#c: starfall

[transgender-whiteout]

'cause everytime we touch i get this feeling...

[image description: Two wings of fire dragon ocs, Red Herring and Starfall. Red Herring is a red short Seawing Nightwing hybrid with whiskers on her face, while Starfall is a purple Nightwing with thorn ear, scar on her nose and cleft lip. They are nuzzling and blushing. Background is rainbow splatters, and there is a lighter outline around both dragons. / end image description]

[riverwindphotography]

Starfall

(c) gif by riverwindphotography, December 2023

[elucienweekofficial]

Instagram ・ AO3 Collection ・ Twitter ・ Event Masterlist

Thank you so much to everyone who participated in Elucien Week 2024! We are so grateful to everyone who took the time to share their creativity and engage with the week!

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📝Fics, drabbles, and poems:

Healing by @shadowqueenjude

Take Me To Church (Sneak Peek) by @allwaswellllll

Splendor Solis by @fimproda

Dancing Barefoot by @zenkindoflove

ACOWAR (Elucien's Version) by @crazy-ache

It's Just a Burning Memory by @the-darkestminds

Beauty Marks by @fieldofdaisiies

Better Days by @shallyne

Dressing Room Dilemma by @yaralulu

New Phone, Who 'Dis? by @writtenonreceipts

Mine For A Moment by @starfall-spirit

The Wedding Date by @clockwork-ashes

Long Live by @separatist-apologist

Auburn Embrace by @sonics-atelier

A Heart of Gold by @jules-writes-stories

Got Lovestruck, Went Straight to My Head by @withclawandvine

Healing by @shadowsingers-mate

Guard Dog of Your Fevered Dreams by @asnowfern

The Ways We Mend by @animezinglife

Can I Be Close to You by @temperedink

Too Sweet by @shadowisles-writes

Something About April by @starsreminisce

What Do You Know About Love by @the-lonelybarricade

Open Water by @itsybitsybluesy

Trancing Through A Day Dream by @thelovelymadone

Morning Edition by @cauldronblssd

the trouble with wanting by @wilde-knight

🎨Art:

Elucien in the rain commissioned by @freyjas-musings and @amandapearls from artist Ekilateral.art

A Warrior of the Mind commissioned by @starfall-spirit from artist brunagarretart

Statues in Love by @climbthemountain2020

Elain and Lucien promenading commissioned by @lulufoxlainfawn from artist @/shinkxart

Elucien kissing commissioned by @separatist-apologist and @the-lonelybarricade from artist @lib-arts

Elucien Bridgerton AU commissioned by @gwynrieldefenseatty from artist Shinkxart

Better Days by @shallyne

Red Lucien and La Dame Blanche by @olenvasynyt

Tension and Healing pt 2 commissioned by @the-lonelybarricade and @separatist-apologist from artist @brielyasmin

Elucien Embrace commissioned by @moonpatroclus and @cauldronblssd from artist @/viliuad00’s

Relaxation and Pampering commissioned by @foxylady13 and @kbirdie03 from artist @/b_astora

You Are So Gorgeous, It Makes Me So Mad by @sad-scarred-sassy

Vampire Elucien by @works-of-heart

Road Trip by @westrangecollectionkoalaposts

Genderbent Elucien by @nesta-apologist

Some Place Under The Sun, We Feel Our Hearts For The First Time commissioned by @acourtdelaluna from artist @/gessueter

Elain Writes Lucien a Letter commissioned by @lulufoxlainfawn from artist @dimalry

Emperor Lucien and Empress Elain by @belabellissima

🎶Misc:

Elucien in Faerûn by @little-fierling

The Mother and the Cauldron - creating Elucien by @dreamsandstars24

Elucien pirates AU moodboard by @shadowqueenjude

Elucien Ghibli Moodboard by @lainalit

day seven: au ( v i c t o r i a n ) by @spore-loser

ELAIN AND ELUCIEN: TENSION AND HEALING by @octobers-veryown

Elucien x Howl's Moving Castle Moodboard by @sunshinebingo

Modern Moodboard by @iheartfjords

Fox and Fawn Playlist by @bookishwithathought

Tension & Healing Moodboard by @inbiography

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Thank you as well to everyone who coloured today's Coloring Page!

AU coloring page by @sadiegirl2021

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If we missed one of your contributions, kindly reach out to one of our event runners!

Header art by @laxibbeb

[allyriadayne]

could you talk more about the daynes post robert's rebellion?

SURE

first of, this is mostly my hcs, speculations and a mix of things i must have read back when there was the height of asoiaf meta in 2013 because there is almost nothing about the daynes post robert's rebellion. so bear with me.

just to set the scene, the members of house dayne left after the mess of the rebellion were the unnamed older brother of ashara and arthur, the lord and father of edric; allyria the youngest sister that i headcanon to be much younger than her older siblings seeing as she is betrothed to beric dondarrion who is was in his twenties per agot so i don't think the marriage would've occurred if allyria was in her middle thirties or forties if she was closer to ashara and arthur; edric, twelve years old, beric's loyal squire; and gerold aka darkstar head of high hermitage, also in his twenties? around arianne's age.

