#myles of olau

[morphmaker]

Song of the Lioness No. 11: Thom has fallen in with a bad crowd at court.

[idreamtiflew]

Ya'll. My favorite fanfic ever seems to be gone. I read that Archive of Our Own was being cyber attacked or something, and that some works did not make it. Lisafer on AO3 and Fief Goldenlake wrote a phenomenal fic about a romance between Sir Myles of Olau and Wyldon Cavall whilst he is at the castle training to become a knight. It is called "Paragons of Knightley Virtue." It. Is. So. Good. And it's gooone!! I hope to someday find it again, because Great Mithros, it is so fire.

[kingedmundsroyalmurder]

Myles of Olau had insisted on throwing a party for his adopted daughter’s twenty-fifth birthday. Thom would have been perfectly happy to stay out of it entirely, but Alanna wouldn’t hear of it. “It’s your birthday too,” she’d reminded him, and refused to entertain any of Thom’s protestations that he didn’t care about his birthday and he didn’t like any of her friends and that the best birthday present she could offer him would be to let him stay home. He had not been allowed to stay home. He had been dressed in new robes and dragged to the keep at Pirate’s Swoop, where he had spent the evening and much of the night celebrating his sister’s admittedly monumental achievement of surviving an entire quarter century. He had even, he admitted to Alanna later, somewhat enjoyed himself, and it had been worth the dent his pride took in admitting that to see the genuine pleasure on her face when he told her as much.

We're working some Themes with Thom and Alanna's relationship, most of which require way more context than just excerpts, but one big through-line is that the one (1) emotion Thom will admit to himself that he has is that he loves Alanna and wants her to be happy. And honestly? It's his most redeeming quality and it's very cute.

[mihrsuri]

“I was always a rebel" & Tortall?

Content Note: child abuse and grooming. From this prompt meme (please feel free to send me more everyone)

Alex becomes a spy and tells almost no one. It has never been safe to do so, not when Roger of Conte is what he is - not when Alex could see how he himself could have so easily fallen for the Duke’s allure. Not when it would mean the doom of his dearest friends. No, Alex will pretend, even if it means they can no longer be his friends.

Sometimes he wakes up in the night, thinking about who he might have been had he not met George Cooper, had not found a purpose and a Trickster God in Corus and gained a concealed immunity to all that Roger is and does.

What he never tells George or Myles of Olau or later, any of his friends is that Roger takes him to bed as well as into his service as a squire. Alex never lets himself think he truly knows Roger, he cannot afford to, but he does, he thinks, know him very well. What he does know is he is the only person Roger has ever trusted completely - there is a satisfaction in fooling him so entirely, though Alex of Tirrigan can never be complacent about any of it. He cannot afford to, not when so much hangs in the balance.

“Oh Alan - he’s not much for thinking and he certainly does not want to think of magic - I’m inclined to believe Olau found something in some ancient tome.”

His voice is light, as he lies in Rogers arms and inside he wonders that he can so easily hide his rage and fear - gods, the fear that he could have failed. That Roger could have become the King. For Alex must walk a knifes edge, to make sure that Roger continues to trust him and to make sure he saves all those he loves.

The young knight does not always win.

There is a part of him, a large part, after Rogers first death who wants to let it all go, but he knows he cannot, somehow. A spies intuition, that says no, no I must stay behind my mask.

“Keep me under suspicion” he says to Myles, to Jon, to Alanna. “Just to be sure”

The relief when it works, when Roger pulls him into a crushing kiss, when he returns - a kiss that feels so very wrong. Alex wants to scream at Thom, but Thom will not, cannot listen. And Alex can see, oh he can see how different it is when Roger is with Thom. He hates it.

“There was never any need to be jealous, my Alex. He and Delia are tools, nothing more. But you, you my perfect loyal squire, you have always been more to me than I ever expected”

Oh Alex knows that Roger will make him Kings Champion and have him share his bed always, should Roger become King. The image closes around him, like the vision from the Chamber of the Ordeal until he and Alanna together put a sword into Roger of Conte’s heart.

“I was always a rebel” he says “Always” 

Later he holds the children of the friends who have become family in his arms and weeps in relief. 

[lbibliophile-atla]

Niche crossover realisation: Iroh is Myles of Olau. 

