#everything i know about the darkin

[corvicarum]

so i like mixing up pc, and lor lore for darkin & shurima. it melds so well, and makes the story more cohesive than it felt before. and im not sure but i think that riot may have confirmed a lot of this to be canon anyway? eh, here we go:

𝐁𝐄𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐀𝐑𝐊𝐈𝐍

a REALLY long time ago, the kingdom of shurima was at it's prime. they had this really cool sun disc, that could concentrate celestial power- and pour it into a single individual. creating what we know as the ascended. these were very powerful humans who shared features with animals. i.e nasus( jackal ), and renekton( crocodile ), and many more. this was the golden army, and-- as any nation might do when they have an all powerful army-- shurima sought to expand. and they did so under the rule of an ascendant emperor named azir.

so there was also this rlly cool nation called icathia, led by the mage king axamuk. he was as you can assume, not eager to give up. unfortunately, icathia didn't stand much of a chance against shurima. and so as a last resort; they used their magic to rip open a portal to the void. a place devoid( haha ) of all reason, all time, all space. what they didn't know, was that the voidborn would destroy EVERYTHING they touched. and so not only did shurima suffer losses, but so did icathia. and only when the land was desolate and barren-- did shurima retreat.

unfortunately, there are consequences for interacting at all with anything from the void. the ascendants who's minds were touched by the creatures would begin to go mad. threatening to turn on one another. and in a grim twist of fate, azir would be killed by one of his kin. leaving the maddening ascended on their own without any leader to guide them. enter: zolani

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐀𝐑𝐊𝐈𝐍

zolani was an ascendant, who began to delve into blood magic. and found a way to use this blood magic to fix everything. this is kind of where it goes into headcanons and stuff ig people found through LoR? im just theorizing based on what i've read from various content / people's thoughts.

zolani gave other ascendants blood magic? promising that the magic would give them a great deal of power. the blood magic of course did change their forms and appearances to what we recognize now as general darkin biology. and did in fact, make them stronger. but what they didn't know, was that due to zolani's vast knowledge, and her being the source of this magic-- she could? control them?? and what was seen as a gift, turned out to be a curse.

in truth, she wanted to use the magic she gave them, to control them. which would have stopped them from trying to kill one another,

in a way i guess? this makes her an anti hero? definitely relatively good intentions done in a really fucked up way. which backfire, because they find out her aim, and mark her a traitor. so now you have a bunch of insane ascended god warriors, each one infused with VERY powerful blood magic. BIG OOF.

and BAM! thus begins the darkin war.

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐀𝐑𝐊𝐈𝐍 𝐖𝐀𝐑

the darkin war nearly destroyed the world, and actually ruined parts of pretty much every continent in runterra. eventually, the aspect of twilight, came from the heavens to do something about it. creating a special weapon( the chalicar )that could harness moonlight and use it against the darkin. we know this aspect at current, as zoe. but at this time her name was myisha.

the way it worked i think is p vague. but in short: using the chalicar, they could seal the souls of these darkin into their own weapons. not killing them, as they were nigh impossible to kill-- but trapping them. of course one aspect could not do this on her own. so thats where everyone kind of comes in! with this gift, mortal races could finally fight back against the darkin.

the method wasn't perfect though. as sealing them worked fine, up until a mortal creature touches the blade. see, when a celestial creates these weapons they are very powerful. but when a mortal makes them, they're not quite as efficient. so while the darkin were in fact gone for the moment. the darkin curse was born, and now anyone who wields these weapons-- will become new physical vessels for these darkin to return to the world in.

and to make matters worse, the weapons are unbreakable.

it's interesting too, because it implies also that none of the darkin we see in game at current- are what they originally looked like. aatrox, rhaast, naafiri, to name a few, did look a bit different back int he day. and their current forms are a mesh of their new host body and their own original form.

𝐂𝐔𝐑𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐃𝐀𝐘

again. the few darkin we know about have hosts. some of the hosts have melded perfectly with their darkin. some were overtaken entirely, and in the case of kayn, he fights his parasite. and actually manages to keep his influence under as much control as he can manage. all things considered.

zolani's influence is also still kind of seen? i haven't looked a whole lot into vladimir, but i do recall hearing he has ties to the darkin as well.

