#braving the lands of middle-earth for the sake of adventure

[warrioreowynofrohan]

The Lord of the Rings as a Sequel to the Silmarillion (Part 4): The Tales That Really Mattered

Fourth and last part of this series!

So, if The Lord of the Rings is a sequel to The Silmarillion, which parts does it directly act as a sequel to? Which parts does it openly reference? Large parts of the Silm recieve little or no mention in The Lord of the Rings. Not a single word about any of the sons of Fëanor. Nothing about Fingolfin or Fingon. A fleeting mention of Nargothrond and Gondolin. One mention of Túrin. A couple mentions if Fëanor, but, as far as I recall, nothing about him being the creator of the Silmarils! Nothing about the Flight of the Noldor (apart from a distant reference to exile in Galadriel’s translated song), or the burning of the Teleri swan-ships, or the Kinslayings. In fact, very little at all about the sons and grandsons of Finwë.

The two stories in The Silmarillion that have any prominence in The Lord of the Rings are those of Lúthien and Beren and Eärendil and Elwing. The former is recounted by Aragorn at Weathertop, the latter sung by Bilbo in Rivendell and, crucially, both come into the story at Cirith Ungol, the point in The Lord of the Rings that most actively and deliberately references The Silmarillion.

“Beren now, he never thought he was going to get that Silmaril from the Iron Crown in Thangorodrim, and yet he did, and that was a worse place and a blacker danger than ours. But that’s a long tale, of course, and goes on past the happiness and into grief and beyond it - and the Silmaril went on and came to Eärendil. And why, sir, I never thought of that before! We’ve got - you’ve got some of the light of it in that star-glass the Lady gave you! Why, to think of it, we’re in the same tale still! It’s going on. Don’t the great tales never end?

And later on, when Sam rescues Frodo from the Tower of Cirith Ungol, it is a very strong reference to Lúthien rescuing Beren from Tol-in-Gaurhoth, to the point of Sam (apparently) defeating an entire tower full of enemies, to his discovering Frodo by mutual singing. And when they at last escape the Tower’s watchers, it is Eärendil that Frodo calls on, with Aiya elenion ancalima!

So why is it these two stories? Well, in the first place, they - and not the battles - are the key to the victory in the Silmarillion; a quest for the sake of love and a journey for the sake of mercy that together bring about the intervention of the Valar and the destruction of the great Evil of the First Age. And, taken together, the two roughly mirror the directions of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings - as Frodo puts it early on, one a journey to gain a treasure and return, the other to lose one and never return. And there is, of course, their relationship to the Tale of Aragorn and Arwen, as the stories of the Peredhil that are the source of both lineages.

And there is also something Sam says, just before the previous quote:

“The brave things in the old tales and songs, Mr. Frodo: adventures, as I used to call them. I used to think that they were things the wonderful folk of the stories went out and looked for, because they were exciting and life was a bit dull, a kind of a sport, as you might say. But that’s not the way of it with the tales that really mattered, or the ones that stay in the mind. Folks seem to have been just landed in them, usually - their paths were laid that way, as you put it. But I expect they had lots of chances, like us, of turning back, only they didn’t.

The Flight of the Noldor strikes me, to an extent, as connecting to Sam’s earlier idea of stories - even before the Darkening, a major impetus to Fëanor’s push to return to Middle-earth was, essentially, “because it was exciting and life was a bit dull”, and that kind of desire - not just for vengeance, not just to fight Morgoth, but to get to be heroes and rulers and legends - was a part of what struck such fire from the Noldor that they chose to follow him. It is very much an active choice, not ‘falling into’ a story, and Fëanor’s urgency that leads him to attack Alqualondë is the need to bring the host to depart before any of them cool down and think things through.

(It’s hard not to think that Tolkien put at least a little of the atmosphere surrounding young men at the start of World War I into this - the giddy confidence that it would all be over soon, the desire not to miss out on the great adventure of their Age. And if so, well, no wonder that the ‘great adventure’ in fact starts immediately with Kinslaying.)

The stories of Lúthien and Beren and of Eärendil and Elwing, in contrast, are the kind that they ‘fell into’; they didn’t go looking for them, but were placed in positions where their choices were to accept danger and trouble and suffering or to lose what they loved dearest. Beren and Lúthien went for love of each other. Eärendil went for love of the people of Middle-earth, for whom his desperate quest for Valinor was the only remaining chance of survival. Elwing chose to share his perils for love of him. And Eärendil and Elwing’s journey, more than any other, mirrors Frodo’s: It must often be so, when things are in danger: some one has to give them up, lose them, so that others may keep them. In the Third Age and the First, Middle-earth is saved, but those who save it lose it; lose home and family for a stranger fate.

[raendown]

A commission from @officerjennie for a friend! 

Pairing: TobiramaItachi Word count: 5077 Rated: T+ Summary: Itachi and Tobirama get a cat. They didn't really mean to. They certainly weren't prepared to.

Follow the link or read it under the cut!

KO-FI and commission info in the header!

Meow and Furever

They hadn’t actually intended to get a cat. If not for their own collective lack of creativity they would never have even been inside the shop that day. Social niceties dictated they bring some sort of gift to Hashirama’s house-warming party that weekend but neither of them were any good at buying gifts for other people; such was the main reason they had a long standing agreement to the limit of one gift each during the holidays. Without any better ideas they had come to the conclusion that they would instead purchase gifts for Hashirama’s many dogs. That was just the sort of cute gesture he would adore and it came with the added bonus of not disappointing any human recipients. 

So off they went to peruse through aisle upon aisle of nonsense toys that made an entire cacophony of noises when squeezed or shaken. It was standing at the end of aisle twenty-seven with a plastic hotdog between his hands that Itachi spotted the beast who would change their lives forever. 

“Tobi,” he murmured from one corner of his mouth. When the other did not respond he reached out to nudge lightly with one elbow. Tobirama grunted, looking up from comparing two different squeaky donuts. 

“What is it?”

“Look.”

He did. And what he saw was quite possibly the ugliest cat he had ever come across in his entire life. Situated behind glass in a wall of cages designed to attract potential pet parents while also keeping the animals safe, a pair of amber eyes glared back at him in a way that spelled death. Or possibly begged for treats. It was hard to tell under the absolute explosion of ginger fur and the massive jaw. 

