#Just Eira

[frozenprocedural]

TDOE Day 12!!!

For the first time, I did it!!! My first TDOE with a story for each day!

Thanks to @couragedontdesertme​ and @bepoets​ for all your support!

This last one stem’s from @couragedontdesertme​‘s story of Elsa becoming a grandma. Told from a Elsa’s perspective. Eira belongs to her. Dag, Jenny and Alarik, as always, belong to @patricia-von-arundel​. Many thanks for letting me continue to play with these marvelous characters.

Without further ado...

It’s a Wonderful Life

Rating: T

Elsa frowned at the trade document, wondering for the fifth or sixth time why so many people felt the need to write with tiny handwriting. She wouldn't voice that thought aloud, of course- Alarik would insist on her wearing spectacles. She certainly didn't need those. 

A sudden pained gasp broke her out of her musings. Elsa turned to find Eira in the doorway, one hand clutching the frame with white knuckles, the other wrapped around her heavily swollen middle. 

Elsa was out of her seat in a second, rushing over to Eira's side. For the briefest moment she hesitated, and then placed a hand on her daughter-in-law's shoulder, feeling her shake. 

After a few more seconds, Eira let out a relieved sigh, relaxing somewhat, although she was still trembling. "That… ah… that hurt," she said as she straightened up. Elsa could see unshed tears gathering in Eira's eyes. 

"I take it the baby's coming?"

Eira nodded, and then let out a sob. Elsa pulled her in, rubbing gentle circles on her back. "Shhhhhh, it will be alright."

"I'm so scared," Eira whimpered.

"I know, I know," Elsa whispered back. Oh, how she knew. Even though it had been over two decades since the last time she'd given birth herself, she still well remembered the fear. Particularly with Dag's birth.

"Mama, Eira? Is everything-oh."

Jenny stood in the hallway, her eyes wide as she took in Eira's obvious distress. 

Elsa stepped forward, taking Jenny's hand in her own. "Jenny, please go get your brother. I'm going to help Eira to her room."

Jenny dashed off, and Elsa went back to Eira, offering an arm. Eira took it, only to hunch over with moan, her fingers digging into Elsa's arm.

"Breathe…" Elsa murmured. Eira took several shuttering breaths before straightening. 

"You might want to go after her." Eira nodded in the direction Jenny had gone. "She's been telling him I've gone into labor for the past month to get a laugh."

"Ah," Elsa replied. "Let's get you to the room and I will take care of that."

………..

Ten minutes later, Elsa returned to the birthing room, this time with Anna in tow. She was relieved to see that a fire had been built, with a large pot of water warming over the flames, and next to it, a wash bin half-filled with water. Towels, blankets, string, bandaging, a knife and a water glass were placed neatly by the door. Elsa blinked when she saw those, remembering the same items at Jenny's birth those decades before.

A harsh groan drew her attention, and she made her way to where Eira- now wearing her nightgown- was standing, hands clutching her abdomen. Elsa offered a hand, and Eira took it, squeezing hard. Elsa murmured encouragement, rubbing Eira's back until she relaxed. 

"You're doing amazing, Eira," Anna said. She'd taken a position by Eira's other side, rubbing her arm. "Do you want to try to walk around the room for a bit?"

They made two circuits of the room before another contraction hit. This time, Eira cried out, and before either of them could speak, there was a pounding at the door. 

"Eira! EIRA!" Dag's voice was panicked, and Elsa worried he might break the door down. Eira's eyes went wide, and she frantically shook her head.

"No, he can't, don't let him, he needs to leave…"

"I've got it." Anna strode to the door, while Elsa led Eira away from sight.

"Your wife said you need to leave." 

"But-"

"Yeah, I know. I hate closed doors too."

Eira wailed again. "TELL HIM HE NEEDS TO GET OUT!" 

Elsa focused on holding Eira, trying to calm her down. Anna closed the door moments later, pausing by the hearth to wet a towel. She used it to dab the sweat off Eira's forehead, and Elsa let the smallest of breezes fly from her fingertips to cool it.

"Thank…you…" Eira gasped. "I- AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Her wail seemed to go on and on, tapering off into a startled gasp. Eira looked down at her legs, and Elsa understood. 

"Your water broke?"

Eira nodded, fresh tears filling her eyes. Anna went to grab a fresh towel, kneeling in front of her and lifting her dress to clean her legs. As she did, the tears broke free, and Eira skittered back, curling around herself.

"I can't do this, oh God, I'm so scared."