[xhanelia]

Hello! Can I ask for Kayn X reader headcanons where kayn gets jealous? You can choose how and why he gets jealous :)

TYYYYY

YES FINALLY I GOT MY FIRST KAYN REQ THANKS SO MUCH ANON!!! Certainly, i can. I made the reader a member of the shadow order so its easier to write. Please request more id love to write more runeterra kayn imagines! Hope u like it 🖤

<<<Reader is gn>>>

Kayn when he gets jelaous

He is not jelaous over those who look at your way with heart shaped eyes or fantasizes. He is jelaous because you keep stealing his spotlight from him.

What i mean by spotlight is basically his masters attention. He gave his whole life to be the successor of Zed and now he feels like you can take it with a touch of your fingertips.

You were working hard lately. The Noxian invators were getting more aggressive and frequent these days. Zed was satisfied by your hard work to keep them away and praised you more often. That is what made Kayn so... not him.

Not you nor Zed was aware of Kayn's jelaousness about this. Theres just and always has been a master and student realitionship between you. And your lover, whos promised to be the next ruler of the Yanléi is jelaous because you were getting afew "good job"s from your master?

He is a man that cannot open up to people even if he wanted to. When his words cannot speak for him, his actions does. Even if he is hard to read from outside, being with him for some time made you able to tell what he is thinking and feeling by his face and body. But right now, you couldnt tell and it bothered you.

You asked why he was acting strangely lately. He was more in contact with Rhaast. More bloodlusted for Noxians than ever. He was neglecting you and was talking to the darkin scythe more than he used to. The most controlled man you know was acting out of control.

He tried to ignore you at first but couldnt resist your stubborness. He tried to shoo you off by saying "Go and ask your belowed master. Maybe he can look at me too for once."

You couldnt process the words at first. Kayn? Being jelaous over attention? You tried to ask "What?" while laughing a little with the word. He frowned even more with your light touch on his bare shoulder. But he choose to stay silent again.

You tried to make him look at you by lightly holding his chin and turning his head to your way. But his golden eyes turned away from you. You tried to explain that you were not trying to do anything that might make Zed reconsider his successor. It was certain from the beginning that he was the only person who could take his place. You were the last person that would not want it to happen.

After a little while, he closed his eyes and hold your hand that was holding his chin. You didnt expect him to say anything. This was enough for you to understand that he was sorry for his actions.

Even though he got softer after your talk, the influence of being too much in contact with Rhaast made his whispers louder in Kayn's mind. You notice that and asked Zed for Kayn to take afew extra missions to feed his bloodlust.

Rhaast did groaned when he was silenced again by you but at least he enjoyed the feast of Noxian blood. Kayn and the darkin was back annoying eachother with words after that.

And after everything, Kayn got his usual attention from his master again while being sure that no one can take his promised future. And remembered why he wanted you out of all the people to be in that promised furute.

[ganondoodle]

i realized it while drawing that redesign for Xaror, but they really do look like i just did a somewhat cheap knock off of Kayn/Rhaast from league of legends oh my god

- i have had Xaror/Xanthriels rough design and lore for .. im pretty sure years before that champion released and even after it i actually never thought about it (unless you count liking aatrox and rhaasts designs, or i guess darkin in general, ... bc i just like those kind of monster designs, who would have guessed xD)

(for anyone that doesnt know league, this is rhaast (not my art, i wish it was, this is official riot games art .. also that art goes hard, i love rhaast alot)

hes a corrupted god warrior trapped in a weapon thats trying to take over his wielder (kayn, dont care for the guy) and once he succeeds this is how he looks, they also talk and banter constantly)

after merging back together i imagined Xaror and Xanthriel doing similarly, though much less as a struggle for control over the body, Xaror is more like a weirldy knowledgable teenager that does whatever he wants and Xanthriel just kinda watches and chimes in every now and then like a disappointed parent

(ngl realizing this isnt exactly helping me not feel like a fraud, but i dont think i can change xaror just bc of it, hes too woven into everything of my oc stuff .. q-q)

[duquesah]

I've started re-watching the Venom movies recently

It got me thinking about Kayn and Rhaast's relationship in canon, and how for some odd reason Kayn is the only darkin host that wasn't corrupted immediately upon holding the weapon for the first time, and is still fighting against the corruption. Is it true that Kayn is just THAT powerful and Rhaast is the current weakest darkin? Or perhaps there's more to them than we realize?

