I know.”

- Snippet from my post canon Rayllum family fic A Simple Life

[moonlighttinkered]

Giving In

@asking-the-danger-star

They had been at this for two months now. Runaan and Aaravos hadn’t been talking for two months, they had barely started sleeping in the same bed again after Ethari’s newfound abilities began interrupting sleeping habits and it came to light- though no one said anything to Aaravos about Ethari sharing this information- about Aaravos’ habit of staying up until he couldn’t stay awake any more. Still, Runaan hadn’t said anything. He actively avoided Aaravos any time they weren’t in bed. 

He knew it was pride holding both of them back, neither wanted to admit fault, Runaan felt he had every right to be angry about these events and he was sure Aaravos had every right to feel he wasn’t to blame for them, so neither folded for a long time. 

In all honesty, Runaan wasn’t sure why, after months of this, he finally did. Maybe it was the way Ethari was beginning to look hesitant any time Runaan and Aaravos crossed paths when not in the bedroom, maybe it was a higher demand to work together after Ethari’s growing star abilities were interfering with Runaan’s self defense classes. Whatever it was, it didn’t matter now. 

They had to figure this out. 

So, taking a deep breath and steeling himself to his plan, he approached the oldest startouch. Back straight, shoulders up. Normal posture, sure expression. “Aaravos,” He said, hoping the edge to his voice wasn’t too sharp though it was an edge nonetheless. “We need to talk.” 

[ask-runaan-anything]

Hiiii I have a question~

What are some little things you do for Ethari to make him feel loved?

Many things. As many as I possibly can. Ethari deserves all the love in the world, and since he has chosen me as his life partner, it is my mission to provide him with as much sweetness and understanding as elfly possible.

A short list:

Staying in bed a little longer the mornings after I've returned from a mission, so he doesn't think I'm still somewhere far away, even for a moment. Watching as he wakes, and gently applying my body weight to his until his mind catches up to my steady, unwavering presence; letting him elfhandle me into for a sleepy bear hug afterwards.

Helping him manage all his tasks and free time. My busy husband has trouble keeping track of everything on his mind--which goes very quickly, I can tell--and he gets overwhelmed easily. That's okay--I'm here to help. We very calmly go through everything on his mind and decide which have higher priority, and thus, should be done first. It took some of my own patience and empathy--and his as well--to be able to help him develop this skill, but it works. And he shows his gratitude, too.

Practicing empathy when he presents something difficult. Whether it's a lighthearted skill I am unfamiliar with that he wants to demonstrate for me, or a different perspective I am truly not understanding, I remind myself that he will feel much more loved if I do my best to hear him out. Adapting to other viewpoints is difficult--for me especially--but Ethari often helps guide me through them until I am on the other side of understanding.

...and more.

[into-the-daniverse]

Form of government juice in Ethari pls? 👀👁️👁️

I love you so much Kani but I must confess that I screamed a little when I saw this because thinking about governments/politics is such a weakness for me 💀💀💀

But this helped me break through a wall so it is much appreciated thank you 💋

So I am still a bit undecided on if Ethari is the planet itself or a specific city/island, but referring to the main continent - it is broken up into a dozen or so city-states that all have their own leaders (in theory).

Most city-states are democratic, where leaders are elected in some way, they serve for a set amount of time, and the people generally have a loud, prominent voice - leaders who aren't interested in the good of the people don't last very long.

A few city-states are more aristocratic, where they are ruled by prominent families instead of elected officials. Both the D'Oria and the Zhu-Jin rule their own city-states, for example.

However, all the city-states leaders, no matter how they were put into power, have to answer to a higher form of government, the oligarchs known as the Original Scholars (name TBD, I might end up changing them from my Arcana canon) who oversee all of the city-states.

For hundreds of years, they did so in relative secret. The Scholars were never a secret group, they were always open to those with the funds to attend their university, so that even a person in the lowest class might have heard of them, but their involvement in most politics goes widely unknown.

Every leader of every city-state, when they have ascended to their position, is made aware of the Scholars' true reach and that if a Scholar calls on them for anything, they are bound by their position to respond and do whatever they ask. A Scholar very rarely ever calls upon any leaders, so this is generally shrugged off by most people in power.

