#middleland

[himalayanpiedmont]

Exploring the breathtaking beauty of Spiti, the Middle Land nestled in the heart of the Himalayas 🏞️

For Inquiries and Bookings Contact ☎+918580760056 Visit: linktr.ee/himalayanpiedmont

[hippieinhills]

Winter Spiti Expedition 2023 Give 2023 a fresh jump start by visiting the holy land of Spiti in its Winter avatar this season. The middle land with its freezing temperatures and harsh climatic conditions will definitely bring the high adventure value to your Trip this January. We leave next on January 7th. Join us! . . #spiti #winterspiti #wintersinspiti #spitiinwinters #piti #middleland #keymonastery #travel #exploration #winteravatar #harshwinters #roadtrip #jeepsafari #adventure #travelwithhippieinhills #travelwithlocals #himalayas #hippieinhills (at Spiti Valley) https://www.instagram.com/p/CmvTpLbpiGU/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[middleland]

Take Me Home, Country Roads by Christa Binder

[maplesuckup]

I got locked out of tumblr on desktop, but I have photos to post </3

[litcityblues]

'Last Argument of Kings' --A Review

I didn't understand why this trilogy got tagged with the 'grimdark' label until I got to the end of the final book in the trilogy, Last Argument of Kings. I took them more to be a hyper-violent, highly realistic, pulpy, blood-spattered fantasy until we got to the end of this book, and hot damn is it kind of bleak.

I also- freely admit- that I looked ahead at the summaries for the next trilogy in the series (The Age of Madness) and thus spoiled some of it for myself-- but figuring out how it all came together, in the end, was interesting to watch (or to listen to, rather.)

At the end of the last book, our heroes had reached their destination only to find that The Seed they were looking for is no longer there, so faced with no other choice they return home and go their separate ways. Logen returns to the north, Ferro sticks with Bayaz to see if his promise of revenge comes through and Jezal goes back to Ardee West.

In short order, things change rapidly: Jezal is on the verge of resigning his commission to marry Ardee when he's given new orders to go out and put down a peasant uprising. He does this- just in time for the old King of the Union to finally die. With both Crown Princes gone, a succession struggle immediately begins and Glokta is thrown into the middle of it by Archlector Sult, who charges him with making sure the candidate they prefer wins. Bayaz, however, has other ideas and reveals Jezal to be a bastard son of the old King, places him on the Throne, and marries him off to Terez, the daughter of Duke Orso of Styria.

Logen returns to the north and reunited with his crew, offers the Union an alliance to finish off Bethod once and for all. The Northmen bait a trap for him and his armies come and while they're fighting off and waiting for the Union, Marshall Burr, West's mentor and friend finally dies and neither Marshall Polder nor Kroy are going to a damn thing until they find out who is in charge, which leaves the Northmen hanging. Agonizingly, it takes awhile for news to reach Adua and then return but Jezal, now King, gets irritated at his advisors and puts West in charge. West gets the army moving and comes to the aid of Logen and company just in time. Bethod is left besieged in the city of Karlium.

The long hinted-at Gurkish invasion of Middleland begins and before the Union army is pulled from the North, West gives Logen a day to sort the problem of Bethod once and for all-- he defeats the Feared in single combat and kills Bethod and is proclaimed King. He gathers the Northmen willing to go and heads back to fight the Gurkish.

Glokta in the meantime, has been put to work figuring out the true motives behind Bayaz's behavior and plans and doesn't seem to be coming up with anything much at all. He is, however, developing a certain amount of companionship/friendship with Ardee West as both are cynics and completely open with their own foibles and failings and willing to if not forgive each other for them, then certainly understand them. Ardee won't leave, even as the Gurkish begin the siege, and gets caught up with Glokta as things come to a culmination.

I'm going to stop there and give a strong SPOILER ADVISORY from this point on because I have to talk about the end and I don't want to spoil the end of these books for anyone who hasn't read them yet. So, consider this your SPOILER WARNING and SCROLL AWAY.

