thelastranger
thelastranger
The Last Ranger
2K posts
Ranger's Apprentice and Brotherband. ThefirstRanger on ao3. Feel free to ask me anything!
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thelastranger · 6 days ago
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You know what? I was cooking with this au
Au where Ferris kills Halt, Caitlyn becomes a ranger, and Sean can see ghosts
This is my take on it, but @rangerpippin had a SPECTACULAR take on the idea in the discord so check that out if you haven't already
(It sounds angsty but it is wholesome, I promise)
Au where Ferris manages to kill Halt in the river, but Halt comes back as a ghost and haunts Ferris. Ferris is the only one who can see and hear Halt (that they know of). Halt can't interact with the world but he can talk and float around. He really wishes he could move things, but he'll work with what he's got.
In this universe, Caitlyn fears for her life and flees to Araluen with the help of her boyfriend, Michael. She and Michael meet Crowley and the three of them hit it off instantly. Caitlyn and Pauline become best friends. Caitlyn at first feels bittersweet about being friends with Crowley because he's exactly the type of person who Halt would get along famously with.
Ferris never tried to kill Caitlyn but she felt threatened by him and she couldn't stand to be in the palace with him.
While Caitlyn didn't do as much training as her brothers in the royal court yard, she was expertly trained in archery and had more freedom to sneak around in the woods. Ferris and Halt were trained in swordplay.
As she and Michael are fleeing, they meet Pritchard who helps them across the ocean and teaches Caitlyn everything she needs to know. Michael watches in awe and practices his sword fighting. He hopes that someone will hire him as a knight in Araluen. What he doesn't know is that he will become one of the most respected knights in Araluen and help teach the next generation of knights, including a young ward from Redmont.
Ferris killed Halt before he could start training with Pritchard. A month and a half later, Caitlyn leaves. Ferris doesn't send out large search parties to find her but Halt searches tirelessly, trying to find Caitlyn or even a hint of where she went. This is hindered by the fact he can't really go to many places.
Ghost powers develop slowly and they gain more powers over time. So Halt is initially only able to be around Ferris, but as the years go by he can move throughout the castle, Dun Kilty, Clonmel, and Hibernia. It’s only after a decade that Halt tries to cross the ocean to Araluen.
Halt doesn't appear as a ghost immediately. He spends a few days in the dark and sees some visions, the best including a red headed man laughing with a stunning blonde woman, his friend Michael with the red haired man and someone who looked like... Caitlyn shooting arrows against horrible bear monsters. He’s not sure what to make of these scenes. More importantly, Halt meets a kindly old man before Halt realizes he's a ghost. Halt thinks that he is still alive. They chat and Halt is comforted. As they part, the man expresses his regret that he never got to teach Halt. At this moment Halt realizes that he didn't ask the man his name and the man smiles in a bittersweet way and says "Pritchard." Pritchard isn't a ghost but he's always been able to seem certain ghosts and sort of guide them. Halt realizes that he is a ghost and decides to haunt Ferris.
Ghost Halt generally bugs Ferris and drags him all while commenting on his murderous tendencies and how he doesn't have anyone to support him in the family. Ferris gets so upset during meetings but sometimes Halt genuinely has good ideas so Ferris starts to begrudgingly listen to Halt occasionally. Halt also tries to pull a bunch of prank but it stinks that he can't move anything.
Halt finds it darkly funny that Ferris killed him to become king but Halt is still making decisions.
Eventually the brothers get fed up with each other and they have a screaming match that dissolves into an actual conversation. This is the first real conversation the brothers have had without copious amounts of insults. Ferris deeply regrets his actions and Halt kind of forgives him. To a certain extent though. His brother did kill him after all.
Some people low key think Ferris is crazy after this because he sometimes would be caught talking to the air. Halt finds it hilarious.
Early on in his rule, there was an attempt to get Ferris off the throne. Halt finds out about it and tells Ferris who stops it. When Ferris asks why Halt stopped it, Halt goes "You're the only person who talks to me dummy. And despite the fact that you murdered me, I don't mind it." It may be short and brusque but it's the nicest thing someone's told Ferris in a while and it marks a real turning point in the brothers relationship.