(c) Eddie Mendoza for the cover of A Song of Ice and Fire 2025 Calendar

under the cut because i'm crazy

i don't know if the books are ever going to make clear what happened at the toj-starfall zone but we can be sure only that ned went from one to the other with lyanna's bones and supposedly baby jon to return dawn to the daynes. ashara had a baby of father unknown and shortly after ned was there she took her own life, body never found. i go back and forward in thinking if ashara's brother lord dayne was there with her when ned went or if he was one of the dornish commanders defending the targs. in any case, his presence was completely zero during this time so i think he was too injured for a time or too sickly in general to do something to reestablish the dayne name in dorne after arthur being an important part in elia's disgrace and indirectly, her murder.

because yeah after arthur and ashara's death and going by the books there is zero mention of them, even in the chapters set in dorne or others about dornish characters make no mention of them. and it's strange considering that when you read awoiaf and f&b, the daynes are The knights of dorne. queen nymeria marries a dayne, sends a starfall king to the wall, meria martell commands a dayne to burn oldtown, arguably one of the most powerful cities of the time, out of all the sons of daeron ii and myriah martell, maekar marries a dayne, the only dornish lady. it could be nothing OR something but i think it does mean something. we see there's no daynes in oberyn's party in kl or speculation in general about the new sword of the morning beyond remembering dear old arthur. they've fallen completely into obscurity. the house was reduced to a young girl and its child lord.

edric's dad dies before agot (he doesn't seem to afflicted by his death when he meets arya if he were less than a year dead, inheriting the lordship at such a young age would've been dramatic to him), i would say just after becoming a page to beric dondarrion at 7 yo and i headcanon the marriage between beric and allyria was brokered at this time too. this was part of a fic i was writing like 500 years ago but i think lord dayne must have known he would not live too long, not to see edric grow so he must have looked for someone to prepare and take care of allyria and edric after he died. betrothing allyria to a marcher lord is......strange. if a dornish person would have to be married to someone it would go like this 1) not from the reach 2) not from the marches in that order, there is too much bad blood. the daynes have a longstanding tradition of killing oakhearts so marrying allyria to the heir of blackhaven and giving him his only heir, lord dayne entrusted a complete stranger with the future of his house.

beric would've been in charge of teaching young edric just about everything. he would be living in the stormlands for almost half his live, learning from a his maester and how to govern a stormlands' castle. meanwhile, allyria in a few years probably around agot time would be ready to marry beric when she reached her majority. she would've been the defacto ruler of starfall in edric's name when lord dayne dies, i think the idea was to swap when edric gained his spurs: he would return to starfall after a successful run as a tourney knight, probably gaining some recognition from whatever beric was tasked with at the capital (rip king) and then accompany allyria to be married to his knight master. andddd fin.

the thing is. allyria being so young during the rebellion, lord dayne absence for whatever reason and then dying, let the younger members with no connections in the wider dorne political context. it is said young children go to the water gardens and it's fun yeah but it's def a starting point for politics for many lords. it's close to the martells and it's an opportunity to make friends with future rulers, /everyone/ is going. the daynes didn't have this. allyria was probably very young when the rebellion happened (i think no older than 5) and for obvious reasons she was not sent to the water gardens; as for ned, i think lord dayne could not secure an invitation, this or he died too early to even try. if allyria had gone, she would've been for sure one of arianne's companions, she has both the breeding and the standing, but NOT and it's crucial, the reputation. see what arianne has to say in affc about gerold's standing:

"He is highborn enough to make a worthy consort, she thought. Father would question my good sense, but our children would be as beautiful as dragonlords."

it's must be passé to associate with the daynes at this point. think of the conningtons losing all standing when joncon lost the battle and was exiled.

in any case, allyria, more than edric, grew in obscurity. as of the books she's betrothed to a marcher lord nobody knows if he's alive or dead, has a missing nephew and it's in charge of one of the most ancient first men houses of westeros. sad! at least ned is having more fun. which leads me to darkstar. i see his thirst to prove himself, his notoriety as a cruel knight as another way to separate himself from what the main branch has fallen into. he is in his twenties so he was probably affected by the same dark cloud as the others.

"If I led a quarter of a million men to death, would they call me Gerold the Great? I shall remain Darkstar, I think. At least it is mine own."

he wants to have what arthur had, but not be the sword of the morning, he wants something that it's his own, as he says. he may want the sword and the fame like arthur, but not to be associated with another's bad luck so to speak. it's very telling that he's called one of "the most dangerous man in dorne" and what is the sword of the morning if not this? he's a dark mirror of the daynes pre rebellion, just like allyria would've been a renown beauty just like ashara is she wasn't cloistered. something something gerold and allyria as mirrors of what could've happened to ashara and arthur if they hadn't the protection of the monarchy.

i once read gerold is meant to have young ned's plot after germ scrapped the five year time skip and i think this is half true. i do think there is something to be done about dawn the sword and i think gerold is going to steal it and do something with it, something ned can't do because he's /still/ in the riverlands. i don't know what but i think it ties nicely with the theme of deconstructing the noble knight archetype. arthur is only great because he knew how to kill.

writing this i had a breakdown about the parallels between arthur and gerold

to finish this rambling i want to say my hopes for house dayne in what is left of asoiaf is 1) ned alive 2) gerold steals dawn 3) and like. something. honestly i will take anything at this point about allyria. DOES SHE EVEN KNOW? my poor girl and 4) if germ wants to clear the toj situation then it's fine.

thanks for asking and to anyone reaching this point lol. this is mostly general but if you want to talk about anything specific just message me! k thx muah!

[the-artist-grimm]

11. Is there any existing character from other media that your character resembles? Was the resemblance intentional or was it a coincidence?

(also: Hi! Long time no see! How are you? c: )

Hm....you know now that I think about it, Anthea's hair actually looks like Link's from BOTW. Both their COTL-verse form, and their counterpart from my OC's world, which yeah that was very unintentional lol, I completely forgot that design for Link even looked like that.