Supportive father figure, who is generally considered lazy and harmless, obsessed with games and drink (tea and pai sho versus alcohol and chess), but is fiercely protective when needed and good at forcing you to think about hard questions. Ends up as a form of spymaster.

[grapefruittwostep]

It’s really self indulgent of me to draw Myles of Olau given that he’s a pretty minor character, but Chivalry Dad has a special place in my heart

[goodgrammaritan]

Kel in a nutshell:

Myles sighed. "It's my misfortune to be dumped amid so many warrior stoics," he remarked.

"Sir?" she asked, confused. That sounded like the best company in the world.

"First Test" by Tamora Pierce

Did I not say she was a stoic? Oh my sweet girl.

[fromedennn]

Song of the Lioness Quotes Everyone Should Know

“Alan, you seem to think we won't like you unless you do things just like everyone else. Have you ever thought we might like you because you're different?” - Raoul, Alanna: The First Adventure

“I truly love our Code of Chivalry. We are taught that noblemen must take everything and say nothing. Noblemen must stand alone. Well, we're men, and men aren't born to stand alone.” - Myles, Alanna: The First Adventure

“I believe in deeds, not words.” - Alanna, Alanna: The First Adventure

“Moral issues rarely have yes or no answers.” - Myles, Alanna: The First Adventure

“Your place in life you can always change, whether you have the gift or not. But you cannot change what the gods have made you. The sooner you accept that, the happier you'll be.” - Eleni, Alanna: The First Adventure

“He was stupid. If I killed everyone who was stupid, I wouldn't have time to sleep.” - Alanna, In the Hand of the Goddess

“Why do boys say someone acts like a girl as if it were an insult?” - Alanna, In the Hand of the Goddess

“‘You like to be busy, don’t you, Squire Alan?’ ‘I don’t like to waste my time. Isn’t that the same thing?’“ - Alanna, In the Hand of the Goddess

“’I think as a human being,’ she retorted. ‘Men don't think and differently from women - they just make more noise about being able to.’‘ - Alanna, The Woman Who Rides Like a Man

“You’re brave, to admit you don’t know everything and then do something about it.” - Myles, The Woman Who Rides Like a Man

“No can always be changed to yes, but it’s very hard to change yes to no.” - Myles, The Woman Who Rides Like a Man

“Have you ever noticed that when you try to deny some part of yourself, things fall out so you need that part more than any other?” - Alanna, The Woman Who Rides Like a Man

“Someday [Alanna] would have to leave him--no love could last when he feared  part of her” - Alanna, Lioness Rampant

“Either I’ve turned stupid, or life’s turned hard.” - Jonathan, Lioness Rampant

“’That’s a pretty dress. Are you wearing it for anyone in particular?’ ‘Yes,’ she snapped. ‘Myself.’” - Alanna, Lioness Rampant

“You know something? There are sandstorms that strip man and horse and bury them — I've seen them. I saw bones piled higher than my head for the folly of a bad king and those who wanted his throne. I lived through a blizzard that froze every other living creature solid. Against those things, you're only a man. I can deal with you.” - Alanna, Lioness Rampant

By: @tamorapierce

[mithral-marshalltown]

"I truly love our Code of Chivalry. We are taught that noblemen must take everything and say nothing. Noblemen must stand alone. Well, we're men, and men aren't born to stand alone."

"Nobles are," Alanna replied. "Or they have to. Isn't that the same thing?"

Myles shook his head. "No, it isn't."

[harrypotterhousequotes]

HUFFLEPUFF: “I’m an everyday man. I like my books and my brandy and my friends. I like everything in its place, and I like to know today where I'll be tomorrow.” –Tamora Pierce (Myles of Olau: Alanna: The First Adventure)

[ladylingua]

hella rude, man

[tiny-fandoms-quotes]

Myles: Alright kids, remember the main rules of first aid:

Myles: We treat outside ouchies with rubbing alcohol and inside ouchies with drinking alcohol.

Alanna: Are you okay?