Almost before Tobirama could process the man had even moved Itachi was across the aisle and all but pressed against the glass barrier, fingers coming up to trace patterns in the air for the angry ball of fluff to follow with its eyes. The store employee standing nearby gave them a side glance that practically smelled like a sales pitch. She watched with dollar signs in her eyes as the giant orange cat stretched out both front legs and yawned, showing off uneven teeth sticking out in all sorts of strange directions, then pattered daintily closer to the glass where it sat and resumed staring at the brave human who dared to approach.

“What on earth happened to its face?” Tobirama wondered out loud. As though it heard him, the cat turned to look at him with both ears swiveled forward as best they could over the crumpled folds of skin. Despite its obvious feline roots one could almost mistake it for a pug with a face that squished.

“Poor genetics,” the nearby employee piped up. “He was born that way. It’s put off quite a number of potential owners.” 

“I think he’s beautiful,” Itachi breathed. 

When the cat looked back in his direction he cooed and wriggled his fingers enticingly. Tobirama sighed. After several years together he knew his partner very well and he knew the look in those dark, beloved eyes. Come hell or high water they were going to take that animal home. Oh he could put up a fuss and dig in his heels, he could come up with a dozen logical arguments why they shouldn’t or couldn’t, but when Itachi really wanted something he had ways of being quite convincing. All of them were very underhanded. None of them were the sort of thing Tobirama wanted strangers to witness in the middle of a public pet shop. 

Still, he had a reputation to maintain. With as stern of an expression as he could muster he simply growled, “No.”

“But look at him!” Itachi whipped about to stare at him with wide eyes. 

“I am,” Tobirama said. “He’s as ugly as sin.”

“He’s perfect.”

“The answer is no, Itachi, we are not taking him with us. We don’t have anything for a cat at home. He would destroy the furniture we only just finished paying off!” 

Despite knowing this was a battle he would inevitably lose Tobirama folded his arms with every intention of standing his ground. 

An hour later they were trooping out the front door of the shop with half a dozen bags of assorted feline paraphernalia and a plastic carrier containing one very smug orange monster. The inside was meant to be lined with blankets for extra comfort but after the third was ruined before it could even make it halfway inside the staff decided that perhaps it was best they keep anything soft far away from those sharp claws until the thing was no longer their problem. Tobirama said a silent goodbye to the sides of his couch even as he watched Itachi settle the carrier across both knees and murmur soothingly through the grated door. Incredibly, he did not get hissed at.

For the entirety of the drive home the two new cat parents discussed their options for names. On the adoption forms Itachi had written down the first thing that came to mind simply for the sake of being able to take him home quicker but that was one thing Tobirama had successfully put his foot down on. He refused to call out ‘Butternut Squash’ whenever he inevitably got angry at the cat for something. They tossed a lot of options back and forth and by the end of the drive it was narrowed down to two different options. 

“I would have thought you’d be more excited about ‘Tang’,” Itachi mused. “It’s close enough to the word dang that you could almost feel like you’re swearing.”

“True. Unfortunately it reminds me of that awful drink powder my brothers were all obsessed with when we were young.”

“Ah yes. That would be why I rejected ‘Clifford’. I remember it a little too well from a show my own brother used to enjoy.” He frowned briefly, though it faded when his new monster gave off a sort of rumbling sound that might have been purr or growl, it was impossible to tell. 

Pulling in to the driveway, Tobirama gave a sage nod. He’d never liked that show either. “Alright so what are we going for? I’ll leave the final decision up to you; are we calling him Winston or Rohan?”

He didn’t get an answer until after they had fought their way out of the car and in to the home with their many large bags. Itachi set the carrier down on the kitchen floor and then sat beside it to coo through the door soothingly. Whether or not it worked was hard to tell. Before opening the door to let their new family member roam free he paused to crane his neck up with a smile. 

“Would you consider another option?” he asked. 

“Seriously?” Tobirama lifted one eyebrow. “We just spent half an hour narrowing this down and you want to throw in a new contender?”

“Tesla. We could call him Tesla.”

“...because all that fur makes him look like he’s been in some sort of electrical accident?” 

“Precisely.” As if to prove the point he’d already made Itachi squeezed the latch and twisted, swinging the little door open, then beamed with a parental sort of pride as their newest addition came stumping out of its carrier in a gait that reminded Tobirama very uncomfortably of his brother’s best friend. 

True to his proposed name, however, the cloud of orange fur surrounding the cat’s massive bulk stood out from his body in raggedy clumps that gave a very good impression of being recently electrocuted. After pausing to rub himself up against Itachi’s knee almost incidentally he took a few cautious steps and lifted his nose to sniff the air. His misshapen little nose wriggled in time with his ears, swiveling front and back while he tried to take in as much information as possible about this new environment. Both humans watched him take a few more steps-

Only to plop his bottom down on the linoleum and declare the whole adventure business to be too much trouble. Instead he stretched out and rolled over to put all four paws in the air. 

“I’m not sure what that’s supposed to mean,” Tobirama murmured. 

“Maybe that he feels safe here already?” Hesitating very briefly, Itachi reached out and dared to run his fingers through the wild hair covering the belly on offer. “Oh. Oh he’s so soft!” 

“So clumpy, you mean. I wonder when he last groomed himself.” 

His partner gave him a stern look. “Quit insulting him and just tell me whether or not you like the name!” 

“Yes, I think Tesla is a good name for him,” Tobirama gave in. It wasn’t a lie, he did think it was a good name and it definitely appealed to his nerdy side, he was just a little too fond of the way Itachi’s nose wrinkled whenever he was exasperated. He was a little too fond of many things about this man. 

Tesla himself seemed to approve of the name and he showed this by rolling heavily back on to his feet and strutting away from them both with his tail held high in the air. His short hesitant footsteps were surprisingly delicate for a creature of his size. Just as Tobirama was beginning to think that perhaps adopting him wouldn’t be quite as big of a change to their lives as he had initially suspected Tesla paused to lock his gaze on to the dishes piled up by the sink. With both of their families stopping by for visits over the past week there hadn’t been much free time to wash the dishes just yet so the stacks were getting just a little wobbly. That, of course, is precisely what caught Tesla’s attention. 

Before either of them had time to do more than gasp with prophetic despair Tesla crouched down and launched himself upwards straight towards the tallest and most wobbly stack of dishes on the countertop. It was only by the grace of some god or other that all the bowls and cups he smacked in to face first were each made of plastic. A good thing, too, as they all immediately came cascading down towards the floor amid shrieking yowls of surprise. Tesla’s little claws screeched against the kitchen floor as he landed only to shoot out of the room in fright, abandoning his new parents to the task of cleaning up his very first mess. 