What I think might be the case is a combination of factors mentioned previously and something else, which I'll talk about in this post so pls stay with me 🙏

Okok so, in Venom (2018) we see how Venom and Eddie meet, how at first they're really just parasite and host, but then after seeing how much they're alike Venom gives everything up. Venom was a nobody amongst the others, just like Eddie, who has lost everything previously. They achieved symbiosis because they are the same, pretty much, and they are so goddamn special that not even Riot (ha) could take them down (with some help of course, love my girl Anne).

THAT got me thinking about Hwei's voice line, the one in which he says "If you just allowed yourselves to BLEND". It's a very interesting line, we can think about some possibilities but first we discuss exactly why Kayn hasn't been corrupted yet (I know I'm rambling a bit, sorry lol)

So, it could be that he really is that powerful, he has been training since childhood (he had a pretty rough one, too). At some point Zed took him in and Kayn became a powerful weapon/tool (parallels!! Kayn being used as a weapon and Rhaast being one, literally) and with his tragic backstory and some other voice lines (this time from Swain, I believe) we know that Kayn, after all he's been through, mistakes hatred for affection, since all he knows is negative, bad things.

So Kayn is traumatized, who isn't? Well, I know for sure the darkin have a very sad past too so let's talk about them (and Rhaast, of course) next

The darkin, once ascended, fought against The Void and each other for some time. The things they've seen and been through cost them their minds, with the years they became less of who they once were, some corrupted beyond redemption and the only way to stop this war was with imprisonment, so that's what happened. Many died, with the remaining ones being sealed away in weapons. Inside their prison they cannot breathe (that's why they sound very out of breath, I was happier before knowing about that) or scream, or do anything really, it's another void, much like the first they fought.

So imagine, after years of being trapped inside a tiny space, some guy finds you and, unlike the others, there's a barrier blocking your way inside their mind. This one is different, that's for sure, but Rhaast is a darkin, he will break this host one day...

But this day seems further and further away, the barrier still strong. Could it be that Rhaast is weaker than the others, or perhaps their tactic of corrupting minds away just doesn't work on Kayn? Well, like I previously talked about, both Kayn and Rhaast have a tragic backstory. my guess is that Rhaast and the other darkin use negative emotions/memories in order to break the host's mind, the pain unbearable to them. But Kayn? Negative emotions/memories is ALL he has, all he ever had, so this method couldn't possibly be the most effective to use, right?

Kayn is stronger than most, sure, but he wasn't immediately corrupted because he is barely affected by Rhaaat's tactics, which consist of breaking the mind with bad memories and emotions, which unfortunately for him is all Kayn knows. It DOES affect him a bit, for all we know, but we can't exactly expect him to be 100% immune, he's still human 🤷‍♀️

We don't know how things are going for them currently, if anyone's winning yet. I actually don't think that's ever happening, because 1. They would break the fucking champion; 2. Is it truly a win if they're just gonna miss each other's company after? (Rhaast presumably doesn't care but that can change, I mean just look at Varus). They would be more powerful, sure, but they only have each other, and with time I think they can be stronger together, they can find a way to get what they both want AND stay together.

ANYWAY what do y'all think? I know I started talking about Venom and Eddie and ended up somewhere else entirely but I just needed to ramble about them, get some ideas in order. Also correct me if I said anything wrong lore-wise, been awhile since I've read about them

[thesilentarestill]

Kayn, Rhaast, and Loss (and Chainsaw Man for some reason)

WARNING!! The following rambling contains heavy spoilers for Part 1 of Chainsaw Man

Additionally the following contains the insane headcanons of a deranged man who likes Runeterra just a bit too much so if everyone is OOC thats just how it is

Kayn is such an interesting character to me beyond how he is presented in League. From his prime appearance, he doesn't really have much going on beyond "edgy scythe shadow ninja". Base Kayn is a very tropey character, but it's done to his advantage.