But in more recent years (ie when my story actually takes place), the Scholars have started to tighten their grip on the city-states and their leaders, and it is widely rumored—though unable to be proven—that they have sabotaged elections and planted their own representatives in higher positions. This rumor first started circling after the sudden death of a well-loved leader, where the next in line had direct ties to the Scholars from birth.

That, coupled with the slow disappearance of the continent's magic users, has caused a rebellion to start forming, determined to get to bottom of the Scholars involvement.

[ask-ethari-anything]

Would you mind if you could tell me a funny Rayla story?

Once, when Rayla was around eight, she and Runaan practiced juggling while she stood on his shoulders. They’d toss things to each other like that: rocks, apples, adoraburrs. Dexterity training, he called it. And Rayla was very good.

One day I saw her admiring some of my polished gemweights: spheres of various gemstones that I keep in my study. She asked if she could juggle them sometime, and I told her she’d need to get Runaan’s permission. He was a better judge of her skill in that department, and I knew he wouldn’t let her near my gemweights unless he was confident in her ability to catch them.

She nodded very seriously and darted off, and I thought no more about it until a Moonfest several months later. The whole village fancied up, and we had soliloquy performances and stilt sparring and music and dancing and juggling and all the food you can eat. We all went out to enjoy it, and at some point, Rayla ended up standing on Runaan’s shoulders. 

My husband looked me in the eye and produced six of my gemweights from a pouch. I got excited because I was suddenly certain they’d been practicing the whole time! So I stood back to watch them, and they went right at it. They juggled my precious stones up and down flawlessly and even worked in a few spins and hops! It was adorable, and we gathered a small audience.

Runaan doesn’t enjoy being the center of attention, so I expected they’d finish soon. But then Runaan tossed a ball higher than he needed to, and Rayla jumped off his shoulders to catch it. I thought she had it, but then it went flying again. I saw that Runaan was watching the other five balls, so I reached out for that sixth one as Rayla flipped down to the ground.

I caught it as she landed right in front of me, and I was hugely relieved that it hadn’t broken. But then she grinned at me and asked, “What do ya think?”

The weight was all wrong, and it was fluffy! I opened my hands and found that I’d captured a very dizzy adoraburr! 

Rayla proudly pulled out my missing gemweight, which she’d swapped for the adoraburr in midair. “Don’t worry, Runaan and I practiced a whole lot. I’d never drop your pretty rocks, Ethari.”

I looked at Rayla, then at Runaan, and then I burst into the most ecstatic wheezes I’d had all week and gave her a big spinning hug. Runaan got a nice calm smooch, which he smiled smugly about, so I knew he felt he’d earned it. 

I wore Rayla’s swapperoo adoraburr in my hair for the rest of the evening.

[raayllum]

(if time is money then) i’ll spend it all for you

summary: Runaan and Rayla’s parents are de-coined. Now it’s time to adjust to how the world and their daughter has changed, including her relationship with one particular human. co-written by me and @thosefiveadoraburrs

tag list: @friendlywolfgirl, @smalltreenergy, @corrie-eliza, @jellyjay, @loverofcomicsandcartoons, @from-shattered-stars, @kikithefox231, @rayllurn @artfulstar, @eskpistone, and @janaikam. if i forgot anyone or someone wants to be added, just let me know!

length: 7.9k

CHAPTER SIXTEEN: i’ll turn hours into gardens

Rayla had always known this day would come eventually. They had packed up many times—travelling to different Nexuses for Callum’s magic, the Silvergrove for Ethari and Katolis for Ezran, and most recently, to go to war against Aaravos—but it was still strange to see their room entirely empty, sheets peeled off the mattress and frame they were leaving here. New ones were waiting for them in the Silvergrove.

She heard a whine at their door, and Callum’s voice right outside. “I know, bud, we’ll miss you too,” he said. “But you know we’ll come and visit, all the time, and you can come visit us! Illusions can’t keep out dragons very well, remember? You can fly right through.”