...3

...2

...1

Okay, the end: this is where I truly brought in to the grimdark of it all. Do the Gurkish win? No, of course not-- but everyone pays a price for it in one way or another in the end. Ardee, pregnant with Jezal's baby, gets married to Glokta and they honestly seem if not the happiest, then certainly the most content at the end. Her brother, West, however, is affected by the wasting sickness unleashed by Ferro and Bayaz's use of the seed against the One Hundred Eaters of the Gurkish- it doesn't seem as widespread as it was when they revealed it was used on the ruined city of Alcus in the far west, but it's still out there.

Jezal's wife, Terez is blackmailed into sleeping with her husband. Jezal, not knowing this, cannot understand her sadness and realizes that he, like the Union is under the thrall of the man behind the curtain himself, Bayaz.

I loved this, because, in fantasy, the powerful wizard tends to be virtuous, if occasionally bad-tempered (see: Gandalf) or powerful with a fondness for drink and not dressing the part (see: Belgarath) but I haven't actually come across a wizard in fantasy that so thoroughly embraces the role of all-powerful manipulative prick as Bayaz does. He's behind everything as it turns out. He is the Bank of Valent and Bolk that lent Glokta a million marks he can't repay. He arranged for Jezal's ascension. He makes it clear to both that they govern and do things the way he wants them done otherwise he's going to come back and he won't be happy about it.

Ferro, forever altered and driven slightly insane by the use of The Seed realizes that she has powers that make her more or less immune to the Eaters and very hard to kill. She sets off south to get her vengeance. (She too, might be the happiest of all the characters.)

Logen, who basically tells Bayaz to take a hike, despite Bayaz's warnings of what will happen if he does, returns home to find that a few people have other ideas about who should be King and winds up bringing the trilogy full circle by crashing through a window and dropping down below into a raging river.

Overall: The Bayaz Heel Turn I did not see coming and honestly, it almost undid the entire trilogy for me. Everything else is fine-- Logen has bad luck and wouldn't make that good of a King anyway. Jezal seems to be heading toward being a competent King- but not all marriages have to be happy, so that felt in keeping with the overall tone of the books. Glokta getting all the power only to find that he can't really use any of it is the perfect ending for that character- and honestly, remains amongst my favorite characters of this trilogy if not in the genre as a while- and his marrying Ardee works too. Even Ferro going off to get her revenge is fine.

But the Bayaz Heel Turn... almost cheapens the entire trilogy. Because what does it all mean if Bayaz has been manipulating everything the whole time? Why should we care? We get hints of Mamoon and Kalool and we don't actually see the big fight we should have seen. Don't get me wrong: it's an interesting subversion of what you usually see in fantasy, so I appreciate it for that- but it doesn't stick the landing. Therefore, I will have to say: My Grade: *** out of ****. (Those are stars, not censored curse words.)

[krakrac]

Overview of Kélas and Shadows of the Past

posting this so anyone interested in my ramblings about OCs knows at least a little bit of wtf im on lmao

What is Kélas and Shadows of the Past?

Kélas is the one and only fictional continent that my OCs inhabit and where my story Shadows of the Past (and others, such as Yrsk's prequel Seven Circles of Death) is set. It has been in the works since 2017 and it's still unfinished. I have technically finished it in 2020 but I grew unsatisfied with a lot of stuff in it, so now it's in a really slow process of being written all over again. It's in Czech only and I definitely don't plan an English translation.

The setting

The classic: medieval high fantasy with a little bit of magic and non-human beings (wyvern shapeshifters and harpies). As of the beginning of Shadows of the Past, there are four sovereign kingdoms – Northern Union, Parlene-Sekardian Federation, Middleland Alliance and Southern Empire (also often called Lynirosan Empire). They all consist of a number of smaller autonomous units but talking about all of them would make this post billion times longer.