I tend to lean towards side-parts for a lot of my characters, and the chunkier strands were just meant to imply Anthea's hair was thicker like wool, but since BOTW's model/shading style give the same blockier look it makes it more similar. Also Anthea's got the two side-burn type strands hanging down which just adds to it.

(Also hi! :D I'm doing well, thank you! I've just been busy with commissions/irl work, but Starfall Part 3 inks/color flats are just about done! Half a page left before shading!)

[ourlittleuluru]

Voyage Of The Outcast - My Thoughts 4/4

These chapters... MORE LOREEEEE and adorable moments!

Notes in Chp 9 - 10

The way Xavier was so much more concerned over MC's wellbeing over his own... 🥺

oh, he angy baby 🥺💗

and back to him being worried... the possibility that he could've lost MC for a 3rd time...

I picked the first choice the first time around and... yeah. Xavier is not happy... But I mean, come on! MC is right in this instance D':<

AND EXACTLY. THIS. These two are always so in tune with each other... They'd pull the same thing even if their roles were swapped.

The way to this man's heart isn't just food.

It's poking and squishing his face 😂

An interesting note...

The Protofield that was created was able to absorb power

1) was that effect due to Soren having specifically tuned it to do that? So that Xavier will be weak enough and can be killed?

2) or was that effect due to Xavier's memories and how Starfall forest operated. That's why he specifically calls out that once the Forest has enough energy, it will stop.

I guess I'll likely suspect the latter and the fact Xavier can be weakened was just a lucky happenstance for Soren. If only MC wasn't there :v WELL TOO BAD FOR YOU 💢

More lore drops/hints :c

There was also the place in his Tender Moment - Galactic Harmony, where they both also fell into this protofield and, Xavier also specifically noted that it felt like a trap

Mr Raincoat and Hat Guy has been really busy. And this might add to the leads that Hat Guy = Soren... if those attempts are Soren that is 🤔

okay and then Xavier pulls this thing about being afraid, less of the past but more of the future. Which was kinda referenced and addressed briefly earlier on. Tho, ngl this kinda came outta left field. Got a small chuckle out of me before... well. He's just worried about MC being reckless. Since MC also has a tendency to over do things even in the past long before.

And MC just throwing it back in his face. And Xavier dodges it. AGAIN. smh

Two peas in a pod, these two 😩

And ya know, one of the things I guessed for Xavier's branch is that they'll mention something from the Lumiere Myth. Be it the forest and Traceback II or the syringes... Turns out, it's the Traceback II! But of course... I mean... it's Starfall Forest. The place where Xavier made it his little base to do his ops at, to figure out the stuff going on for the planet's core

NGL why do I feel like he's just a little bit proud of this spaceship? Maybe it's just the line delivery, his voice sounded a bit lighter/brighter just a tad bit.

BUT MORE LORE YAY. We got the full government name of the Traceback II 😂

and here we have the 1101 number callback, to his evol police desgination number

But I'm glad that through all of this, Xavier finally let's down his wall even just a little. HE told MC Philos was his hometown.

He's been egging MC to ask him questions all the time but knowing him, and as MC also mentions, he'll just dodge it someway somehow. This time, he didn't dodge. No pretenses.

Another mention on how MC feels familiar with something from the past. I wonder if this will end up becoming a larger plot point later. It's being mentioned way too much to just be text of fluff.

And even when MC picks up the log books and all those papers, asking if Soren and Xavier are members of the Backtrackers... This time Xavier was pretty straightforward. He's slowly letting MC see more of him, even when he's operating Traceback II. EVEN ASKING MC

("I won't hide anything" my ass... You'd just dodge. That doesn't count as hiding. It's just answering the question with more questions or leaving it up to you to come to a conclusion =-=)

I know they re-use the same basic few animations but specifically this one... When MC replies that now's not the time. Almost felt like he was ready to open up but MC was kind of pushing back against him a bit.

Thankfully MC continues on though, and him going from a slight gasp of shock, to a more light hearted tone of "I'm okay with that" 🥺

AND THE PART WITH HIS VOICE RECORDING WAS SO CUTE AND HILARIOUS I CANTTTTT 😂😭

Recall the trailer and how they started off with the poem? Well more like the thing disappearing is Xavier's dignity and image 🤣

Ahhh the way he immediately was like... His dark history has come back to haunt him!!! It was so good. The way he freaked out and was so embarrassed by ittttttt

The funny thing? He was SO QUICK to retort. You can hear it in the CN dub when he says "It's not me". He said it so quickly 😂😂😂😂 mah boy was so embarrased.

MC catching on with how Xavier really doesn't want this to be brought up, just plays along with him. CUTE

Okay you know what this feels like?

This feels like his Lumiere myth. Amidst the pain and the mystery and all the stuff that's happening. There's just these little pocket instances of time where they can slip out and into a more relaxed pace. A hint of a lost time they could've had shared but are now sharing. IDK how to word it properly here but just. Yea. that.

Adorable. Hecking adorable.

And more lore tidbits. The Traceback II being able to use Evol to operate momentarily :C Along with Xavier being vulnerable again with MC, ultimately also being reassuring and fully trusting. But we know... there's a caveat...

Just him pleading here 🥺

ASDDFGHJKL... like okay... fine... you win. How to say no to this 😭

Collar mention! BUT ALSO WHEN ARE WE GONNA KNOW MORE ABOUT IT PLS INFOLD I NEED MORE DETAILS ON THIS THING

At this point MC is very well aware of what that collar flashing means and the severity of it.