Rayla turned to see Callum and Zym in clear view, his ears and hair cut off by the top of the doorway. Even if he was bigger now, his tail was low, like a sad puppy’s, his large eyes wide and shining. Callum was petting his snout consolingly. Her fiancé was only a little better at hiding it, but she could see him quickly blinking tears away even as he smiled.

Something in her heart tugged. They’d gotten to see him grow so much in the past few years. Even though he had his mum, Zym had always felt like theirs, in a way. He’d brought them together, for starters, and it had just been the three of them in Xadia, for the most part. She’d heard that some families got a pet, usually a shadowpaw if they were Moonshadow elves, to prepare for a baby, and Zym had much higher levels of intelligence and... he’d been like their first baby. And now they had to say goodbye.

READ THE REST ON AO3

[ladyandherbooks]

Moonshadow homes

When Rayla takes Callum and Zym home we get our first look at what appear to be Moonshadow elf homes:

They all appear to be small, dome like cottages until we get to Runaan and Ethari's home:

And they alone, at least at this point in time, appear to live in a tree. This could be a typical home for a Moonshadow business man/woman but I'm wondering if this type of home is typically reserved for someone of a higher rank, a leader within their community.

We know that the assassin pool is in what effectively is Runaan and Ethari's front yard and that is not a typical feature for these homes.

So perhaps this is a home reserved for a captain/general/leader of the Grove's assassin order. The leader gets a house with a higher vantage point so that they can observe their people from on high (which is also easy to see and locate if someone needs to pay them a visit) while also having a bigger living space than your typical Moonshadow elf.

[beautifulterriblequeen]

The Thief and the Tinker, Part 4: Circles and Cycles

part 3

Part 4

Viren: *smirks and plinks Runaan's coin to Ethari*

Ethari, furious: You throw another Moonshadow at me and I'm gonna lose it.

Circles and Cycles

Angst rating: 8/10

Back to Ethari, because we're not done with him yet. Ethari is soft, but he isn't weak. He won't be a willing pawn for Viren. He loves Runaan to the point of invention, and his devotion is more constant than the moon itself. He'll agree to do what Viren says, and he'll be Very Sad. But his spirit is in no way broken. Viren bribing him with the coins containing his family will only have the opposite effect. It'll give Ethari something to fight for.

We could get Focused Chaos Ethari. We could get Angery Trickster Ethari. We could get Rules, What Rules? Ethari. Let him try to steal the coins, try to break them, try to kill Viren, and be stymied at every turn, until he settles and seems cowed. And then all he does is craft his way out of the problem.

What if we are gifted with Iron Man Elf Ethari, who pretends to build a fake Key for Viren, but meanwhile he's really building a coinbuster with whatever he can get his hands on - primal stones, magically imbued gemstones, stolen artifacts, his own arcanum, his own reputation as the Master Craftsman of the Silvergrove. He'll use almost - almost - anything, to stop Viren and free his family.

Ethari may have to choose between those two things, though. And he's a hero, deep down, just like his family, just like his daughter. If he has to choose, he'll choose to stop Viren and save Xadia. He'll pay the same price as his family has if he must.

He'd let Viren think he was motivated purely by wanting his family back, but Ethari is far too steeped in the illusion and sacrifice for that to be all there is to his motives. It's a so-close-and-yet-so-far thing, how he and Viren almost embody the same ideals. Almost. Ethari would take one look at Viren, who just burnt down his whole Forest, he'd see the biggest threat in Xadia, and he'd say anything to get a chance to stop this juggernaut of destruction from getting his hands on whatever that ultimate power really is, locked behind that missing key. If he has to abandon his people and bawl his eyes out to convince Viren he's in, then he will.

And Viren wouldn't make it easy for him. He knows clever when he sees it. He went through all this trouble to persuade Ethari to work with him. He would need to keep Ethari as off-balance as possible to ensure that he keeps working as he should.

Angsty jewelry, anyone?

Viren giving Ethari his husband in pendant form to remind him what he's working for, when Viren and Ethari both know full well that only dark magic can open the hellcoins. Ethari wearing another pendant of his love, except it's not a metaphor this time. It's literally his love, in a coin around his neck.

Viren would love making Ethari stay close to him of his own free will if he ever hoped to free Runaan. Making people bind themselves to you is a big power flex. Remember that TDP stream future-season teaser note about Bait being in a creepy restraint in a future season?