Tobirama felt he was being incredibly generous by waiting until after they had spent five minutes chasing waywards cups that really wanted to roll their way to freedom before turning to his partner with both eyebrows on the upper limits of his forehead. Unfortunately for the sassy remark he’d been composing in his head, Itachi beat him to the punch. 

“He lived his whole life in that shelter,” he reasoned. “A pile of dishes is probably something he’s never seen before; he couldn’t have known that would happen!” 

“Don’t think logic will save him from my wrath every time,” Tobirama muttered. 

Gathering up as much dignity as he could, he set all his gathered dishes down and swept out of the room. Now would have been a perfect time to actually wash the dirty cutlery and so on but he was much more concerned with what else their fluffy new resident could have gotten in to. Five minutes was a long time for a cat to be loose in an unfamiliar environment. All it took was a couple of visits to any of his brothers’ homes to know that pets were their own class of natural disaster.

As it turned out, his instincts were correct. Barely two steps past the kitchen Tobirama broke out in to a run as a terrible ripping sound reached his ears. When he skidded in to the living room it was to find Tesla halfway up their living room curtains, although by the look of the long rips he’d probably made it quite a bit higher before the polyester gave up its structural integrity. Granted, those curtains were ugly as ugly as he was and only remained in the window because they’d been a gift from Itachi’s younger brother at some point, but that didn’t make the prospect of replacing them any more pleasant. 

“I should leave you there,” Tobirama snapped. Tesla wriggled until he could tilt his head for a very cute and innocent meow. 

“What happ- oh! He’s stuck! Can you hold the curtains still so I can get him down?” Itachi inched around their cluttered living room to reach the window where he began stroking down the cat’s back, hoping to sooth him. 

Tesla honestly didn’t look like he needed much soothing. He purred to have such gentle affection, a sound that could be compared to a dying lawn mower, and continued to hang in place as though such had been his intentions all along. It took the two humans working together several minutes to detangle all four sets of claws so they could set the cat back on the ground, whereupon he immediately leapt on to the couch and began kneading the blanket Mito had crocheted for Itachi as a birthday present several years back. 

“You’re not going to stop him?” Tobirama asked incredulously. “He’s going to pull out all the threads and leave holes!”

“It’s crochet, it’s already full of holes. No one will notice.” 

“Mito will notice.”

Like he’d been struck with lightning Itachi launched in to action, crawling over furniture to reach for Tesla and very gently encourage him to leave the blanket alone. Evidently having his activities interrupted was grounds for declaring war in cat language. The moment his claws were once again detached Tesla hissed wetly at them both and took off down the hall to disappear in to yet another new room. Both men hurried after him.

One cat, Tobirama thought to himself as they came to a skidding halt outside the bathroom. It was only one bloody cat. If he didn’t already know the exact devastated expression his partner would give him for doing so he would give up now and toss the bloody animal outside in to the garden. Gently, of course, because he was actually pretty fond of cats himself. But he was also fond of maintaining an orderly home life and while the cat he’d taken care of growing up had been docile, almost demure, it hadn’t exactly taken him a lot of time to realize this one would not behave the same. They may have chosen his name for the way his fur stuck out at odd angles but it was becoming very clear that Tesla had lightning in his veins as well. Tobirama could already predict many nights being awoken by an attack of ‘the zoomies’ as his brother called it.

“Ah! Tesla! Don’t eat that please!” Itachi hurried forward to rescue the bowl of sweets he kept on his side of the bed for the rare occasion he got a craving. “I don’t think those are good for you.” Tesla meowed curiously and made a valiant effort to follow the bowl, determined to continue inspecting the contents. 

“Just let him sniff it and maybe he’ll leave it alone once he knows what it is,” Tobirama suggested. 

“But what if he tries to eat one?” 

With a sigh Tobirama looked down at the cat stretched up on his hind legs and shook his head. “Then I suggest putting it inside your nightstand for now. Come on, you, let's show you where your litter box and food are. Maybe that will calm you down.” 

Tesla gave a very loud protest when he was picked up without further warning. As good as he’d been in the carrier, he didn’t seem to appreciate being swung freely through the air. Unfortunately Tobirama didn’t trust him to keep his claws to himself just yet and so he opted for holding the beast out in front of him like a stinky sack of potatoes rather than cuddling him up close as he would with any other cat. Considering the size of him it was no surprise that Tobirama’s arms began to feel the strain long before he finally made his way in to the laundry room where they planned to set up the litter, figuring this was the best place for any possible stinkiness. 

Only after he had arrived and found himself in the middle of the room did he remember that they hadn’t actually had time to set anything up just yet. 

“How much do you love me?” he asked in a flat voice. From behind he heard Itachi cough in a poor attempt at covering up a bit of laughter. 

“Enough to lock you in here with him while I go get everything ready.”

Tobirama sighed despondently. It was probably for the best. Leaving Tesla in here alone would probably result in some kind of disaster. Reluctantly and with much pouting, he agreed, watching the door close them in like a prisoner might watch the door to his jail cell slam shut. When they were alone he set Tesla on top of the washing machine and wrinkled his nose in irritation when the cat immediately began pawing at a stack of clean laundry. He supposed he should say goodbye now to the idea of ever being cat hair free again. Not even a lint roller was going to save him from this explosion of puff. 

By some merciful twist of fate it only took Itachi a few minutes to set up the food and water dishes in their kitchen and fill the litter box, something he did right outside the door. The sound of him pouring litter just a plank of wood away drove Tesla absolutely mad and set him to scratching at the door until finally Itachi opened it.

“Clearly he’s already decided which of us to attach himself to.”

“Well can you blame him?” Itachi carefully set the box down and buried his fingers in orange fur. “From the sounds of it I was the first person to ever give him a chance. Just look at this face, who could ever help loving a face like this?”

If not for the fact that he was overly aware he was making the exact same expression as the cat, Tobirama would have had some very different answers to that question. Instead he only darkened his scowl and turned away. Stupid animal. As soon as his partner spotted the thing he’d known they would end up taking it home but it was only now hitting him just how sleepless, fur-covered, and lonely his future was looking. The shame was probably the worst part. He was jealous of a cat. A cat. Well, more of an orange monster that was clearly plotting to steal all of Itachi’s time and affection away from him. 

Doing his best to consciously smooth his face in to something more neutral and unrelated to cat based jealousy, Tobirama cleared his throat. “Shouldn’t we be showing him his litter box so he knows where it is? That’s supposed to be important.” 