Continuing... on another post because I hit the PC post image limit... whoops....

[acourtofthought]

Something I'm confused by is when Elriels insist that the twins are Elain's found family and their friendship is proof of Elriel being endgame.

I mean, I'm not saying Elain isn't friends with the twins because she is, but if they're meant to be her found family, why would they, and their friendship with Elain have been introduced already?

I've only read ACOTAR, so it might be different in other Mass books, but doesn't it make more sense for Elain to meet her found family in her own book? That way, the readers can see the love/trust develop between everyone from the very beginning instead of starting us in the halfway point, where Elain apparently already has her found family set and is only missing her endgame guy?

If the twins are Elain's found family, it just feels like the readers are missing out on a lot of possible key moments and information since they're all already friends before we've even had Elain's pov.

Your anon is very much in line with a conversation I was having with @acourtdelaluna that I had in my drafts and that I'll post screenshot of below.

The friend argument is similar to it. These are not contemporary romance book where a FMC starts off with her core group of girls that remain her core group as the series continues. Where she doesn't need her friends as anything but a sympathetic ear. In a fantasy books a FMC might have friends at the start of her journey but those friends are not the ones she's going to adventure with, to grow with. Take Hunger Games for example, Gail was Katniss's closest friend yet she grew closer to Peeta, to Finnick, to Haymitch (sort of?? haha) as the series progressed. She might keep the old friends but they aren't typically the ones who drive her character growth. Think of Fourth Wing. It was about the relationships the FMC made along the way that made the story what it was even outside her romance.

That e/riels are so distraught over the thought of Elain growing and meeting new people outside her sisters, the wraiths and Az is disheartening. They'd rather what her character is canonically known for (easily making friends) to have no part in her story because they know if Elain's world / friend group doesn't stay small, there's the chance that she'll want more than her current life.

Also if we're were supposed to care about the wraiths, why were they completely absent in SF when Elain was around? Why was Lucien at Solstice and Starfall but they weren't? Why was their only "appearance" when they brought Gwyn and Emerie tea (an off page appearance at that)? Why does Az fail to mention them at all? Why have we never witnessed a single conversation between them and Elain? Hell, we even had Amren and Nesta share dialogue in ACOWAR. We had Mor and Elain share dialogue.

It's not difficult to understand which people are meant to be important to a FMCs story because the author will make you care about them, she'll flesh them out and make them multi dimensional. We've had multiple books that feature N & C yet we know nothing about them outside the work they do for Rhys and Feyre.

This is especially true in a Sarah J Maas book. She puts as much time and care into the developing friendships as she does their endgame person. The only reason we won't see this setup for a Gwynriel book is because we've already witnessed the Nesta, Gwyn, and Emerie friendship play out in real time in Nesta's story. We don't have that for N & C though. We're told they're Elain's friends but they have no development outside of that so it shouldn't be shocking that people feel meh about them.

Regarding Elain being perfectly settled and content with the relationships in her life, this is where my conversation with acourtdelaluna comes in. Because the argument is never just that Elain already has her found family but she also already knows exactly who and what she wants -

[acotar-omegaverse-week]

Day 2 Masterlist - Turning Up the Heat

Fics and drabbles

Heated (Eris x OC) by @littlest-w01f

How Can I Loathe and Crave You? Chapter II (Feyrisand) by @starfall-spirit

imagine being loved by me Chapter II (Feysand) by @whatishowedyouinthedark

I Can Take the Upper Hand and Touch Your Body Part I (Nessian) by @c-e-d-dreamer

Ten Minutes (Emerie x Gwyn) by @velarisbynight

Fire in His Blood (Lucien x reader) by @tadpolesonalgae

a steady hand (Lucien x Cassian) by @mathiwrites

Who Turned Up the Heat? (Neris) by @nocasdatsgay

Omega Needs (Feylin -> Feysand) by @potatoplace

If we missed your submission please reach out!

divider image by tsunami-of-tears you can find them here

[transgender-whiteout]

trying to figure out starfalls design but its hard.

[id: Headshot drawing of purple grayish Nightwing dragon with dark pink eyes, freckles, thorn ear and large scar on her nose. She is smiling, two fangs poking out of her mouth. On her neck she has white cross shaped markings and there is a diamond shaped marking under her eye. She also has circular white earrings. The background is purple with white outline around her. / end id]

[rosanna-writer]

WIP Game

Rules: you will be given a word. Then you share one sentence/excerpt from your wip(s) that starts with each letter of your word.

Thank you to @starfall-spirit for the tag! My word is romance so let's go!

R: Ready for a fresh start, Feyre checked the Stars' group chat for the first time in weeks; she still felt a pinprick of guilt for not initially saying hello. (Baby, I'm the One to Beat)

O: Officials wanted to split Exy into separate men's and women's leagues, bringing an end to the world's only major all-gender, full-contact sport. (Baby, I'm the One to Beat)

M: My family had already had their lives ruined once; they would not survive it again. (we said hello and your eyes look like coming home)

A: After a while, Rhys's voice drifted into my head, as if he were too worn out to speak aloud. (we said hello and your eyes look like coming home)

N: Nesta wouldn't allow me in the house, lest any word of my involvement with the Fae get out. (we said hello and your eyes look like coming home)

C: "Communication with spies across the sea is always fraught, but the current chaos in Prythian is making it easier on the agents I have close by." (we said hello and your eyes look like coming home - Rhys POV chapter)

E: Elain was already emotional enough about the upcoming draft in a few weeks; their father had always dreamed of seeing his daughters go pro, but he hadn't lived to see it. (Baby, I'm the One to Beat)

Tagging @secret-third-thing, @yourstarsmyscars, @whatishowedyouinthedark, @zencetera, and anyone else who wants to join in! Your word is MAGIC <3

[officialfeysandweek]

Thank you to everyone who participated in Day 5 of Feysand Week!