Years go by and Halt still can't interact with anyone besides Ferris and he's never tried to leave the general bounds of Clonmel. Caitlyn never contacts Ferris and both brothers want to know where she is because they are curious and Ferris wants to apologize to her and Michael. They have no idea they have a nephew.
Halt leaves Clonmel for the first time and drifts across the ocean much faster than he expected. Something is drawing him to Araluen. He lands in a part of Araluen, about a few days ride from Redmont, where Crowley just happens to be visiting. Halt recognizes Crowley as the red headed man from his visions. He also feels a connection to the man. He follows Crowley and eventually ends up finding Caitlyn and her family. Caitlyn and Michael can't see him but it seems like Caitlyn's son, Sean, can. Halt is shocked to find out that he has a nephew and saddened that he will never get to meet him. But Sean can see him.
Ghost Halt visits when Sean is 8 and Sean sees a man who kind of looks like his mother in the cabin and he figures that the man is there for the fabled ranger Caitlyn. Caitlyn isn't home right now and Michael is in the house and the man seems kind of overwhelmed with emotion. The strange man doesn't wait for Sean's mama but instead tells Sean to tell his mom to visit her brother in Clonmel. There were things that needed to be said. Halt sees Caitlyn coming back to the house, laughing with Gilan, and knows he has to leave before Sean asks why he isn’t talking to his mother. Halt bids Sean goodbye and floats away when he isn’t looking. Watching from a tree, Halt sees his sister and misses her deeply.
Sean tells Caitlyn this and she is shocked. She hasn't told anyone that she had a brother. Michael knows and that's it. Sean didn't even know he had an uncle. She's suspicious and even more so when Sean says the man kind of looked like her. Caitlyn thinks Ferris is tracking her down and she has no intention of talking to him ever again. She warns Sean not to talk to strangers and tries to put the incident behind her.
Ferris and Halt are disappointed when Caitlyn doesn't come to Clonmel and so a year or two later, Halt goes back to visit.
Sean is feeling conflicted about the new apprentice because Will is cool but he also spends a lot of time with their family and Sean isn't sure if he likes that or not. Halt talks to him about it and Sean feels better.
Ferris and Halt really want Caitlyn to visit them and to bring Sean so Ferris tries to subtly get Araluen to send a ranger or a knight with diplomatic ties to Clonmel. He hopes that Caitlyn wouldn't disobey a royal order. He greatly misjudged Caitlyn's character.
It's the first, but not the last, time Caitlyn has a shouting match with King Duncan. He knows she is from Hibernia but she refuses to go back. In the end, after much fighting and compromises, Michael ends up going back. Caitlyn has a lot of conditions like he has to grow a beard and dye his hair and play up his Araluen accent. He honestly looks ridiculous. She's pretty sure that Ferris wouldn't remember her boyfriend from over a decade ago. And normally, she would be right. But thanks to Halt, Ferris knows who Michael is.
Ferris really wants to befriend Michael enough to get him to bring Sean and Caitlyn over or possibly slip Michael a note to take to Caitlyn, but Halt cautions against it.
Ferris gives Michael a note anyway and Caitlyn finds it. She sees that it's from Ferris and she is about to burn it when she sees a phrase that Halt only said to her. Ferris had no idea what it was. This gives her pause but not enough that she doesn't burn the note.
Ferris and Halt keep trying for several more years. Halt at this point has slightly grown into his ghostly powers or whatever they really are and can move certain objects like an inch at a time. Halt also keeps visiting Sean who has grown into a fine young man who is very interested in the diplomatic arts much to the chagrin of his mother and father. They support him anyway. Plus, he has his father's last name so there's that added protection. He seems like any other Araluen citizens except for there's a twinge of Hibernian in his words.
All four of them ride into Dun Kilty and Sean presents his diplomatic papers and Caitlyn is emanating anger. They go to the throne room and find it devoid of people except for King Ferris. He looks at them and smiles... until Caitlyn comes up and give him a punch to the face. She's tired of hiding and all the constant attempts at futile contact. She wants peace and for Ferris to stop being such an idiot. She honestly hadn't expected him to last so long in power.