What really makes him interesting to me, is the existence of Rhaast, and moreso the implications of what Rhaast's presence could mean from a narrative standpoint. We don't know how Kayn is able to withstand the darkin when no other mortal seemingly can. Is it because of his strength? Is Rhaast weaker than other darkins?

Or is it because Kayn has nothing to lose?

An interesting take on the character in my mind is that Rhaast is fueled by emotional instability. Kayn's withstood Rhaast's assault for years because his willpower is so strong... and he's at his strongest because there is nothing that can shake that.

Kayn is an orphan, an abandoned child soldier, he has no ties to the world around him. He craves power, and when he finds it, he does nothing but relish in that strength. The only person that he could possible feel affection for... is Zed.

And perhaps that is why I imagine Zed acting so cold to him. He would care, of course. Why else would the leader of the Order of Shadows rescue a child from a battlefield, raise and train him. He must care.

But as soon as Kayn touched that scythe Zed's coldness changed. He is no longer just unable to express his affectionate emotions due to the way he is, he is now actively acting colder and more harsh towards Kayn to protect him from the creature lurking in his mind.

And now is when I switch up to talking about Chainsaw Man for ZERO reason.

Chainsaw Man Part 1 is my second favourite manga of all time, and one of my favourite stories of all time. I could go on for hours about everything I love about it, but here I just want to focus in on one thing.

Denji, Makima, and Family.

When we meet Denji at the start of the story, he has nothing. He has no family, he has no money, no food. The only thing he does have is Pochita, and soon enough the devil becomes a part of him, so you could even say he doesn't even have that anymore.

That is the state in which Makima finds him, and that is the state where Denji is at both his weakest... and his strongest.

No matter what anyone could do to him, it wouldn't change anything. He's already at rock bottom, if someone were to kill him he might even see it as a blessing.

So what does Makima do?

She gives him a life. She gives him food, a job, a purpose... She tempts him with the chance of everything he's ever desired, and she reinforces his will to live.

She gives him Power, and Aki. The family that he's never had, the love that he's always craved.

Before the Gun Devil incident happens, Denji is at his strongest... and his weakest.

Because now he has something to lose.

And Makima strips that away from him.

Denji has to kill Aki, and after that, he comes to her. And what does Makima do?

She kills Power right in front of him. She removes the last piece of Denji's new family, his new life, right before his eyes.

Everything that he had, that newfound will to live, it's now gone. And when Denji is reduced to nothing, that is when Chainsaw Man returns.

That was one hell of a tangent, but it does loop back around to my main point, I promise.

Kayn has nothing to lose, emotionally. He lives for the fight, for the power that he feels from the Darkin. Through his base skin blue form voice lines, we see that although he still feels remorse upon Zed's death ("It did not have to end this way, Zed."), he still does not view Zed's loss as a tragedy. Zed is not his father, Zed is his equal now.

So that's why the most interesting narrative to me is:

What if Kayn had someone to fight for?

That's why I love writing Kayn alongside someone, be it romance or found family- If he has a tie to the world, a real connection to another living being, the love that he was denied his entire childhood... Then what happens when that's stripped away?

What happens when the cold facade of his mind cracks? When the thirst for power becomes an anguished cry of sorrow?

That's when Rhaast has already won.

Whispering into Kayn's mind, "It was your fault, they died because of you. This is what happens when anyone gets close to you, this is why you are unworthy of love."

The moment that Kayn falters, the demon in his head has everything that he needs to take control. If Kayn is capable of compassion, then he is capable of despair.

And when his willpower is gone, there is nothing to stop the Darkin.