I could say the inspirations are very euro-centric but lately I've been working hard on making every culture it's own unique thing, with real-world inspirations being mostly only superficial. Likely influenced by my constructed languages.

There is also a little bit of magic involved but yapping about it would also significantly lengthen this post. The important thing is that it cannot be learned, a person has to born with it, and that it stems from the ability to control the invisible threads of magic present in everything on Kélas. The magic isn't extra strong – actually, killing a person with magic directly is nearly impossible.

The characters

And finally, the OCs. The "main" ones and my favorites are Nyr, the very main protagonist of Shadows of the Past (the book is written from his perspective), and Yrsk, the second protagonist, who is present throughout the entirety of the story. These two later become lovers.

Another two characters from the main cast are Snori and Hara. They become lovers as well, but significantly quicker than the guys who are having their slowburn homoerotic bromance with angst and shit for like half of the novel. They travel with Nyr and Yrsk and are their good friends (mlm and wlw solidarity ftw).

And the last guy to join the main cast is Veran. A so called most incapable bounty hunter on the entire continent. Yrsk has beef with him kind of.

I might not talk about her often but the main antagonist and villain of the story is the Empire's current ruler, Rivalis Angara III. Hikaria. She took the throne when she was just 7 years old, after the mysterious death of her parents. She might be insane, who knows. Speaking of her, another noteworthy character is her cousin Venrask Sentangar, a son to the lord of Sentia, who helped her keep the throne while being just 14 years old.

And to mention another antagonist (with a question mark), there is Kirjan, a guy, perhaps an asshole, only loyal to himself and Venrask, noone else. He has beef with the main cast for Reasons and a weird relationship with Nihka. Weird as in even I don't know what exactly is happening between them but it might be fruity.

Now, the wyvern shapeshifters (often called just dragons or shapeshifters) – they lost their shapeshifting powers about 700 years ago and to this day, nobody knows why. But for some reason, there suddenly appeared a bunch of dragons capable of shapeshifting, tied to the Empire and causing problems for our protagonists. Among those are Hrafnur, Raroh, Ahke, Syranna, Nihka, Vahan, Rajka, Vida and more (13 in total, not all of them are named yet).

Another two frequently mentioned characters are Kaija and Yarhaq, appearing only in Seven Circles of Death. Kaija was Yrsk's lover and Yarhaq was Yrsk's master who taught him everything about fighting, killing and surviving. They were both killed by Lynirosans, hence Yrsk's grudge against the Empire.

And finally, Ki Luram, or Sand or Písek in Czech. They are a character who lived in Rasan 700 years ago and their story is not fleshed out yet, but I really like them and drawing them is also fun:)

---

And that is all for the basics! Questions about anything and anyone (I absolutely did Not mention all of the characters) are more than welcome:)

[inthenameofadho]

Wrote some banter a while ago as practice for Zephyrine (sometimes their personalities meld together in my head), thought I’d post it :) below cut

Act 1

Juno: Bloodvalley, yeah? Not a terribly inviting name. I’d wager it’s those pilgrims own fault for settling there.

Jolene: Oh, but valleys are so pretty… the blood part does put a damper on it, though, doesn’t it?

Jean: Maybe the pilgrims were optimists.

Juno: Bloodflower… no, that’s vampire stuff. Bloodmoon? No, vampires. Bloodpuppy— you know what? I think I know what happened to these pilgrims.

Jolene: Did they find a Bloodpuppy?

Jean: The Bloodpuppy found them, I think.

——

Julius: Have you traveled this part of the Middlelands before, Jean?

Jean: I have traveled no part of the Middlelands, Sir.

Julius: Truly? But you were a noble.

Jean: A noble, yes. Just not an adventurous one. I spent most of my life confined to the palace. Was rarely allowed to leave.

Julius: That… is terrible. I am sorry to hear this, Jean.

Jean: There are worse things, I suppose.

——

June: Have you heard the tale of The Killing of the False Gods? It was written by La’Adho herself. Or so they claim.

Johann: Who is they? The false gods?