This card is written on in all-caps, so that really could be "Bait" or "bait," or--knowing this show--both. Viren's been using Runaan as bait for Ethari all along. Putting his coin in a dark magic pendant casing for Ethari to wear would be a great parallel for that. Oh god. Oh man.

Maybe he'll stab the coin's scary casing right through that circle on Ethari's chest, right over his heart, make that Iron Man reference really obvious. Ethari also losing his shirt at some point, for angsty Viren-related reasons? It's more likely than you think. I mean... Ethari is literally involved in both forms of forging at this point. Shirt's gotta come off for uhhhh work reasons. And because he's hot. Because of all the forging. Mmhmm. I mean how else are we finally going to discover what his markings look like this is research I swear

I mentioned that I liked god-tier villains, right? Yeah, this is amazing. I haven't wanted to die and ascend over an idea for quite a while, but Ethari vs Viren in a drawn-out battle of wills would kill me in the best way. Especially since, while it looks like they're essentially fighting for who gets Runaan, they're truly fighting a much larger battle with much higher stakes. They're fighting for the future itself. It's an epic struggle between the Narrative of Strength and the Narrative of Love. And we've seen what happens, over and over, when the Narrative of Strength gets to call the shots.

On a meta note: If Ruthari's story arc isn't a love letter from one trauma survivor to another, and on a broader scope to all survivors who see it, I don't know what is. Sometimes life just chews us up and spits us out and we can't stop it and it breaks us. But sometimes we can reach out and grasp the chance to help each other, even after that, even when it hurts a lot, because we know what it means to be loved, and to love, and to want a safer future for each other and for people we'll never meet. The future is worth standing together for, helping each other back up for, fighting side by side for, even if you can't see how it'll end, or even how to begin. We are stronger together, and sometimes we need to fight for our "together" before we can fight for anything else. And that's worth it, every time.

This is glorious, it's beautiful, it's tragic, it's amazing, it makes me want to dance, it makes me want to scream into the void, it makes me want to slap someone with a semi truck. No, someone specific, don't worry, and he super deserves it.

Because Ethari is going to win. He was always going to win. He's soft, and he's clever, and he hasn't forgotten what love means. It's what he's fighting for. Not power, not control. Love. He doesn't want to dictate Runaan's future or anyone else's. He just wants his husband--and everyone else--to have one at all.

So he's going to win.

What thwarting Viren looks like, I couldn't possibly guess. TDP is no stranger to angst, so there will probably be a high cost involved in outwitting the dark mage. Maybe not everyone can be rescued from the coins. Maybe Ethari will lose his life, or his soul, or his vision, or something else really angsty. Viren could even kill him and resurrect him as a smoky craftsman, or a zombie craftsman, or something equally biddable but horrible. The only thing I'm sure of is that Ethari would never willingly make a working Key of Aaravos Ethari as long as there's a chance Viren could possess it. But I do believe that if he gets the right opportunity while he's busy saving the world from Viren's dark intentions, he'll break his husband's hellcoin open somehow and set him free, even if he has to smile at the devil to do it.

Ethari understands the difference between "you can" and "therefore you should." He might sacrifice his own world to save his husband, but he'd never sacrifice someone else's world. That's one of the Moonshadow cultural limits I've noticed: they accept boundaries when it comes to other people's autonomous rights, especially regarding life and death.

These limits could get pushed. Ethari will be under great duress and emotional strain if he goes through this kind of interaction with Viren. And maybe he will choose some dark things. Everyone else has. But I'm placing all my eggs in the basket labeled "Saved By Love." Either I'm right, or I'll get the best angst omelets in the universe. And I do love omelets. A villain invented them, you know. ;)

Another support for Ethari not making the key for Viren: the real Key exists!

Callum has it right now. The plot doesn't need Ethari's key (yet? ever?), but it does need Ethari to learn what he's made of, to stand up for something, or against something, or both at once. And once he learns what he will and won't do and the universe has rewarded his discovery with the return of his beloved husband then Ethari will be ready to take on whatever else the plot has in mind for him.