“Oh, right, yeah.” 

“So maybe you should put him down, then?”

“But listen to him purring…” Itachi gave him a tiny smile that blossomed in to a full grin when he laid his head down against Tesla’s side to listen to his monstrous purrs from up close. 

With a huff Tobirama nudged the litter box. “Just put him in it.”

It was already happening. The stupid beast was already stealing Itachi’s best smiles, the really soft ones normally reserved just for him when the two of them were all alone. And he was already feeling stupid for letting it get to him. Tobirama wondered if it would be a little too childish to bury the stupid thing in litter while it was still clean just to have what petty revenge he could; it wasn’t as though Tesla would really understand, after all. Stealing Itachi away wasn’t exactly premeditated. 

Nor was it real, the man was still right there and he would no doubt still have a part of his large heart reserved for the one who shared his bed, it was just that Tobirama was already fairly sure their bed had just gained another occupant. 

“Come on little one, like this!” Itachi used the litter scoop to dig through it like he was teaching a child something new. 

“I think he knows how to bury his own shit,” Tobirama grumbled. “The store said he was box trained.”

“What if this isn’t the brand they used? Change can be confusing for anyone.” 

“Oh for- I’m going to make dinner.” 

So he did. Tobirama ignored the bemused questions that followed him out in to the hall, calling back over his shoulder that keeping up with Tesla’s explorations was Itachi’s responsibility for now as he himself stomped off to the kitchen while trying not to be obvious about said stomping. 

Irritated as he was, he chose not to make anything too complicated for dinner, not wanting to let his distraction affect how well he cared for his beloved partner. He definitely had an advantage in this arena. Tesla was great and all but his paws probably weren’t all that useful in the kitchen - not to mention he would coat anything he touched in long ginger fur. Not very tasty for humans. 

Eventually as he went about his business the familiar motions of chopping and stirring and fiddling with their faulty stove dials helped center him, calming the silly emotions he hadn’t been able to help. There was something about the simple domesticity of housework that never failed to bring him back in to himself. Probably because housework didn’t require much of his brainpower and so allowed him plenty of time to work through his thoughts without any expectations or outside pressures. Tobirama opened the dishwasher to pull out his favorite set of miso bowls and admitted silently to himself that he might have overreacted to getting a cat. Sure he usually loved cats and yes he had very much enjoyed having one as a child but he and Itachi had lived alone together for close to a decade at this point, their home had become a place where he knew that the rest of the world could fade away and he could envelope himself in nothing but the quiet man who stole his heart from the very first date. It was a little embarrassing to realize that he’d grown so attached to that concept that even as simple of an addition as a pet could make him feel threatened. Itachi would love him no less. Pay him no less attention. Really there was nothing to worry about. 

Almost as though he could sense that a bit of mental peace had been reached, Itachi came wandering in to the room just as Tobirama was pulling down some glasses. He insisted on setting the table, for which Tobirama was grateful, and in only a couple of minutes they were both seated together devouring a simple yet delicious meal. The kitchen was Tobirama’s domain and his talents in that area only grew with each year. On the other hand Itachi hadn’t learned to cook until he was nearly thirty and his talents mostly included bowling water. 

When Tesla came wandering in to the room with a plaintive yowl Tobirama found it in himself not to glare at the sight of his partner leaping up immediately to guide him towards the cat dish. He supposed the animal deserved to have dinner as well and they might as well eat at the same time. A small fragment of his mental peace was shattered when Tesla began to eat, however, and he realized the stupid thing snarfed down its food with a litany of disgusting sounds almost like he were gargling it. Just because he accepted that the beast would be living here didn’t mean he had to like the thing. 

“Thank you for agreeing to let him come home with us,” Itachi said as he slid back in to his chair. Tobirama grunted. “I can’t imagine how it must have felt to stay in that place for so long with only a tiny cage to live in and never have anyone love him.” 

Rather than answer all Tobirama could do was grunt again and stir his miso aimlessly while trying not to feel guilty for fantasizing earlier about tossing the thing out. 

Dinner was quick, the clean up after even quicker, and even though it was probably a bad idea Tobirama decided that the rest of the evening would be his own, determined to ignore any shenanigans their new addition might get up to. Several people had told him over the years that he was too uptight. He would show them. Of course he knew how to relax, how to let the small things go. How much damage could one animal do in the short span of a single evening? 

After the past couple of hours he already knew the answer to that question; he chose to ignore it. 

Never having been a large fan of most popular TV shows, he spent the rest of his evening curled up in one corner of their large couch trying not to leap up and investigate every crash or yowl or quiet scolding word. Listening to his partner follow the cat around while Tesla continued learning this new environment did make him feel slightly guilty. Not guilty enough to actually go help though, not when getting the damn thing had been all Itachi’s idea. Sometimes he could be a nice guy but he certainly wasn’t that nice. Instead he combated his helpful urges by sinking farther and farther in to the cushions with every loud noise until he was all but buried between them and tried his best not to imagine what chaos was being made of his neat and orderly home. Whatever got misplaced he was sure Itachi would at least try to clean it up. 

By the time his phone went off to tell him he should probably go to bed - a daily alarm he’d been using since college when his study habits grew wildly unhealthy - his efforts to relax hadn’t been nearly as successful as he would have liked but he wasn’t feeling quite so twisted up in knots as he had been before dinner. Tobirama called a few vague words down the hall to let his partner know he was tucking in for the night, pleased to hear Itachi call back that he would follow in a few minutes. A man of his word, he was in the bedroom getting changed when Tobirama came back out of the bathroom, teeth freshly brushed and flossed. 

Since Itachi always took so much longer to perform his nightly ablutions Tobirama had plenty of time to slip under the covers and squirm about to find a comfortable position. He didn’t often move around much in his sleep but the older he got the more prone he was to aching limbs if he didn’t fall asleep in just the right position. Just as Itachi came out and crossed the room to turn out the light Tobirama at last found the perfect spot, spread out on his side just close enough to the center of the bed that when the other man crawled under the sheets he was able to fit himself right in to the cradle of Tobirama’s hips. As much as he liked to pretend that cuddling was something he only did for his partner’s benefit, it did help him sleep most days. Tobirama was grateful that slumber was such a private activity. There was no need for anyone else to know that under his gruff exterior he was nearly as sappy as his older brother. 

Like he often did, Tobirama had trouble falling asleep. Listening to the sound of Itachi’s breathing evening out relaxed him, of course, but he still found himself distressingly awake to hear the sound of their bedroom door creaking open ever so slightly. A scowl touched his face when he felt the end of the mattress dip under a tiny weight. 