Ferris accepts the punch, a bit confused because he assumed that Caitlyn was ready to talk. She really isn't and he starts babbling about how he was so sorry and how he has changed and how Halt had forgiven him until he realizes that there are other people in the room and that Caitlyn is so confused.
Ferris clears his throat and asks if they could clear the room. Caitlyn refuses and says something like so you can kill me without any witnesses? Ferris winces but he kinda deserved that one. "Whatever you have to say can be said to these men as well. By the way, Sean is your nephew you scumbag." Caitlyn figured that Ferris would be a little more shocked but he seems to take it in stride.
Sean, by the way, is freaking out because the mysterious man who visited frequently over the years who called himself Arratay is right there on the throne (Halt isn't in the room yet) but King Ferris, who is apparently his uncle, could not have been the man.
Ferris starts to tell everyone about how Halt is a ghost and Caitlyn scoffs and tries to leave until the door to the throne room opens an inch and Sean sees his old friend walk in, looking exactly like King Ferris. The door scares everyone, but Caitlyn is not convinced. She thinks it's a trick.
Ferris explains the best he can and Sean to the surprise of everyone also jumps in with an explanation. Caitlyn is still skeptical until Halt pushes a piece of paper to Sean and tells him to write down what he says. Halt tells Caitlyn everything that happened and tells her the last words they ever spoke to each other, something Sean would never know.
Caitlyn bursts into tears and scans the room. She swears she can feel Halt when he goes to hug her. Ferris apologizes for killing Halt and forcing her away and she forgives him (but fully reserves the right to roast him mercilessly)
Will and Horace are flabbergasted that there was so much drama with the O'Carrick family and the fact that Sean and apparently Ferris can see ghosts.
Ferris can really only see Halt and for that he is grateful. He doesn't think he could deal with more than one ghost haunting him and roasting him over his fashion choices. That's one of the few things he and Halt don't agree on. Sean, on the other hand, is different. Sean can see Halt clearly and can sometimes see other ghosts fairly clearly but he doesn't know that they are ghosts and often they don't either.
Caitlyn does fall sick with turberculosis several years before meeting up with Ferris for the first time in decades and it almost kills her. Luckily, thanks to the work of Malcolm and several other healers, she was able to pull through. Michael is still hyper concerned whenever she gets so as much as a cold.
Caitlyn in this universe is fiercely protective of herself and her family. She would like to leave almost every part of her past behind except for when she tells Sean about the beauty of Hibernia and his smile lights up his face. Unlike Halt, Caitlyn never snuck into Clonmel to check up on things. She wants to put everything about Hibernia (except for Halt) in a tiny portion of her brain where she never has to think about Ferris again. Caitlyn is very blunt and tells things like it is. She suffers no fools and has a bit of a temper. Almost too competent.
Michael is the milder of the pair. Which, compared to Caitlyn, is not saying much. Despite this, Michael is normally a very mild mannered man who is down for an adventure at any time just as much as he is willing to stay home and rest. Close friends with Sir Rodney and Baron Arald, Michael is first a very willing student at Battleschool and then an enthusiastic teacher. Super devoted to Caitlyn. He is surprisingly petty, but will deny it to his last breath. If Ferris gets a lot of mail that just so happens to insult him in lots of different languages, well, Michael has no idea about that. (His apprentices at battle school are more than willing to write down the worst insults they know in all their languages for their kind instructor)
For the first year or so, Ferris is a horrible king and person. He starts to feel very guilty for killing Halt and for driving Caitlyn away. Halt’s constant comments on these topics help drive these feelings and Ferris changes. He isn’t well loved but people agree that there have been worse kings than him and he does a fair job all things considered. By the time Caitlyn comes back to Clonmel, it’s been twenty five years and he’s been trying to get in touch with her for seventeen years. Ferris just wants reconciliation with his sister and to give Halt some closure. Ferris steadily ignored Halt for the first month since Halt hadn’t gotten a hold of talking yet and Ferris did not tell Caitlyn about how he was seeing Halt’s ghost constantly.