Depending on the plan, all of these events could happen in S4, as a setup for even bigger things to follow. Viren's wishes can be thwarted here and the show's overall tension will only continue to rise. It would let Ethari flex yes pls his skills so we know who he is, it would show how driven Viren can be for a long-term goal, it would let Claudia saunter further downwards, it would reveal some human/Moonshadow history, and it would resolve the seasons-long tension regarding Runaan's fate, allowing for the cycle of speculation, feels, angst, and Ruthari fanart to begin again. ;) Viren would need to find another way to pursue his long-term goal. And Callum's Key will get a little more clarity on just how important it is to the fate of the world - which will make everything he does, and everyone he talks to, and anyone who knows what he's carrying, intensely important.

Nyx is gonna steal it isn't she, omg chaos birb

To Viren, Ethari was a main course, meant to be devoured and consumed in his lifelong quest for something that will finally satisfy. But to Ethari, Viren was just empty calories to be passed over in favor of ordering his perennial favorite dish, one more time.

Once Ethari escapes Viren's clutches with as much of his family as he can rescue, Viren may turn back to looking for the real Key, especially if someone's seen it recently. Hunting a kid probably seems easier than hunting a full-grown Moonshadow craftsman who just outsmarted him. okay so maybe Nyx stealing it would be a good thing and save Callum's life

Ethari could go on to help repair the Sunforge, or rebuild the Moonhenge, or work on constructing Moonshadow villages in Katolis if he hasn't been ghosted for abandoning everyone after the forest fire. He might build magical devices for any number of reasons, to help all kinds of characters. Hopefully, wherever he goes, he'll have Runaan with him, in some way, for at least a little while. Cycles be like, and I feel like Runaan will not want to remain still for long, for whatever reason. Does he need revenge, atonement, justice, a new body, to find Rayla, to find Ezran? He'll be back in action as soon as he can, I think.

Okay, but, I'm so soft at the thought of a scene where Runaan and Ethari come before King Ezran. The husbands tried to save their people Runaan's way, the old way, and it only continued to endanger them. Following the cycle, as Moonshadows do, was the wrong move. But the son of the last human Runaan killed reached out with mercy and broke a thousand years of suffering and sorrow and hatred. Ezran did what Runaan couldn't: he saved the Moonshadow elves from total destruction. And that, more than anything else in the world, could soften one very broody assassin's heart toward humans again.

What would Runaan do, if his heart truly changed toward humans? What would he say to Ezran? I could see him struggling for a long moment before dropping to one knee to pledge his heart as he once had to do before the Dragon Throne. He doesn't know any other way but to serve. Ezran, reading the whole room and everyone's feelings before he tells Runaan that No, we don't do that here. That he's free, and free means free. No chains, no oaths. Just trust and friendship. He should get to make his own decisions for a change, even though that can be hard and scary sometimes. Runaan being genuinely scared, because that's too much freedom. But he's not alone. He has Ethari, and Ezran, and Rayla, and Callum, and their people, and their allies. And no matter what else happens, the people of Katolis - elven and human - will find a way forward. Together.

part 5

[numptypylon]

Hello! When you plan your fanfic chapters (for stories that aren't set to prompts by events like Whumptober) how specific do you end up planning chapters? Or do you plan a story, and it just naturally finds segmentation? Or do you just have goals for each chapter, and find your way to it by the end of the chapter?

Oh, that varies a lot between stories. Some have a natural chapter structure, some are fully original storylines and some follow canon. But generally, I can't follow a detailed outline; my stories grow and change in the writing of them, and my process is creating the jumping-off-point or scenario, and then letting characters react and interact in it.

When I started writing, I specifically planned my first fanfic to have an external structure to make it easier for myself (Downtime in Wartime covers one day of canon timeline downtime scenes per chapter). I had between two words and five lines of outline per chapter, most just one or two lines.

For a story with a fixed chapter structure but original storyline, like Homeward Bound (a chapter a month for a set period in-story), I start off with all the chapters as an overview, and use the header illustrations as a brainstorming process, considering where I want the story to go, the ending, the character beats or plot beats I want to hit... and then fill in the gaps. Again, I'll have a line or two, sometimes a bit more. If I'm inspired to, the 'outline' might be a little snippet that tries to capture the vibe or scene I want. These don't need to contain very specific things, but DO need to hit character beats and support a continuous character arc.