“Do you really have to?” he grumbled under his breath. 

As though in answer Tesla gave a low meow and trotted a full circle around the lump their bodies made together under the covers, looking for the perfect spot to lie down. No choice could have been more surprising than the one he went for. Tobirama was left blinking rapidly at the back of Itachi’s head when he felt soft fur press up against his neck; almost immediately his entire frame was practically shaken with the force of Tesla’s raucous purring. He didn’t even like the stupid thing but of course he was the one it wanted to cuddle with as they all slept through their first night together.

That, of course, was when it hit him. He understood at last why his partner had fallen so deeply in love with this creature and why it had been so important that they take him home. If ever there had existed a cat form of Tobirama himself it would be Tesla. Coarse and unrefined, prone to explorations and a curiosity that was never quite sated, he himself was exactly the sort of person many others would pass up without a second thought. He was grumpy, he was cantankerous, and he wasn't much to look at. But at the end of the day when it was only him and the ones he loved Tobirama was as soft as melted butter. If he could purr then he certainly would have every time he fitted himself around Itachi’s warm and welcoming form. 

“Alright, fine,” he murmured, shifting so Tesla could curl around his head a little more comfortably. “You can stay. Just to be clear, though, I was still here first. And don’t you forget that.”

He didn’t get much of a reply but he wasn’t really expecting one. Tesla merely continued to purr, Itachi continued to dream, and Tobirama decided that he didn’t mind expanding his family just a little bit. Of all the possible choices for a pet it did warm him inside to know that, in a way, his partner had chosen to fall in love with him all over again. 

[chocolatequeennk]

Meta Monday: Rose Tyler Defence

Today’s Meta Monday post is brought to you by the person who left a full-fledged rant against Rose Tyler in a comment on one of my fics. For the record, if you spend 500 words putting down one half of my OTP, you cannot say you respect that I ship Ten/Rose. Also, RUDE.

So, I’m going to break down the comment point by point. This was left on my ficlet about Martha, and about halfway through, it switches to ranting about how Martha was treated by the Doctor. For the sake of length, I’ll cover that part next week. Bullet points in quotes are taken directly from the review.

1) Rose was selfish.

At times, yes. Because Rose was human and humans have flaws. She was a well-written character who didn’t always do the right thing for the right reason.

Can we talk for a minute about why Rose is selfish? She’d recently ended a relationship with someone who took advantage of her. Jimmy Stone took off and left her £800 in debt. When you’re used like that, you learn to look out for yourself first, because no one else will. It’s a habit that takes time to break. 

Now, this accusation often includes, “Rose was selfish to leave her family to travel,” and I will argue against that with my dying breath. It is not selfish for a young woman to decide to leave her family and create her own life. That is natural. I know Jackie and Mickey struggled with it, but that’s their thing to deal with. Honestly, them expecting Rose to never change and always be the same Rose they remembered is more selfish than Rose choosing to create her own life.

Don’t we tell girls all the time that they should plan their lives based on what would make them happy, not on what people expect them to do? Isn’t that part of what feminism is? So why do we insist it’s selfish when a young woman is actually bold enough to flout expectations and forge her own path?

2) “She ditched Mickey immediately when she heard the Doctor telling her that Tardis is a time travel machine.”

Why is it so horrible that Rose jumped at an amazing opportunity for a better life? She was obviously bored and dissatisfied before meeting the Doctor. (Look at her face when she’s working at Henrik’s. That is not the face of someone content with their life.) 

And let’s get rid of the notion that Mickey was a perfect boyfriend. Do you remember the part in “Rose” where she asks if she can borrow his laptop? And he says yes, but then in a panic tells her not to look at his email? That’s supposed to be a hint that he was cheating on her--another sign that her life was not ideal, meaning she was at a perfect spot for a change.

I understand that it hurts to be the person left behind. I’ll even agree that Rose should have said a bit more of a goodbye to Mickey than she did. (Though since the Doctor had already left once, I don’t blame her if she thought there was a clock ticking.) However, I refuse to blame Rose for wanting a different life. That’s grossly unfair. 

Think about this: Donna pitched the keys to the car she shared with her mother in a bin, then took off without saying a word about travelling. And yet, I’ve never heard anyone say anything bad about the way she left her family. Why is what Rose did so much worse?

3) “She also not only made Jackie grieve over her, therefore making her get Mickey go to police 5 times the whole year.”

Oh boy. One of my favourites. 

THE MISSING YEAR IS NOT ROSE’S FAULT.

We don’t know how long Rose had been with the Doctor when they landed at the beginning of “Aliens of London.” If we go strictly by time we’ve seen, it’s less than a week. If we believe there are adventures that happen offscreen, then maybe 2-3 weeks. 

Not only that, but she had been assured that to her mum, only 12 hours would have passed. She walked into that flat thinking she’d been gone overnight, thinking her phone call from Platform One would have been plenty to ease any worries. 

It is not Rose Tyler’s fault that the TARDIS, purposely or not, skipped a full year.

That means none of the things that happened to people on Earth during that time are her fault. It’s not her fault that her mum thought she was dead. It’s not her fault that Mickey was dragged in for questioning. Jackie and Mickey resenting Rose for the missing year does not make it actually Rose’s fault. 

4) “She flirted with Adam and Jack and broke up with Mickey, making him feel like crap.”

Right. Mickey who told Rose--in the middle of trying to chat her up--that he was seeing Trisha Delaney? Which he told her purposely to make her angry? Mickey is not superior here, so don’t even try to make it out like Rose is the horrible tramp and Mickey is the long-suffering boyfriend. 

And if she’d broken up with Mickey, what does it matter that she flirted with Adam and Jack? This kind of slut-shaming needs to end. Flirting is not a sin.

5) “She ripped Tardis console to become Bad Wolf, despite the fact that Tardis was an sentient being.” 

I see this thrown out as a horrible thing all the time. Do you know who did not get angry at Rose for opening the TARDIS? The Doctor. Not once in his explanation to Jack during “Utopia” does he say anything bad about Rose opening the TARDIS. Not once does his voice betray anything but awe at what she became. 

No one knows and loves the TARDIS more than the Doctor. If he wasn’t upset with Rose for opening her heart, maybe it wasn’t a bad thing for her to do. 

Also, if you’re thinking Bad Wolf was a selfish choice, then you’re purposely reading your opinion that Rose was selfish into the text. Rose knew looking into the heart of the TARDIS could kill her--she’d seen what had happened to Margaret the Slitheen. But she chose to do it anyway, because it was the only way to save the Doctor. 