"Eira." Elsa let a firm note enter her voice. She took Eira's face in her hands, brushing the tears away with her thumbs. "You can. And you will. It hurts, and it's scary. But Anna and I are right here. We won't leave you. You are strong, and you are brave."

Elsa released her face to open her arms. Eira sank into them, burying her face in Elsa's shoulder. 

The moment didn't last long, however, as another contraction made Eira's knees buckle, Elsa only just managing to catch her before she fell. Anna was at her side, helping Eira to her feet.

"We need to get you to the bed, Eira. Now." Anna's voice held a note of tension, and Elsa immediately saw why. Blood marred the carpet below Eira's feet. It was no where near as much as had been present at Dag's birth, but Elsa had to look away quickly. 

She and Anna helped Eira to bed, settling her in and trying to help her get comfortable. Anna set a towel on Eira's forehead, and Elsa cooled it as Eira strained once more. 

"You're doing so well, Eira. The baby will be here soon enough." Anna said. 

It took several more hours. Eira screamed and cried. She begged them to make it stop, cursed Dag, clung to them desperately as each contraction came. Anna took charge of checking her progress, encouraging her each time, never flinching when Eira cursed and sobbed. 

"Eira, it's time to push."

Eira threw her head back onto the pillows at Anna's proclamation, her face twisted into a grimace. Elsa took her hand between both of her own. 

"This is it, Eira. It's time to meet your baby."

Eira locked eyes with Elsa, and Elsa could see the determination on the young woman's face. Then Eira curled in on herself, howling, and Elsa knew she was pushing.

"That's it. You're doing so well Eira. So brave." Elsa kept up a soothing mantra, letting her hand be squeezed to the point of losing feeling. She used her other hand to keep the towel on Eira's forehead cool. 

Again and again, Eira bore down as Elsa and Anna encouraged her. At one point, Anna called out that she could see the head, and Elsa felt a shift in Eira. She tucked her chin to her chest and yelled…

A new sound filled the room, a high-pitched cry followed immediately by Anna's joyful proclamation.

"It's a boy!"

Eira sat up, laughing through tears as Anna held up the squirming baby. 

"Let's get the cord cut and get him washed, Eira," Anna said, already reaching for the knife and string. Elsa got up to fill the washbin, and got the baby clean before laying him in Eira's waiting arms. 

"Oh, hello." Eira ran a trembling hand through the baby's golden curls. 

"Shall I get Dag?" Elsa asked. When Eira nodded, still enraptured by her son, Elsa went to the door and opened it.

Alarik was the first she saw, grinning widely- he must have heard the news. She smiled in return and continued looking until she found Dag sprawled out on the floor. She wondered how many times he had fainted.

But his head was coming up, eyes meeting hers. "Mama?"

Her smile widened. 

"Do you want to meet your son?"

…………

Nightfall found her and Alarik in their room, after an evening spent with their son and grandson.

Grandson.

She was a grandmother. 

It made her sit, gazing out the dark window. There had been a time in her life she believed such a title impossible. True, up until realizing she was pregnant with Jenny, Elsa had never believed herself capable of conceiving. But not only had she brought two children into the world, but now she was a grandmother.

"May I ask what you are thinking about?"

Elsa jumped slightly at Alarik's voice, but gave him a smile as he came over to sit by her. In the lamplight, the lines on his face appeared more pronounced, the grey in his curls more evident. And yet, to her, he was all the more handsome for it. 

"I was… I'm… we're grandparents. There was a time in my life- a long time- I would never have believed that possible."

Alarik held out an arm, and she snuggled into his side, resting her head on his shoulder, breathing in his comforting scent. 

"I used to believe that as well. I am very happy we were both proven incorrect." He pulled her a bit closer, kissing the top of her head.

"It’s a wonderful life to live."

[abd-illustrates]

It’s Been a Minute | SKETCHBOOK SESSION

Grab a cuppa and get comfy, ‘cause Sketchbook Session time has arrived once more! ☕✏️  Today I wanna do some doodling and catch y’all up on how 2024 has been going so far – (Spoiler: it’s been a bit of a mess but I’m muddling thru sgdfdfgh 🫠)

[gomzdrawfr]