We did our best to keep track of all of the tumblr contributions below, but if we missed anyone or made any mistakes please assume best intentions and kindly reach out to one of our mods! ✨

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📝Fics, drabbles, and poetry:

The Longest Night by @the-lonelybarricade

'Cause I'm dreaming of you tonight by @reverie-tales

Letters Never Sent, Letter V by @starfall-spirit

Resurrect Me: Chapter 2 by @popjunkie42

Out of the Woods (2/3) by @rosanna-writer

Fated bonds by @legionofshaza

Starfall | Feysand Appreciation Week by @shadowsingercassia

Lay beside me, under wicked sky by @carrieeve

So You Heard I'm A Rebel (With A Heart Made Of Stone) by @c-e-d-dreamer

footprints on my heart by @avabrynne

🎨Art:

Day 5: fated by @starfall-spirit

Feysandweek Day 5 - Bond by @shallyne

As the River Flows Fanart by @separatist-apologist

A Christmas Prince Fanart by @the-lonelybarricade

Day 5 - Fated by @oristian

🎶Misc:

FeysandWeek Moodboard by @littlest-w01f

✨The worst feysand moodboard to ever exist✨by @shallyne

I Can Do It With A Broken Heart (Rhysand's Version) x The Archer (Feyre's Version) by @shallyne

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If we missed one of your contributions, kindly reach out to one of our event runners!

Header art by @witchlingsandwyverns

[duxbelisarius]

Dune At Home: The First Dornish War, Part One

This is a project I've had on the backburner ever since I finished my Military Analysis of the Dance. I mentioned in my analysis of the Velaryon Blockade that I plan to rewrite the Dance series at some point, in light of the research and further reading I've done into the subject of pre-modern warfare. One can look at this new series focused on the First Dornish War as essentially a trial run for the rewrite, but my reasons for analyzing this war in particular go far beyond that.

The First Dornish War was the largest conflict fought by the Seven Kingdoms following unification, while its outcome cast a long shadow over the history of Westeros and the Targaryen Dynasty. There's Rhaenys' death and the affect it has on her family, the recurrent desire of future monarchs to conquer Dorne and succeed where Aegon failed, to say nothing of the way in which the events of the war have influenced and continue to influence the plot of the main ASOIAF books. While F&B only devotes 10 pages to the war as compared to the 200 taken up by the Dance, the importance of the First Dornish War far exceeds it's limited coverage, and we can probably expect to learn more about it in TWOW, ADOS, and the Aegon's Conquest series planned by HBO. This more than justifies analyzing the First Dornish War and the extent to which it is consistent with George's own worldbuilding and what we know about Medieval and Early Modern war.

This first part of the series will assess the Dornish worldbuilding, what information we have about its people, geography, environment and society as a whole. The purpose of doing this is to establish a baseline of what we can know or reasonably infer about Dorne from what the books tell us, which can then be compared to how Dorne is portrayed in F&B during the First Dornish War. I also recommend checking out the Dornish installments of the Politics of the Seven Kingdoms series written by the late Steven Attewell of Race for the Iron Throne; if you want a second opinion or more detail, his series is absolutely worth your while!

Atlas of Ice and Fire estimates that Dorne's size is approximately 328 472 square miles, using a similar process to TWOIAF editor Elio Garcia; this makes Dorne slightly smaller than Pakistan (340 509 square miles) and slightly larger than the former French Indochina (Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, c.290 000 square miles). Atlas estimates a population of c.3 million in Dorne at the time of the ASOIAF series with his calculations again using methods similar to Elio, but the population may easily be lesser or greater than these extrapolations. Unfortunately the demographics of Planetos are a mess at best, and Dorne's population and that of the Seven Kingdoms should in theory be much smaller at the time of the First Dornish War.

ADWD's map of the south and TWOIAF's map of Dorne identify 16 and 17 populated locations in Dorne respectively, excluding Ghaston Grey, the Tower of Joy, Vulture's Roost and the Water Gardens. 7 of these settlements are located in the Red Mountains, aka the Dornish Marches: Starfall, High Hermitage, Blackmont, Skyreach, Kingsgrave, Wyl and Yronwood. Dorne is divided into eastern and western halves south of the mountains, with the eastern half beginning in the hills around the source of the Vaith and Scourge rivers and extending to the Broken Arm, and Dorne's western half comprising mostly desert save for the sulfurous Brimstone River. The aforementioned maps show only two settlements in western Dorne, Sandstone and Hellholt, while the remaining 7-8 settlements are located in Eastern Dorne: Vaith, Salt Shore, Lemonwood, Sunspear, Ghost Hill, Godsgrace, The Tor and Planky Town. All of the settlements in eastern Dorne are located directly beside the Vaith, Scourge and Greenblood Rivers or to the north of them, save for Salt Shore on Dorne's southern coast.