Rose becoming Bad Wolf is not about her pouting because he sent her away. That is the wrongest interpretation of that scene I have ever seen, and it makes me angry every time. In the diner, when she’s trying to explain to Jackie and Mickey why she’s so upset, she starts with, “Two hundred thousand years in the future, he’s dying, and there’s nothing I can do.” And when Bad Wolf explains her choice and her purpose to the Doctor? "I want you safe. My Doctor. Protected from the false god.” 

Not to mention her glorious speech in the diner, which is entirely about understanding that life is better when you live it for other people. Bad Wolf is Rose Tyler at her least selfish and she is absolutely brilliant. 

6) “Martha actually worked hard to become a doctor, while Rose could not even get herself a job after getting her job blown off.” 

Wow. There’s so much classist garbage in here, I don’t even know where to start.

Yes, Martha worked hard. That doesn’t mean Rose didn’t. Stop putting down one companion to praise another. 

You don’t have to have an upper class job like doctor to be a hard worker. Poor people work their tails off, doing things no one else wants to do. Even Martha complained that she had to work in a shop. (Blink)

Rose left with the Doctor twenty-four hours after Henrik’s blew up. 

No, she didn’t go out job hunting the day after almost dying. 

Lucky she didn’t, because if she hadn’t spent the day looking up the Doctor, she might not have been there when he faced the Nestene Consciousness. And the Doctor himself admitted that he would have died if it wasn’t for her.

What you’re really saying is that instead of going off to have a fabulous life, Rose should have stayed on the Estate. I’m being kind and not adding, “where she belonged” to the end of that statement, but really--that’s what you’re implying. That as a young woman from the Estate, Rose didn’t deserve the kind of life she found with the Doctor.

Why not? 

Rose Tyler was clever. Practically the first thing the Doctor says to her is a compliment because she’d come up with a logical explanation for the Autons. It was wrong, but he was impressed by her logic. 

Rose Tyler was brave. She saved the Doctor that first day, she ran into the TARDIS even though he told her it would be dangerous, she ran after the ghost in “The Unquiet Dead...” Do I need to go on? Rose Tyler shot out the window of the rocket she was on so she could kill Satan. How’s that?

Rose Tyler was compassionate. She objected strenuously to the Doctor asking Gwyneth to channel to Gelth. She saw a little boy calling for his Mummy and tried to help him. She refused to let the Doctor kill a Dalek. She was outraged by the slavery of the Ood.

Rose Tyler stood up for what she believed in, no matter what the cost. She never hesitated to tell the Doctor if she thought what he was doing was wrong, even though she knew he could always take her home if he got annoyed with her. When he was passed out from regeneration sickness, she stood up to the Sycorax in his place. She got in Mr. Connolly’s face in Idiot’s Lantern when he was being a sexist jerk, talking down to his wife. 

Rose Tyler was clever, brave, and compassionate. When she was gone, the Doctor missed her ability to spot things he missed. “Rose would know,” was not just a sentimental comment--the solution to their adventures often started with Rose spotting something out of place and pointing it out to the Doctor. (The Unquiet Dead, The Long Game, Empty Child/The Doctor Dances, School Reunion, Idiot’s Lantern and Fear Her, just off the top of my head.)

So no, random reviewer, Rose is not flawless. But she’s also not the selfish girl you insist she is.

[rcdicnce-blog]

// headcanon.

The Advocates of the Blue Flame (or as typically referred to, the Advocates) is the title that Priam has given to his own rag-tag group of mercenaries. 

The Advocates are 52 strong, boasting a broad roster of mercenaries and miscreants from across multiple worlds. From Ylisse to Valm, Plegia to Ferox, even from outrealms lost to time itself and ancient worlds of legend, there is no land that Priam has not recruited a formidable foe from.  Each one is treated with the utmost respect, no matter their lineage, their birthrights, their blood, their bonds, or their bodies - all are welcome, so long as they can prove their worth and hold their own in a battle with Priam himself. Once deemed worthy, they were immediately allowed to join the ranks. There are no set hierarchic positions of power, though there are a select few that do run things in a sense. 

Strangely enough, this platoon seems to be more like a family than an actual army.

At the time that Priam left to join the Shepherds and fight for a higher cause, there were 9 Swordmasters, 9 Generals, 7 Snipers, 9 Warriors, 9 Sages, and 6 Heroes. Priam and his closest allies are classed as Heroes, Wyvern Riders, and Pegasi Knights. 

Priam personally knows each and every last member, and has taken the time to create a roster of sorts to ensure that no person is left behind or forgotten to the world. His bonds with his allies are tighter than any family could have. 

Below is a list of the members and a brief description both personality-wise and physically. Essentially, this is the aforementioned roster for the members of the Advocates. 

HIGHER-UPS WITHIN THE ADVOCATES

// PRIAM //

CLASS // HERO WEAPON // RAGNELL ORIGINS // UNKNOWN BIO // A wandering mercenary, and descendant of the Radiant Hero. Wishes to go down in legend. 

//ALECKZANDER //

CLASS // PEGASUS KNIGHT WEAPON // SILVER LANCE ORIGINS // YLISSE BIO //  A retired Ylissean Pegasus Knight. Honourably discharged after injury, partially due to age. Adores his Pegasus, Sandra, with a passion. The biggest paternal figure in the group, especially to Priam. Despite having gone through hell and back, he still retains a sensitive side and cries quite easily. 

// ARIXA // 

CLASS // WYVERN LORD WEAPON // BRAVE AXE ORIGINS // PLEGIA BIO // A Plegian refugee who fled the Grimleal cult. Rides a stolen Wyvern, whom they have dubbed Tzar’xi. Despite their excitable and easily distracted nature,  they are by far one of the best fighters in the Advocates. 

// JOSEPH //

CLASS // HERO WEAPON // SILVER AXE ORIGINS // TELLIUS BIO // A gentleman who once knew the first one to tell the tale of Priam’s ancestors. They drew each other together, and soon found themselves locked in as duel to the bitter end... Which neither Priam nor Joseph won. Their near-death duel led to them forming a deep bond, unlike anything else. Rumors circulated that it was more than just a friendship.

// DECEASED. //

MEMBERS OF THE ADVOCATES

// BAQUI’SAL // 

CLASS // SWORDMASTER WEAPON // KILLER SWORD ORIGINS // FEROX BIO // Former champion of Regna Ferox’s West Khan. Assumed to be dead after a battle left him kidnapped. Priam freed him and added him to the Advocates due to his persistence and determination. 