Halt is still the sarcastic, witty, and grumpy man we all know and love. He’s just not a ranger and is a ghost. Halt sticks around Ferris to both roast him constantly (this is a recurring theme) and to guide him because honestly, Ferris needed some guidance. Really wants Caitlyn to come back so he can actually talk to her and for Ferris to get over everything. He wishes that he could live his own life but he makes do with what he has. Pesters Ferris to go into the woods more during the first few years so he can be in nature more.
Sean: Caitlyn and Michael’s son, five years younger than Will. Sean was raised by both a ranger and a knight so while he has a very strict moral code and a strong sense of ethics, he’s willing to break just about any rule or code in order to do good. One of the reasons he became a diplomat (and studied intensively with the couriers) was he wanted to feel more connected to Hibernia where both of his parents are from, but rarely talk about. Preferring to talk things out, Sean can still pack a punch and swing a sword. He's the future king of Clonmel. Feels a connection to Halt even though he doesn't know who he really is. Full time diplomat, part time ghost whisperer.
Caitlyn trains Will and Gilan. The pair lived with the O'Carrick-Reid family. Sean takes the last name Reid and his middle name is O’Carrick. Caitlyn will occasionally give Alyss tips on diplomacy and Alyss is always curious about how the Hibernian ranger knows so much about diplomacy concerning royalty.
Pauline definitely knows about the O’Carrick secret.
(I thought it was only fair that Caitlyn got to be a ranger too in an au)
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thelastranger · 8 days ago
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Stefan: bodyshames a woman for eating dessert but is otherwise cool.
Jesper: quick to jump to the conclusion that the only woman betrayed the crew. This assumption never really goes away
Edvin: subverts the stereotype of male Skandians by enjoying knitting and cooking. Knits protest hats for Ingvar but doesn't join the protests
Ulf: willing to be a bridesmaid, but insists on tailored clothes, pulling attention on him and away from the bridesmaids and bride.
Wulf: willing to be a bridesmaid, but doesn't wear a dress, ruining the aesthetic look and pulling attention. Some have argued that this is a feminist statement on the vacuum that is Skandian marriage culture, but the motive ascribed to the action is more easily explained as "shiny cape looks cool."
Hal: lets a woman join his crew. Doesn't seek a second woman to join his crew even though an extra member would really help.
Stig: overcomes a brief but rough teenage phase and becomes inspired by and proud of his single mother's grit, hard work, and resilience. Doesn't believe at the moment that a woman could beat him in swordfighting, but would accept it gracefully if a woman did beat him.
Ingvar: clearly getting a Gender and Sexuality Studies minor if he went to university. Only points deducted for marrying Lydia Demarek, notable woman hater. Supports everyone's wrongs.
Thorn: lets women do whatever they want, including getting into fights in the woods. Does not trap Karina in the patriarchical construct that is Skandian marriage.
Lydia: performs feminist acts and unconciously works towards feminist goals such as gender equality. Claims to not see gender, but still dumps on women who are deemed "too frivolous and feminine"; everyone else is fine. Would never call herself a feminist for inscrutable reasons that not even Lydia can elucidate on. Half of Ingvar's GSS classmates can't stand her; half of them want to write their senior thesis on her.
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thelastranger · 11 days ago
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Fanonical monsterfucker Jesper, please tell me more
X
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thelastranger · 11 days ago
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At this moment in time, Ulf has zero percent and Lydia had ten percent, which is, quite frankly, a damning statistic for Ulf.
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thelastranger · 15 days ago
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Just some sketches I rangerified cuz boredom :D
Also Ferris isn't Ferris, he's cool Ferris from my au ;)
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thelastranger · 23 days ago
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Has this been done?
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thelastranger · 25 days ago
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HC: When Halt returned from Hibernia after Kings of Clonmel he brought home some hair wraps from his home region as a birthday present for Crowley. Crowley loves them and proudly wears them to formal events like banquets, diplomatic meetings and such.