Captain John "don't touch my gf" Price and Eira Raven "my personal stress ball" Liu

do you want bear!Price too? then check it out here

[bisclavret]

what SICKO wrote the last scenes between gwaine and merlin is what i want to know. because even lancelot's last episode with merlin - which had to have been intentionally gay-coded since it's obvious the man is grappling with his feelings for merlin morphing from platonic to explicitly romantic - is still subtext because he doesn't have the tools to healthily express his feelings so he goes for the biggest romantic gesture he can think of: sacrificing his life to save a loved one. the writers also make sure to root this gesture back to gwen by adding a scene where she's inadvertently asking him to make that sacrifice first, so although it's very obvious that it's more for merlin than for gwen that lancelot dies for, she is there to add some plausible deniability, thus keeping his sexuality within the realms of subtext.

i don't want to delve too deeply into arthur's last scenes with merlin as there is both so much to unpack about what they mean to each other and there is also somehow nothing left to say that hasn't been said before. my point is just that there's so much at stake that if the viewer doesn't want to deal with the romantic subtext between them they can hang onto the 38 other dynamics merlin and arthur have represented to each other that the writers spent 5 years plastering on top of the gay subtext. basically, while the romance feels textual emotionally-speaking, it isn't "canon".

i don't mean to say that any relationship is better than another (even though i obviously have a preference) but that in gwaine's final scenes with merlin there's just no subtext anymore. his becomes the most explicit expression of romantic love towards merlin, and therefore the most explicit acknowledgment of homosexual love and the existence of queer people on the show:

it starts out with merlin suggesting that gwaine saved a girl from the saxons and then looked after her because he has a more than platonic interest in her, and they show us that merlin is right - gwaine and the girl eira slept together - even as gwaine half-heartedly denies any interest (which, why even deny it? merlin saw them holding hands! unless the lie is part of the point). then in that very same scene and directly after this exchange, merlin needs rescuing from the saxons, calls after gwaine, and gwaine performs the exact same role for him that he performed for eira: he saves him from the saxons and looks after him (for as long as merlin lets him).

the parallel between merlin and eira with such quick cause and effect (it literally all happens within the same minute) is where the shift from subtext to text becomes undeniable. yes, there have been other moments on the show where a character's affections towards two different genders are beat-for-beat the same, but, again, there has always been plausible deniability. in this case the parallel is meant to be taken at face value: the core point of it is to show us how gwaine expresses his attraction.

then, the dialogue they chose to bookend this scene with takes it a few steps further by functioning as a textual love confession to merlin himself: the scene opens with gwaine thanking merlin for everything he did for eira, and merlin saying that there is no need to thank him as it was the least he could do. a minute later, after merlin thanks gwaine for protecting him from the saxons as both merlin and the show just concluded gwaine did for eira for romantic reasons (even as he denied it by outright lying), gwaine parrots what merlin said when gwaine thanked him: no need to thank me, merlin, it's the least i could do.

but this comes off as the opposite of dismissive: in fact, this echoing of merlin's words is meant to jolt both merlin and the audience. by saying this right after saving merlin from the saxons, gwaine has now intentionally pointed merlin's attention towards the explicitly romantic parallel between himself and eira. gwaine is directly implying he just did for merlin what merlin correctly deduced he did for a woman because he desired her sexually and romantically, and he is using merlin's own words to challenge him into seeing past the initial flimsy lie that there is nothing between them. and what's behind the lie, of course, is that gwaine has done all of this and more because he desires merlin sexually and romantically. the camera even lingers on merlin, allowing him and the viewer to absorb what just happened. that for as long as we have known gwaine, his motivations have always boiled down to "i want to be there for merlin". and now both the audience and merlin finally know for sure what was motivating him the entire time.

what's more, by using merlin's own dismissive words, gwaine also implicates merlin's penchant for repression and denial and never allowing himself to be given credit where it's due. this unfortunately never properly gets dismantled on the show, but this moment shows that gwaine knows merlin well enough to know that he goes above and beyond for people, and that merlin's reasons for this ring as false to gwaine's ears as gwaine's reasons for saving damsels do to merlin. it also bittersweetly implies that gwaine has accepted that these are the platonic, repressed terms on which he can have a relationship with merlin. but i think the way in which he explicitly points all of this out to merlin is meant to imply that he isn't entirely happy about having to accept that. or, to circle back to eira, that merlin seems to be cheering for him to enter a heterosexual relationship when gwaine would clearly rather be with him.