// SARI //

CLASS // SWORDMASTER WEAPON // SILVER SWORD ORIGINS // ALTEAN BIO // A spiritual warrior brought to Ylisse through the Outrealm gate. Having been a member of the Hero King’s army at one point, Priam immediately requested a duel. She won. 

// GABRIEL //

CLASS // SWORDMASTER WEAPON // SILVER SWORD ORIGINS // YLISSE BIO // A blade-wielding bruiser from a town on the border of the Haildom. Studied at the peak of the demon’s ingle for years, forging his mind and body into a cohesive force to be reckoned with. 

// CHORAM //

CLASS // SWORDMASTER WEAPON // SILVER SWORD ORIGINS // VALM BIO // A well-known outlaw from Valm. He is known for his high price, alongside his skill. 

// SAE //

CLASS // SWORDMASTER WEAPON // SILVER SWORD ORIGINS // CHON’SIN BIO // An exile from Chon’Sin, banished for her ineptitude and lack of focus. Vowed to better herself. Truly a brave and powerful warrior. 

// KOLTAN //

CLASS // SWORDMASTER WEAPON // SILVER SWORD ORIGINS // PLEGIA BIO // A war victim, forced to work in Plegia after his capture. Built up a high pain tolerance and a higher level of tactical thinking during his time while enslaved. 

// SILIFUS //

CLASS // SWORDMASTER WEAPON // SILVER SWORD ORIGINS // SACAE BIO // A rogue Sacaean swordsman who fled their village during a raid. Joined the Advocates to seek out adventure, and to visit other time periods they had only heard of in stories.  

// ARUXANDIA //

CLASS // SWORDMASTER WEAPON // SILVER SWORD ORIGINS // PLEGIA BIO // A Plegian mage turned swordswoman. Her magic was sapped by a spell, leaving rune-shaped scars all over her body and a never ending vengeance burning within. 

// GARETH //

CLASS // SWORDMASTER WEAPON // SILVER SWORD ORIGINS // OUTREALMS BIO // A proud wandering mercenary. His family is rather large, branching out across different realms. He some day wishes to return home to his husband and child, bringing many a tale with him. 

// WALLACE //

CLASS // GENERAL WEAPON // SILVER LANCE ORIGINS // VALM  BIO // Sibling of Ward. A powerful Valmese general, boasting mass strength. 

//  WARD //

CLASS // GENERAL WEAPON // SILVER LANCE ORIGINS // VALM BIO // Sibling of Wallace.  A powerful Valmese general, boasting a powerful mind. 

// KECHI //

CLASS // GENERAL WEAPON // SILVER LANCE ORIGINS // OUTREALMS BIO // A rather short sellsword. He adventures for the sake of adventuring, and that is truly all there is to it. 

// IRNABELLEI //

CLASS // GENERAL WEAPON // SILVER LANCE ORIGINS // OUTREALMS BIO // A travelling warrior who sells her shield as a job. She began following Priam after they shared in a spar against bandits. 

// THOMAS //

CLASS // GENERAL WEAPON // SILVER LANCE ORIGINS // OUTREALMS BIO // A man erased from history, who now aims to make his legacy known once again. 

//LACHESIA //

CLASS // GENERAL WEAPON // SILVER LANCE ORIGINS // MACEDON BIO // The youngest sister in an order of four nobles. Despite her frail form, she fights effortlessly in the impermeable bubble of her armor. 

// QUILBUS //

CLASS // GENERAL WEAPON // SILVER LANCE ORIGINS // OUTREALMS BIO // A military commander form a land far away. Will stop at nothing to get his own way, but still trusts those he calls his allies to do the right thing... Even if that means stopping him when he goes too far. 

// ETAENA //

CLASS // GENERAL WEAPON // SILVER LANCE ORIGINS // ARCHANEA BIO // An ancient warrior from a time when the Hero-King stood tall and vile dragons still plagued the land. Keeps tick marks on her weapon noting each enemy she has killed. Many think she is quiet, but in reality, the can not speak at all. Her large frame is covered in scars and marks, with one distinct line across her neck. 

// ARGIS //

CLASS // GENERAL WEAPON // SILVER LANCE ORIGINS // OUTREALMS BIO // some have a hard time believing that this fierce man isn’t a monster. Despite his gargantuan appearance and savage warrior spirit, he hails from a nomadic magical tribe of pacifists that live among a riverbank, thriving off off of the earth. 

// LEO //

CLASS // SNIPER WEAPON // SILVER BOW ORIGINS // OUTREALMS BIO // A timid member of a noble family’s guard, but when pressed in a corner, can fight on par with the best warriors of them all. 

// IGNIS //

CLASS // SNIPER WEAPON // SILVER BOW ORIGINS // CHON’SIN BIO // An over-dramatic sniper with a penchant for all things glorious. He has the biggest head in the entire army, and claims to have never missed a shot, even when first handling a bow. Despite his pious remarks, he actually is an excellent shot. 

// MONICA//

CLASS // SNIPER WEAPON // SILVER BOW ORIGINS // OUTREALMS BIO // Wishes to become the best archer in the world, modelling herself after the ancient bow users of the lands. Has adopted a reckless yet precise style despite her training, typically putting herself in danger to aid her allies. Can attack from a distance or close-up with ease.  

// GARLAN //

CLASS // SNIPER WEAPON // DOUBLE BOW ORIGINS // MACEDON BIO // A sentient Einherjar spirit who gained its own free will, and joined Priam’s ranks with force. Despite being nearly intangible, it can still dole out fierce attacks to mortal foes with its ghastly arrows. 

// GLORIAN //

CLASS // SNIPER WEAPON // GLASS BOW ORIGINS // OUTREALMS BIO // A radiant warrior who has a rather fine taste for armor. Only the finest of materials go into his shining armor, and only the most costly of preparations and rituals are used in forging his weapons. He has become something akin to a joke in his homeland, a bleak and grey military encampment. 

// SIREN //

CLASS // SNIPER WEAPON // SILVER BOW / ‘THE HEARTBREAKER’ ORIGINS // OUTREALMS BIO // A philandering, towering beast of a man, covered in scales and bones from head to toe. Fights for the approval of the men of the world, going so far as to even collect an entire harem-like gathering of fans after every conquest he makes. Has dubbed his weapon ‘The Heartbreaker.’ Priam recruited him after Siren emerged from the ocean itself, landing a perfect strike above his left breast... Even after performing an exuberant back-flip. 