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thelastranger · 29 days ago
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will vs the boar
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thelastranger · 30 days ago
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I unironically ship Will and Cassandra in a monogamous way
fandom so gay shipping straight people is controversial
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thelastranger · 30 days ago
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AITA for feeling betrayed by my first mate?
Tldr: my best friend in the whole world is staying back on an adventure because of a woman he loves and I wish she was never born.
Hey guys. Using a throwaway account because I've posted on here before and so have my friends and this one is a little personal so I'm going to keep as vague as possible
My friends and I are lost after being blown off course at sea far from our home. Long story short, we've met a whole new community and while we didn't intend to stay long, circumstances have forced us to stay and my best friend has gotten close with one of the women in this new community. Yesterday he told me he intends to stay with her and not come back with me/us to our hometown. We've been best friends for most of our lives and he's my right hand man. We've been through the worst things possible together. I cannot imagine a world without him and I think he's making a terrible mistake. We would literally never see each other again. There is apparently no option to have the woman come with us across the sea
My loved ones are giving me wise advice (my adopted father figure compared it to his love triangle with my mom and dad- don't know why he'd use that comparison) and deep down I know that my friend deserves love and happiness but every since he told me he is staying, I've been crying, sleeping badly, feeling anguished and worst of all, I wish this woman was never born so my friend and I can stay together as skirl and first mates forever.
It's his choice I guess but this is hurting my heart so much. I'm not against them being together, I just don't want my friend to stay away from our home.
AITA for feeling this way about the woman and my friend?
Update: a very tragic death occurred and I know I am the AH. I'm probably going to delete this post.
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thelastranger · 1 month ago
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It starts with the breeze. One winter day, when she opens the front door, she feels it. It's still early, both in the day and in the year, but it's there. She smiles slightly, nudges the dog back inside, and heads out, the town waking up around her.
Then the men get restless. The shipyards start buzzing, wood, and ropes creaking, sailors laughing. Plans are being made and dreams will be chased. The sea is calling.
Then the snow starts to melt. It melts so quickly that a stream forms in the middle of the main street, to the delight of children and the despair of mothers. It only lasts a couple of days, but the kids come home every day soaked, with smiles on their faces.
Then the birds come. She hears them first, but then she looks out of the window while making lunch one day, and a tired-looking skylark is sitting on the pile of firewood. She smiles at it, suddenly feeling uneasy. Her son passes under the window and the skylark flies away.
The day the first messenger makes it through the mountain passes, she finds her son's crew in their home. There is a map on the table and a gleam in their eyes. And she knows, the season has finally arrived.
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thelastranger · 1 month ago
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GUYS ITS FLANNY'S 81ST BIRTHDAY!!!
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The is the best art I could do with my finger on my phone
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thelastranger · 1 month ago
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I want to write a version of TEY with only one change.
Ferris is actually a cool guy.
And the entire plot gets changed by it. Halt doesn't leave, so doesn't meet Crowley. Crowley ends up fleeing to Hibernia because he thinks Pritchard is there. He goes to Dun Kilty aaaand finds Halt training like a ranger would have.
And they defeat Morgarath by invading Araluen with the army of Clonmel after saving Prins Duncan. Also, Arald, Pauline and sir David teamed up and tried to fight, but it didn't succeed so they flee. Then they come across Halt, Crowley and Pritchard and join them.
Caitlyn plays a significant role too. Not sure how yet, but she will.
Also, they managed to get the army because Halt became king. Then they go to Hackham Heath and the war plays out the same, just with a different army.
But for some reason Daniel decides to join the Hibernian army and dies the exact same way and Halt saves Will the same way.
And after the war, Halt decides being king is not that fun and gives the throne to his little brother Ferris :D
I think most plot holes are filled now and the rest of the books plays out the same, besides book 8 and 9.
Thank you for listening to my ted talk :)
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thelastranger · 1 month ago
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From top down: Erak, Svengal, Thorn, Olaf, Mikkel
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the wolfwind crew around 627 C.E. (colourised)
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thelastranger · 2 months ago
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ladies and gentlemen: her.
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thelastranger · 2 months ago
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thelastranger · 2 months ago
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Let’s do this. Instead of replying, though, send me an Ask.
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