what's additionally interesting to me about this is that this is one of the only scenes on this show that touch on same gender attraction that isn't using magic as a metaphor - because merlin doesn't have magic at the moment, yes, but also because gwaine is the more active character in this sequence, and he's an adventure hero, so he simply fights the bad guy to protect the person he loves. there is no metaphor to wrap this in, so he just gets to explicitly state his bisexuality. in the next scene, the very last one he and merlin share, it all becomes about magic again, which is both representative of merlin's sexuality and the show's "plausible deniability" approach to gay-coding, and so neither gwaine or merlin are permitted to acknowledge it. also, and this is for another post altogether, but all things point to "gwaine knew". not least because he gets to come out as queer without the complications of the magic-as-gay-metaphor which in turn emboldens him to ask merlin for the truth as directly as the metaphor-suffocated narrative will allow it.

tldr gwaine textually and canonically expresses and then confesses his feelings to merlin in a shockingly well-written and layered scene which makes gwaine the most explicitly queer character on bbc merlin and it's entirely because he exists outside the magic-as-gay-metaphor plot while loving someone who embodies that entire metaphor and it's crazy to me that we don't talk about this more. once again i ask what SICKO wrote this and where were they for the entire rest of this fucking show

tldrtldr at least gwaine is bi. its like i always say. at least gwaine is bi. at the end of the day. gwaine is bi. dont cry ok? gwaine is bi. at the end of the day. gwaine is bi. when all else fails. gwaine is bi. we'll always have. gwaine is bi

[anatomical-puppet]

weigh down on me, stay 'til morning

way down, would you say i'm worthy?

[characters belong to @abd-illustrates]

[screechingart]

oh my GOSH I DONT EVEN CARE. I DONT EVEN CARE ABOUT THIS DRAWING ANYMORE I JUST WANT IT TO BE DONE. FOURTEEN HOURS— I’m actually going insane💀

This drawing fame from the most wholesome of intentions and led to being a nightmare ;-: basically like twice a year I get sucked back into Heartless (a story concept by @abd-illustrates hes literally my favorite artist hes super duper cool ✨ u should check out his channel 😼) and then I draw his characters. This time I decided to make a whole illustration with everyone together cuz it’d be funnnn BUT IT WASNT. IT WAS FOURTEEN HOURS AAAAGGGHHH

Don’t get me wrong I absolutely ADORE this story and I’m proud of my self for finally doing a full drawing with them like I always wanted to, it’s just unfortunate that this specific illustration was such a nightmare 😭 (Doppel & Glass I’m talking about ur crazy jackets..). They we’re all super fun to draw, as always, but COLORING is what took 13 hours :(

I made a drawing of River and had to crop her out for the composition, but I don’t wanna yap at you more so it’s going under the cut

And y’all don’t get an Alchemy, they’re too hard to draw I attempted and failed I’m sorry ;-;

It sucks that not everyone is in this drawing but I was just having such a hard time with it I cut out two whole ppl 😭 maybe next time I draw them I’ll include everyone :) ALSO WHATATAATAT ABD ILLUSTRATES IS MAKING ANOTHER HEARTLESS RELATED THING?? (Or maybe just an Eira thing) YAYAAYYAYAAY I CANT WAIT GRAAAAHHHHH

Edit: remembered I forgot my watermark it’s been like months😭

[heartless-brainrot]

i may or may not have forgotten to post this for a solid 3 days

also rip the quality

[eirawashere]

Tried something different this time! I just drew whatever I saw on the ref and I think it turned out neat! And slapped a watcher eye to keep it in theme lol

(would appreciate it if you guys dont tag it as life series or related. Reblogs are fine but since its just a photo I found randomly I dont want to claim it)

[m-m-m-myysurana]

Don't mind me, I'm just smooshing my favs together in photomode...

[azanederais]

posting before my shift ends so I don’t forget again, enjoy dislyte shitposts with new canon info (that Triki is a fire hazard in the kitchen)

ps original

[wall-eye]

New character, new art! This is Dew, a water genasi cleric! Shes very cute

[abd-illustrates]

So glad the new MICO song finally dropped 'cause I've been absolutely chompin at the bit waiting to put it on my Eira playlist

[dandelioneroot]

Beware: BLOODTHIRSTY and SAVAGE vampire in your area, will show you NO MERCY staring at you with those eyes

[notquitedeadpod]

okay I've finished the rough cut of the next episode now, and. yeah. ohhhh boyyyyyy. it's called Sound & Fury and there will be fury i am certain of it.

[fridayyy-13th]

having several sleep-deprived Thoughts and Feelings about a series that technically doesn't exist yet how are y'all doing this morning

[lordwoolselytaxservices]

So if Emmrich can have a skeleton companion… does that mean I could make Eira (whom I’ve never given a specialization before) a necromancer she could have a dragonling skeleton companion 👀