// KELIAN //

CLASS // SNIPER WEAPON // SILVER BOW ORIGINS // OUTREALMS BIO // A lowly military recruit with unfathomable power. Being the runt of the litter, he was kicked around by his peers, and seeked out Priam to prove a point to his tormentors. Priam was impressed with his aptitude and lack of fear in the face of pain. A peerless opponent and a worthy ally. 

// CECIL //

CLASS // WARRIOR WEAPON // SILVER AXE ORIGINS // OUTREALMS BIO // While they may be relatively slow, they are known to be able to topple an enemy with one strike.  

// BREUM //

CLASS // WARRIOR WEAPON // SILVER AXE ORIGINS // OUTREALMS BIO // Despite having lost a leg protecting an innocent person who got caught in the middle of a magical duel to the death, he still fights with the same spirit and vigor of a whole man. The team’s moral coach. 

// YOBA //

CLASS // WARRIOR WEAPON // SILVER AXE ORIGINS // OUTREALMS BIO // A woman who was once revered as a prophet in her village, now fights to avenge the people she lost due to an unforeseen eldritch cataclysm. 

// HAR’KA’AN //

CLASS // WARRIOR WEAPON // BOLT AXE ORIGINS // CHON’SIN BIO // A stoic warrior who uses his own leather-hard skin as his armor. As durable as he is dense. Born to two elusive Feroxi mages, yet abandoned in Chon’sin and trained to harness his natural affinity for battle in his duels.  

// SIMON //

CLASS // WARRIOR WEAPON // KILLER AXE ORIGINS // OUTREALMS BIO // A deft man, one so fast that none see him before he drives his axe into their skull with a single quick flick of his wrist. 

// NATALIE//

CLASS // WARRIOR WEAPON // IMPOSING AXE ORIGINS // OUTREALMS BIO // Fights alongside her wife, Kiel, to protect their homeland from an unseen threat. The two of them have become local legends. 

// KIEL //

CLASS // WARRIOR WEAPON // HAMMER ORIGINS // OUTREALMS BIO // Fights alongside her wife, Natalie, to protect their homeland from an unseen threat. She is almost never seen outside of the arms of her lover. 

// CORAN //

CLASS // WARRIOR WEAPON // SILVER AXE ORIGINS // OUTREALMS BIO // A simple warrior who leads a simple life, and holds a simple goal; settle down with a nice person, and make a lovely family in a land free from war. 

// LARSON //

CLASS // WARRIOR WEAPON // RAPIER ORIGINS // OUTREALMS BIO // an elderly warrior. Fights with the power of an God within his blade, all to avenge the memory of his former lover. Good friends with Siren and Etaena. 

// FIORA//

CLASS // SAGE WEAPON // BOLGANONE ORIGINS // PLEGIA BIO // The 1st of nine sages. Possesses the element of fire within their veins. Joined the advocates due to Priam’s warrior blood and powerful skills as a leader. 

// AZURE //

CLASS // SAGE WEAPON // BOOK OF NAGA ORIGINS // PLEGIA BIO // The 2nd of nine sages. Possesses the element of water within their veins. Joined the advocates due to Priam’s spirit, as well as how he holds and composes himself. 

// LEIFFEN //

CLASS // SAGE WEAPON // CATHARSIS (STAFF) ORIGINS // CHON’SIN BIO // The 3rd of 9 sages. Possesses the element of nature within their veins. Joined the advocates due to Priam’s copious amounts of kindness and unfortunate simplicity. 

// VOEX //

CLASS // SAGE WEAPON // GOETIA ORIGINS // PLEGIA BIO // The 4th of nine sages. Possesses the element of darkness within their veins. Joined the advocates due to Priam’s strength and determination. 

// ARIA //

CLASS // SAGE WEAPON // REXCALIBUR ORIGINS // MACEDON BIO // The 5th of nine sages. Possesses the element of wind within their veins. Joined the advocates due to Priam’s unyielding persistence. 

// TOTHRUNIM //

CLASS // SAGE WEAPON // THORON ORIGINS // VALM  BIO // The 6th of nine sages. Possesses the element of electricity within their veins.  Joined the advocates due to Priam’s radiant personality and character.

// PEIXES //

CLASS // SAGE WEAPON // MIRE ORIGINS // PLEGIA BIO // The 7th of nine sages. Possesses the element of poison within their veins. Joined the advocates due to Priam’s veiled yet incredibly intriguing  past. 

// TERRANCE //

CLASS // SAGE WEAPON // HAMMERNE (STAFF) ORIGINS // YLISSE BIO // The 8th of nine sages. Possesses the element of the earth within their veins. Joined the advocates due to Priam’s strength of heart and mind. 

// IX//

CLASS // SAGE WEAPON // VALFLAME ORIGINS // VALM BIO // The 9th of 9 sages. Possesses the element of destruction within their veins. Joined the advocates due to Priam’s power, pure and unrelenting. 

//D’IORE //

CLASS // HERO WEAPON // ARMORSLAYER ORIGINS // CHON’SIN BIO // A dark and mysterious hero from the coast of Chon’sin. Anything that moves, he can hit with needle-like precision, leading to him gaining the title of ‘the Seamstress.’ Unfortunately, his precision is only clouded over by his easygoing, flirtatious way of life. Many butcher his title, preferring to instead call him ‘the Seductress.’ 

// IKIDAN //

CLASS // HERO WEAPON // SILVER AXE ORIGINS //   OUTREALMS BIO // An unknown figure who emerged from the mist of an ancient waterfall. Fights with the harshest of strikes, and does not say a word while doing it. 

// ETHIRMA //

CLASS // HERO WEAPON // TOMAHAWK  ORIGINS // YLISSE BIO // A blacksmith who uses her father’s own axe to cull the weak and the poor. A rather cold-hearted individual. Don’t ask her how she ‘inherited’ that weapon unless you are a fan of gruesome tales of murder and woe. 

// CADENCOE //

CLASS // HERO WEAPON // SILVER SWORD ORIGINS // ROSANNE BIO // A bodyguard who once served the old Duke of Rosanne. Now uses her skills to protect her allies, holding no remorse within her soul for whoever gets in her way. 

// ZAURN //

CLASS // HERO WEAPON // SILVER SWORD ORIGINS // YLISSE BIO // A member of the Ylissean royal guard, and a personal friend of the exalted bloodline... Or at least they used to be.