June: Probably not. They’re dead. I think somebody wrote a book about it…

——

Johann: Oh, Nymm. What are we going to do?

Julius: To whom do you speak?

Johann: Hm? Oh, just my informant. I tell him everywhere you guys go, and he sends mercenaries to execute you. They should be catching up soon.

Julius: …

Johann: I’m joking, Julie.

Julius: We shall see.

——

Jean: Swyrhan is sacred, you know.

June: So is Tadia, but you invoke her name every chance you get.

Jean: Tadia isn’t wordly and couldn’t care less about what Jean Bellamont is doing in some indeterminate corner of Alderwick.

June: Oh? Did she tell you that?

Jean: Let us march over to her temple and she can tell you herself.

——

Jolene: You are very good at preventing disaster, Juno.

Juno: Hm?

Jolene: I mean— a child is teetering on the edge of a cliff, about to fall, and then you whisk him away! Or a civilian is standing in direct line of a stampede, and you shout for them to move at the last second! How do you do it?

Juno: Ah! I had cats growing up.

Jolene: Oh? How did having cats develop such a skill?

Juno: Well, when you see them up on the shelf, about to knock over a one-of-a-kind vase, you really only have a few seconds to act.

Jolene: I see…

Act 2

Jolene: You were a noble, right?

Jean: That I was. What brought this on?

Jolene: It’s just... those rogues, in Kilmere. Are all nobles…?

Jean: What? Evil?

Jolene: I didn’t mean—

Jean: No. You’d be right. That’s exactly what they are.

Jolene: But not you, yeah?

Jean: Ask me in a few months. I’ll have an answer for you then.

——

Juno: Are you going to the fair, Johann?

Johann: The fair? What, in Dayledew? Heavens, no. Why would I?

Juno: Oh, no reason. It’s just that it’s such a beloved part of Dayled culture, and Bella has been down lately…

Johann: I am sighing at you. Very loudly. You just can’t hear me because you cannot think a sigh.

Juno: Is it a defeated sigh?

Johann: It is.

——

June: There have been sightings of Marred in the plains around Kilmere.

Jolene: Have there really? Any casualties?

June: A little hamlet just south of here. It was a small hoard, but a hoard nonetheless.

Jolene: I… I will petition the Sovereign. If I could establish a field hospital there, would you…?

June: Until my dying breath, Jolene.

Jolene: Let us hope it does not come to that.

——

Johann: Here. I picked this up for you while we were in Fufu.

Jean: I… Johann, this is authentic Dayled silk. Where did you get this? Did the Bookkeeper sell it to you?

Johann: Sell is a strong word…

——

Julius: How do you find your blades?

Juno: With my eyes.

Julius: I mean— do they suit you?

Juno: No? They are weapons, and I am not garb.

Julius: You are impossible.

Juno: And you are daft. Nothing in the world could make me use those clunky greatswords of yours.

——

Julius: Why does Tanwen call you van Blair?

Johann: She must not like my first name.

Julius: Hmm.. it makes sense. Your first name is a trick; it is not pronounced how it is spelled.

Johann: Neither is Jean’s, and Tanwen addresses him properly.

Julius: He is a noble. Technically, she is addressing him improperly.

Johann: So how should she call him? Prince Bellamont of Summerpeak?

Julius: If she did, I think he’d… wither like a flower and die.

Act 3

Juno: Word on the street is there’s Syndicate activity in Fufu.

Johann: Syndicate activity in Fufu is like Marred on Samsara; it isn’t possible.

Juno: And Marred on Samsara are much like traitors; they’re right under your nose.

Johann: Good thing I showered.

Juno: Now that I don’t believe.

——

Juno: Remind me to never again delve into a dank old Fae cave.

June: Really? I thought you liked the Fae.

Juno: I do like the Fae. I just don’t like caves. Neither do the Fae themselves, which is why Fae caves are particularly unpleasant.

June: Will you write a dissertation on this phenomenon?