These dispositions reflect what we know about the settlement patterns of Dorne's past from TWOIAF: the majority of the First Men settled in the Greenblood valley or the Red Mountains, with the Daynes, Fowlers and Yronwoods settling in the latter area and the Wades, Shells and many more settling by the former. Only the unnamed Lords of the Wells ventured into the western deserts, and these were a minority. Only with the arrival of the Andals do we know of named houses settling in the west, House Uller and Qorgyle, while the Martells, Allyrions, Jordaynes, Santagars and Vaiths settled in the east along the northern coast and in the river valleys. When the Rhoynar arrived in Dorne and finally settled they mainly stayed in the east near the coast and the river valleys, further cementing the Red Mountains and eastern Dorne as the most populous areas of the country.

The distribution of Dorne's population is also consistent with the information we have about it's geography and climate. George's inspirations for Dorne in this regard were Spain and Palestine, and Morocco also fits the bill, being regions where summers are hot and dry and winters are cool and wet. These areas also have the bulk of their population situated along the coast and in the major river valleys, which is again consistent with George's worldbuilding. More than three-quarters of the land south of the Red Mountains is arid wasteland according to TWOIAF, with the bulk of this land being flat save for the hills at the source of the Greenblood and it's tributaries, and a small mountain range between The Tor and Ghost Hill on Dorne's northern coast. Dorne's southern coast is some 400 leagues/c.1200 miles long according to Rodrick Harlaw, and is largely barren outside of Salt Shore with few sources of fresh water for passing ships to utilize.

It should also come as no surprise that Dorne's population distribution coincides with those areas with an abundance of fresh water, for consumption and agricultural purposes. Eastern Dorne is mostly scrubland with hard, rocky soil that relies heavily upon the Greenblood for irrigation; alongside the Brimstone and Torrentine, the Greenblood is the only river which does not dry up during any season. Potential sources of fresh water in the Red Mountains include the Torrentine and Wyl Rivers as well as an unnamed river that ends near Yronwood, alongside groundwater from wells and rain/meltwater collected from streams, springs and cisterns. Due to the Brimstone being sulfurous, fresh water in western Dorne comes primarily from wells, watering holes and oases.

The result of Dorne's varied geography, climate and population distribution a history of political division and the emergence of Dornish subcultures following Nymeria's wars. The Rhoynar arrived in Dorne less than 700 years before Aegon's Conquest, following the destruction of the Rhoynar Principalities by the Valyrian Freehold, prior to which the First Men and Andals had warred with each other and their Reacher and Stormlord neighbours for millenia. Nymeria and her people spent more than four years in the area of the Summer Sea before arriving in Dorne and allying with Mors Martell, and it took more than a decade to unify the Dornish lands. Four Dornish subcultures emerged in the centuries after the Rhoynar settled, known to us from the ASOIAF books and TWOIAF as the Stoney, Sandy and Salty Dornish, and the Orphans of the Greenblood.

The Orphans have a small population that lives on poleboats in the Greenblood valley and near Planky Town, and retain the language and gods of the Rhoynar, while the Salty Dornish live along the coast and retain some Rhoynar customs but have adopted the common tongue and the Faith of the Seven. The Sandy Dornish live in the deserts and the river valleys, and are closer to the Rhoynar than the Stony Dornish who live in the Red Mountains, some of whom may still practice male-preference primogeniture as opposed to absolute primogeniture. Internal divisions ensured conflict too place within Dorne even after unification, with Nymeria facing two rebellions during her 27 year reign according to TWOIAF. The Yronwoods rebelled several times in the centuries before Aegon's Conquest and supported 3 of the 5 Blackfyre rebellions; following the death of Nymeria's grandson Mors II, his successors the Red Princes (2 of 3 were female) faced further rebellions and sought to suppress the Rhoynar language, driving the Orphans to speak their mother tongue in secret only.

Other aspects of Dorne's worldbuilding will be discussed in greater detail in subsequent installments, but for now I believe this is a solid baseline for us to use. Similar to my analysis of the Velaryon Blockade, I'm going to offer my potential fix-its or improvements now as opposed to saving them all for a conclusion like I did with the Dance series. I think this is process is better based on the feedback I received for the Dance, as its better to highlight those aspects that still work and what areas can be made better as opposed to just listing off flaws ad nauseum. Although not perfect, I think that Dorne's worldbuilding is a step up from how the rest of the Seven Kingdoms are portrayed, being on par with the North and Iron Islands in terms of the information we're given about their socities and their cultural diversity. With the exception of the Vale and Riverlands to some extent, Westeros between the Neck and the Dornish Marches tends to blend together; for example, we have little indication of any differences in Westerlands culture between the coast and the Western Hills, or the mining communities and peasant farmers, despite having three major POVs from the Westerlands (Jaime, Cersei, Tyrion).

Dorne's cultural diversity is significant as there should be a greater variety of cultures and languages in Westeros just based on the great distances and different terrain, even among the First Men and Andals. That being said, there is one quibble I have concerning the four Dornish subcultures, specifically the 'Stony' and 'Sandy Dornish.' Rhoynar culture had a strong affinity with water due to their original home in the Rhoyne valley and use of water magic; TWOIAF also states that those who settled in Dorne preferred to live by the sea which had been their home during their wanderings, hence the 'Salty Dornish' culture. It doesn't really follow that the 'Sandy Dornish' should be more like the Rhoynar than the 'Stony' based on this information; if anything the reverse should be the case based on geography and settlement patterns.

Access to the sea is greater in the Red Mountains than the western desert thanks to the mouth of the Torrentine and the western coast of the Sea of Dorne, whereas Dorne's southern coast is mostly uninhabitable. The greater abundance of fertile land and fresh water in the mountains would better accommodate Rhoynar refugees than the more scarce resources of the western deserts; despite TWOIAF's references to water witches making "dry streams flow and deserts bloom," the majority of Dorne's population remains concentrated in the east and the Red Mountains, suggesting these were just legends or that water magic did not significantly improve the habitability of western Dorne.