For a plot-ty original story like Down to Earth, there's FAR higher demands to story structure, because there's plot beats as well as character beats that need to be addressed, multiple parallel storylines, and it all has to work together and be entertaining. So I have more of an outline, a continual bulletpoint list that I actually update as I go, because I need to keep track of how the story changed during writing (and it does, always and a lot). I have the chapter structure in mind from the get go, because I use the ms word headers and navigation pane as the main outline (and then sometimes extend it under the headers). For chapters like the most recent one where it's six different povs, the outline will evolve during writing, the initial one being just something like [checking in with everyone - Opeli, Amaya, Ethari, Soren (?)] and the end one being subheaders in the nav pane like this:

In the beginning of a long and complex story, I just write pretty freely and try my ideas out and if there's ONE scene I really want to write, I write that even if it's in the projected chapter 32. Later, what I write has to fit what's already written, so I have more of a strict initial outline. Early initial outlines are IDEAS, later ones WHAT'S MISSING.

I DO have an initial chapter structure, but I don't stick to it, it changes. And I also inevitably end up with more chapters than planned, because some end up too long and get split, or I find out I need to add scene x...

Mess of Things was planned to be 3 chapters and ended up 10, Down Below the Ocean (S5 latter half of Down to Earth) was meant to be 16 chapters but will be 20+. I only stick to the chapter count for the fixed chapter stories, basically.

[rumowrites]

Fic Anon is back! Sorry I've been away; not a whole lot of free time lately, surprisingly. 😒 But I did see that post about intimidating uncles and your comment about Ethari in particular, and... Well, I couldn't resist. :')

"You've got everything? Bag, books, lunch?" Leaning his arm on the car's windowsill, Runaan gave his niece a cursory once-over just in case. Rayla nodded, her little braid bouncing as she hiked her backpack higher on her shoulders. Something clattered as she did so, and she and Runaan looked down; several pencils lay scattered at her feet. (1/9)

"Ah, oops-" Rayla dropped to her knees to pick them up, revealing the children her age that sat at a bench not too far away. They pointed and laughed, though Rayla took no notice. Runaan's scathing glare did nothing to stop their mocking giggles. How DARE they laugh at her? (2/9)

"Bratty little sh-"(3/ "Language!" Ethari hissed beside him, smacking his arm lightly, though he too looked just as irritated as Runaan felt. "Still, their parents clearly haven't taught them manners…" Brows furrowed, Ethari appeared to think hard on something Runaan could only guess at before he perked up. "Rayla, you forgot something!"(4/9)

Runaan, perplexed as to what Rayla could possibly be forgetting, watched Ethari climb out of the car and rummage around in the back seat. Before Runaan could see what it was, Ethari was already rounding the car to kneel at Rayla's side, wrapping her in a hug. He held the mystery item behind her back, and Runaan's eyebrows rocketed up to his hairline when he saw what it was: Ethari's metal baseball bat, scuffed up from years of use.(5/9)

Apparently, the brats noticed the shining metal bat and Ethari's menacing stare: their faces paled, eyes wide, and they all shoved each other into stumbling off the bench and all but sprinting into the school. Ethari chuckled and said a fond, "Love you, Rayla. Have a good day."(6/9)

With Rayla skipping along, happy as a clam, Runaan gaped at his husband as he dropped back into the passenger seat, fastening his seatbelt as if he hadn't just silently intimidated a group of mean-spirited children away from their precious niece with a BASEBALL BAT. His husband, who rescued spiders and scolded him for his language and crafted small metal animals because he thought they were CUTE, had just-(7/9)

"I love you," Runaan blurted out, unable to say anything else. Ethari snickered, resting the bat between his knees so he could kiss Runaan's cheek and steal his water bottle at the same time.(8/9)

"I know."(9/9)

Fic Anon! No worries, I, too, have a lot to do right now and am only posting stuff I had already written! But I am always happy to hear from you! Thank you for these adorable protective uncles! I am guessing correctly Ethari is a Baseballplayer in this?