Juno: Not if it involves more caves.

——

Jolene: How is your head, Bella?

Jean: Loud.

Jolene: Louder than before?

Jean: No, not exactly. Before it was loud like an argument a few rooms over. Right now, it’s loud like somebody is speaking right into my ear… are they?

Jolene: No, Jean. There’s nobody there.

Jean: Oh. I could have sworn…

——

Julius: Have you spoken with Donisvek?

June: Have I spoken with— …yes, I have. It feels like I cannot stop speaking with him. Wherever we go, there he is… pestering us.

Julius: I could take care of that for you. If you’d like.

June: You really are such a charmer, Westwood.

——

Johann: “Dear Juniper. My most sincere apologies, I have not found the time to write you. With Lillemor gone, I can scarcely find the time to write the Banneret. Speaking of, did you know that…” wow. Your librarian really likes the Banneret.

Juno: Why shouldn’t she? Just because you’re a Godless— are you reading my mail?!

——

Jolene: You elves must not like talking.

Johann: I beg your pardon?

Jolene: Quietwood… Silent Palace… really, it’s a bit much.

Johann: I suppose we don’t have much to say.

Jolene: I could think of a few things you could say, Johann.

Johann: Like?

Jolene: “Sorry.”

[kiwimadegames]

'Chronicles of Galdurvale' (2022) By: Luminous Games (Christchurch) For: PC Guide Amelia as she journeys from Middleland to the floating isles of Sky World. Links: - Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1175870/Chronicles_of_Galdurvale/?curator_clanid=10060090

[chicklitcafe]

The Wall by Brian Penn - Award Winner

The Wall by Brian Penn He could live forever. But is he willing to pay the price? It’s 2099, and the former United States of America is in the midst of another civil war. In the wake of a revolutionary technology that grants people a second chance at life, an impenetrable wall divides the prosperous nation of Zion from the slums of MiddleLand. Stuck inside the wall and desperate to reunite with…

[garageprojectmotorcycles]

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A post shared by Himalayan Heroes UK (@himalayan_heroes_uk)

This is on the way to Kalpa near Kinnaur on the #topoftheworld and #superscramble and #middleland adventures. Thanks to Khan who shot this video with his 🥔. . The is an 8 day version of the Middle Land adventure that sees you arrive in Delhi on Saturday night and depart Delhi the following Saturday night. No one packs as much adventure into such a short time! . #adventure #adventureisoutthere #8days #adventuretime #worktolive #traveltime #squeezeitin #RoyalEnfield

[middleland]

OH 225 Paris, OH by Daniel Westfall

[flamewatercircus]

@wtferret #fireshow @middlelandsfest 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 Photos by @summer.serenity Performing at @middlelandsfest for @insomniacevents #cilantrotheclown #wtferret #summerserenity #firebreather #hoopbreathing #realmenhoop #mdso #mentaldexterity #middlelandsclan #middlelands #insomniacevents #fireperformer #meteordart #palmtorches #orb #stationaryorb #firebreathing #flamewatercircus https://www.instagram.com/p/BrvtYtPBmZD/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1a26l42skgvt

[followtheherb]

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Blunts under the sun ☀️

[666drugssexandhairlesscats999]

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Griz🎷

[festfashions]

This look would have been so cute at Middlelands! I love the chainmail bra and the way she layered her socks!

Nocturnal Wonderland, 2017

[mizzalovesyou]

Have you followed my Facebook page yet?! Or my Instagram!? @rabraofficial check it out! Get a custom by me! Totally worth it and the price is always right! #edc #edcorlando #electriczoo #electricforest #ultramusicfestival #ultra #edclasvegas #coachella #custom #rave #life #fun #dressup #imaginefestival #raveoutfit #RaLife #RaBra #california #newyork #miami #Orlando #Tampa #smf #ravebabes #dreamstate #middlelands #dreamstate #escape #Okeechobee #bellydance (at Saint Petersburg, Florida)