[90stvqueen]

let's talk about keladry of mindelan

[idreamtiflew]

More POTS era (give or take) Tortall characters par moi using the Artbreeder software :) 

Queen Thayet of Conte

King Jonathan of Conte

Buriram Tourakom

Raoul of Goldenlake

Wyldon of Cavall 

Alanna of Pirate's Swoop and Olau

George Cooper of Pirate’s Swoop

Myles of Olau

Numair Salmalin

Veralidaine Sarrasri 

[agardenandlibrary]

Alright I spent so long thinking about shields and knights in Tortall that I needed to sit down and re-read Song of the Lioness.

Alanna: The First Adventure

First off, I see where the title "First Test" came from. Or maybe I'm making that up. Just seems like it was a purposeful callback to the OG lady Knight books.

Here they go!!

Use your healing magic. Use it all you can, or you won’t cleanse your soul of death for centuries.

Maude has a lot of wisdom. And she and Coram basically raised the twins! I love the bit where Alanna’s in Roger’s magic class and she thinks “Maude taught us all of this magic, and more complex versions of it, when we were kids.” Maude has seen some stuff. Maude backstory when?

With all his heart Coram Smythesson wished now, as he had in the past, that Alanna were the boy.

He was about to get his wish, in a left-handed way.

All these damn dudes thinking "if only you'd been a boy" and Alanna and Kel going "what does that have to do with anything"

Literally everyone who hears about Lord Alan says “wow, he sucks as a father”. EVERYONE.

Jonathan commands the pages and squires and assigns mentors to show newbies around. He’s used to getting his way and you see that continue throughout this book and series. Even when he “asks” Alanna to be his squire he already told his uncle that she would say yes without ever actually asking her.

Ralon of Malven. Listen. Obviously he’s a bully and literally beats Alanna every chance he gets. He is also completely ostracized by his prince (who he will one day have to serve!) and all his fellow pages and squires. Jon says “I told you never to talk to me.” in the first interaction between them we see. Jon and his gang actually hold him down and beat him as a punishment. Can’t believe re-reading this made me feel bad for Ralon.

George and his collection of ears aljsdfalj. Dude where do you keep those. Do ears dry out? Do you have like... an ear-tanner so they’re not all oozy and gross? does your mom do it for you please i have so many questions.

The Gift! Everyone who has it ignores it! Except Thom and Roger and their attitudes toward their magic is kind of unhealthy, honestly.

The gods really are showing up in this one. Maude has her visions in the fire, Alanna is protected from Roger, Myles has a dream about taking Alanna to Olau, etc. I think Pierce did a really good job of making Kel’s knighthood journey very different.

From a technical standpoint, Pierce peppers in a lot of different perspectives. We jump into Jon’s, George’s, Duke Gareth’s, Myles’, Coram’s - LOTS of points of view, but just for a second and just as a way to show how Alanna is perceived by those around her.

JONATHAN you big dummy. “Roger dared me, a 17 year old, to go to this evil city that kills everyone who enters it because he believed I could take care of it and rid the country of evil :) he’s my favorite cousin and only has my wellbeing in mind :) love that guy :)” me and Alanna, in the background: “that’s what i thought you’d say you stupid prince”

Okay, SO MUCH HAPPENS IN THIS BOOK but I’ll just end with... it’s so funny to me that first-year knights are taking squires. Please. That’s an 18 year old and a 14 year old. First year knights know basically nothing. What are y’all doing.

[x-amount-verbs]

For the ask meme: 💕

💕 Your two top fave fictional characters::

Y’all, I don’t think you grasp how utterly indecisive I am. I can never pick favorites. As soon as I try I think up ten more possible options. Here are a few faves from books:

Will Parry (hdm) (also Lyra, but honestly if I had to choose between the two it’s Will)

Bitterblue (the graceling books but particularly in Bitterblue and winterkeep)

Keladry of Mindelan (Kel) (protector of the small)

Beka Cooper (provosts dog)

Alianne of Pirate’s Swoop (Aly) (daughter of the lioness)

A bunch of fave side/not protagonist characters from the tortall books, cause I’m STILL obsessed with those books— including Raoul of Goldenlake, Dovasary (Dove) Balitang, Nealan (Neal) of Queenscove and Domitan (Dom) of Masbolle, Clary Goodwin, George Cooper, and Myles of Olau (idk if I have faves in the Immortals series; I like the leads well enough but not to favorite status)

But I also have faves from tv shows, movies, OCs, etc etc etc

Asking me to pick faves is never a good idea cause I’m the most indecisive bitch on earth lmao

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