The way the 'Sandy Dornish' and their culture are described is also contradictory; despite references to their living in the river valleys as well as the deserts, TWOIAF makes it clear that outside the valleys, "men live in different fashion" and describes the 'Sandy' way of life as centered around wells and oasis which support life in the desert. We also know that five of the six kings that Nymeria exiled to the wall were from the Red Mountains: Yorick Yronwood, Vorian Dayne, Garrison Fowler, Benedict Blackmont and Albin Manwoody, with Lucifer Dryland of Hellgate being the outlier. Largescale Rhoynar settlement in the marches should have been a priority for Nymeria in light of the opposition she faced from the lords of the Red Mountains, both to repopulate an area that had seen heavy fighting and ensure that the border of Dorne was settled with people that were personally loyal to her and had arranged marriages with the local houses.

The 'Stony Dornish' should be closer to the Rhoynar than the 'Sandy' on this basis alone, and this could have had interesting implications for the story and worldbuilding. Given the significant presence of the Andals in the western deserts, it would have been interesting to see how this remoteness affected the local development and practice of the Faith of the Seven. Ellaria Sand is a bastard of House Uller who are one of the Andal houses that settled in the desert, though we only get glimpses of her in ASOS, AFFC and ADWD; by having the 'Sandy Dornish' be more distinct, we could have seen how her houses' Andal roots affected her character if at all. Perhaps she would be closer to Tyene Sand due to her training to be a Septa, and Tyene could even instruct Oberyn and Ellaria's four daughters in the Faith? In fact this raises a broader criticism of the Dornish worldbuilding, being how the practice of the Faith in Dorne differs from the rest of the Seven Kingdoms. TWOIAF mentions that the more liberal sexual morays of the Rhoynar clashed with the teachings of the Faith, but is the Dornish Faith deemed schismatic? Were there any conflicts with the Faith hierarchy? This is a subject that would be worth exploring since the in-universe author of TWOIAF, Maester Yandel, insists that the Andals learned ironworking from the Rhoynar and that there were relations between the two peoples prior to the Andal migrations. Did Rhoynar beliefs affect the development of the Faith in Essos and vice-versa, and did this have any affect on the adopting of the Faith by the Rhoynar that settled in Dorne?

We're going to cover more issues with the worldbuilding of Dorne once we start discussing the First Dornish War itself, but for now these are the extent of my issues as concerns the foundational worldbuilding. I believe George did a solid job of constructing it despite some flaws, and that greater issues mainly arise when trying to square this portrayal of Dorne with what we're shown in the Dornish Wars.

[astra-aeterna]

WIP Game

Rules: you will be given a word. Then you share one sentence/excerpt from your wip(s) that starts with each letter of your word.

tysm for the tag @starfall-spirit <3 my word is ROMANCE.

R - "Right, she wasn't in her own bedroom. A little thrill ran through her at the reminder of everything that had happened last night." (aced it, chapter 13)

O - "Over the next two weeks, her walks to the cafe become her favorite moments of her days. She gets to be out in the chilly winter air, by herself, with no husband breathing down her shoulder about etiquette and proper behavior." (Damage Control - aka the politician's wife au - chapter 1)

M - "'My name is Rhys,' he explains gently, sitting up slightly on the bed, his movement slow, as if she's a skittish animal he'll scare away if he moves too fast. 'I'm an escort. Yours, for the night.'" (sex work au, chapter 1)

A - "And she doesn't regret it, even when Rhys stills again, his hands clenched tightly atop his thighs. So he's bothered by her words? Good, she thinks vindictively, he should be bothered. He put me in all those situations in the first place." (untitled oneshot in progress)

N - "Need you, Daddy. 'Of course, princess. I've got you. Daddy's got you.'" (dd/lg oneshot in progress)

C - “Can I request that if you fuck in the living room, you put a blanket down on whatever surface you’re doing it on beforehand? I don’t want to have to clean cum stains out of the couch cushions. Again.” (aced it, chapter 12)

E - "Even as Rhys gently let go of her hand and the tech wheeled him through the doors into the surgical area, she stayed rooted to the spot, vacantly staring at the place where his face had been a few moments before." (aced it, chapter 11)

enjoy the teasers of chapters of aced to come! they're very out of context <3 and enjoy the little bits of everything else that's going on in my docs

my word for my beloved tagged friends shall be... FLIGHT

no pressure tags: @littedidyouknow, @lady-bluebird-luv, @toporecall, and @berd-writes

[anonymous-dentist]

I accidentally deleted the ask asking for more fic recs, so here’s my list here! I’m gonna focus on newer/in-progress fics this time.

1. the feeling of being in motion again (viewer discretion advised)

This one’s good. It was uploaded literally last night/this morning but I LOVE it! It’s got that good f!Cell/c!Roier roadtrip stuff I love, and it’s written very very well. Viewer discretion advised for the usual murder and cannibalism stuff, but it’s nothing much more graphic than any other fic with them tbh

2. think of all the horrors that i promised i would bring

I’m not a huge fan of superhero aus, but this one slaps! It’s about Cellbit being hired to find out who the hell Spider-Man is, and he’s very annoyed about it. And everything. Idk guys, it’s just good. Read it.

3. (it's the norm for animals, it's the norm for chemicals)

One-shot about how q!Cellbit sees q!Jaiden. It’s good, I love how it’s technically crack but like. Curtains are blue moment, it’s all a metaphor for their relationship outside of cat-and-bird. 10/10, short and sweet.

4. you've cat to be kitten me

One-shot. It’s a college au in which Roier decides to be a furry to save his one true love from the evil RA Quackity. It’s silly, it’s cute, I like it, you should read it.

5. Starfall

GUYS IT’S A SPACE AU. It’s SO fun so far. One chapter in, and I have a feeling it’ll be a great read for the rest of its run. 100% check it out, it’s awesome, I can’t wait for more

6. Let A Spider Run Alive

I’m a sucker for a good fantasy au, and this one’s checking off all the boxes. It’s got Prince Roier, Catboy Cellbit, swords and sorcery, dragons. Idk how often this one will upload, but I have a feeling the wait will be worth it

7. Imposter Syndrome

One-shot. It’s the Among Us au. Enough said here

[kale-theteaqueen]

To Pay a Debt, Chapter 45

---

The bright light of Nesta’s flames lit the night sky in radiant shades of orange, yellow, silver, and blue. More vibrant than the auroras that often graced the Illyrian territories, her power created a sight so spectacular that, for a moment, it may have even rivaled Starfall.

Azriel couldn’t fight the grin that tugged at his lips, the knowledge that his beloved little sister had, indeed, freed herself from whatever ridiculous plans the Iron Crest resistance had for her settling satisfyingly in his chest.

Beside him, he heard the long breath that whooshed from Cassian, and turned his head to witness the sag in his shoulders, the relief that had his face nearly slack. He seemed beyond words. And though Azriel may not have had a mate, he felt he could empathize, just a little

---

Tag List: @c-e-d-dreamer @podemechamardek @talkfantasytome @moodymelanist @whyisaravenlike-awritingdesk @doriansgf @eerievixen @sweet-pea1 @thewayshedreamed @agents-assemble @jsmelodies @aelinchocolatelover @unlikelypersonalknight1 @slipknotvol3 @stylishmuser @lady-winter-sunrise @bri-loves-sunflowers @misswonderflower

[elucienweekofficial]

AO3 Collection・Instagram・Twitter・Masterlist

Thank you so much to everyone who participated in Elucien Week 2023! We are so grateful to everyone who took the time to create content and engage with the week!

We'll be keeping an eye on any stragglers in the tags and updating the masterlists accordingly. Also stay tuned for one final surprise from the moderators before we finish out the week officially 👀

📝Fics:

Lead Me Into the Light by @velidewrites

A Blaze in the Dark by @the-lonelybarricade

Meet Me at Midnight by @starfall-spirit

Ars Amatoria by @fieldofdaisiies

DILF Daydreamin' by @labellefleur-sauvage

Elucien hate sex by @darklove9314-blog

I'll Take You To The Boba Shop by @areyoudreaminof

I Was Enchanted To Meet You by @c-e-d-dreamer

The Fire Won't Burn Me by @separatist-apologist

I can't face reinvention (I haven't met the new me yet) by @midnightmasterpiece

Weightless by @asnowfern

put your lips close to mine (as long as they don't touch) by @belabellissima

Both Forever and Rather Die by @foundress0fnothing

Love on Water Lillies by @vulpes-fennec

The Fox in the Garden by @writtenonreceipts

Across the Stars by @velidewrites

The Highland Fox and The English Rose by @labellefleur-sauvage

lost in your current (like a priceless wine) by @a-novel-blog

Modern AU Spicy Prompt Fill by @aldbooks

Frost and Fire by @aldbooks

🎨Art:

Flyboy Lucien and Naboo Senator Elain by @stickyelectrons

"Oh~there you are...♡" by @witchlingsandwyverns

Elucien embracing by @fieldofdaisiies

Elucien sleeping beauty AU by @devilsnightz

fluff!Elucien by @brielyasmin

The Boba Shop AU - comissioned by @separatist-apologist from artist @zolyna_

The Great Elucien - comissioned by @iambutmortal from artist @/vinc_ry

Las Vegas Wedding AU by @cursebrkr

Elain and Lucien | Outlander Inspired - comissioned by @acourtdelaluna from artist @/artcraawl

Modern Rio de Janeiro and Cyberpunk São Paulo by @westrangecollectionkoalaposts

Domestic Elucien sketch by @corcracrow

Anakin and Padme Elucien by @wittyrejoinder

Elucien secret garden vibes by @dopeartisanprincess

sleepy by @laxibbeb

Elain Archeron and Lucien Vanserra by @afoliveira

Furry AU by @mei_lfong

Elucien WIP by @mossytrashcan

Sith Elain and Jedi Lucien - comissioned by @separatist-apologist and @the-lonelybarricade from @witchlingsandwyverns

Elucien 80s fashion - commissioned by @sanktadu and artist @lib-arts

Lucien VanBowser and Princess Elain - comissioned by @kingofsummer93 from artist @carasalexandra

Golden Hour - comissioned by @foreverinelysian from artist @tropicoola

🎶Misc:

ELAIN & LUCIEN: MODERN AU moodboard by @octobers-veryown

Court of Ties and Destinies tiktok in English and in Portuguese by @lloorryy

Her Burning Light moodboard and drabble by @sunshinebingo

Reasons why Elucien is happening by @elucienhasmywholeheart

Elucien quotes: 1, 2, 3, and 4 by @ofduskanddreams

-

If we missed one of your contributions, kindly reach out to one of our event runners!

🎨: mallorydraws