[witchcraftandburialdirt]

progress and humanity for your fellas

✧ ━━ 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐍𝐒 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐌𝐔𝐒𝐄𝐒 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐀 𝐃𝐈𝐅𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐔𝐋𝐓 𝐏𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝙻𝙴𝙰𝙶𝚄𝙴 𝚅𝙴𝚁𝚂𝙴

Progress // Have they made any significant progress since their past deeds? Are they currently progressing? Do they want to progress? ━━ I would say so. Robin's time in Zaun was a really difficult trial that had a lot of things stacked against him from the moment he was born. Social status made it impossible to climb and lofty dreams along with his insatiability made him do some pretty intense things, and the grief. And maybe the demon but whatever. Either way, Robin has found quite a bit of peace in Ionia despite his even worse social status and repetitive lifestyle. He's met and made a lot of connections, and has even made friends and found that he's still able to care about people depite everything. @aquatic-hybrid had a massive influence on his way of seeing life, if I'm being honest, and this has led Robin to try and actually forgive himself and break out of whatever crypt he's buried himself in. He wants to leave, and eventually with the help of @hemoplagued, he does. Robin has actually gotten quite a bit healthier since I started writing him; he's still extremely unnerving and calculating, but emotionally and in turns of stability ━ he's in a way better place.

Humanity // If they're asked what 'humanity' means to them and how they would describe it, what would they answer? Do they love or hate humans? ━━ I know this is going to sound wild given how Robin is in other verses, but in his main timeline in League Robin doesn't really have any resentment towards humans? He's one and he has relationships with them. Even when he was working with Miss Glasc in Zaun he had friendships and happily went out with them! He loves the arts and tries to take as much as he can in, and art is the heart of humanity in a way. That being said, Robin isn't an idealist and he never will be, and he's well aware that for all of the good humans do they do an equal amount of bad; like - duh he was literally reviving torture victims for money? Robin, a human, made every one of his decisions; Abel simply supported those decisions, the demon never actually made of those dark choices for Robin. And Robin's well aware of it, he's also aware that none of it was personal ( or not all of it ). ━━ I think if I had to sum it up, Robin finds a majority of people very very boring. He's attracted to chaos and people smart enough to keep up with his mind games; and a lot of people just don't fit in that narrow space. Granted there's a small part of him that's extremely fond of generally good people ( looking at you @steel-and-fire ) with well meaning hearts. Which, unfortunately, are also a rare commodity.

Progress // Have they made any significant progress since their past deeds? Are they currently progressing? Do they want to progress? ━━ I don't think that Haruko necessarily thought he'd end up at the forefront of a Darkin worshipping blood cult, or being in a symbiotic relationship with one; but here he is. Haruko doesn't feel the need for any sort of redemption for his deeds, he kills any and all Noxians to keep Ionia clean and in his eyes that is a good thing. At the beginning of the Noxian invasion he lost most of what made his life worth living, and since then he's found reason to keep going, has fallen in love, has made friends, raised his beautiful and strong daughter @deathdxnces, and all of this is a huge plus to him. He's really content where he is, he still has nightmares about the war but he has a new family around him to hold him and provide him what he needs.

Humanity // If they're asked what 'humanity' means to them and how they would describe it, what would they answer? Do they love or hate humans? ━━ Haru's feelings on humans are sort of all over the place. For the most part his view of them is pretty negative, he think's they've messed up Ionia's magical grid, he knows they're what separated his family and poisoned the Wuju temples, and a majority of them are pests and cowards. However he has met his fair share of humans who have earned his respect and even his affections; but he still views them as the less common aspect of their species. He doesn't want to eradicate them, but he would prefer them to keep their distance and keep their petty wars to themselves and away from his beloved homeland.

[lovelyladyabsinthewrites]

From the Ashes Pt.7

Pairing: Rhaegar Targaryen x Lannister!Reader

Warning: changing povs, MC POV

Words:2035

Summary: Finally, after almost a year of traveling through Essos, you and Jaime reach Volantis.

Part 1  Part 2  Part 3  Part 3.5  Part 4  Part 5  Part 6    Part 8  Part 9  Part 10  Part 11  Part 12  Part 13  Part 14  Part 15  Part 16  Part 17  Part 18  Part 19  Part 20  Part 21  Part 22 Part 23  Part 24  Part 25  Part 26 Part 27  Part 28  Part 29  Part 30  Part 31  Part 32  Part 33  Part 34  Part 35  Part 36  Part 37  Part 38  Part 39   Part 40 Part 41 Part 42  Part 43   Part 44 Part 45  Part 46  Part 47  Part 48 Part 49 Part 50  Part 51 Part 52 Part 53  Part 54

Book Two of Heir of Ash and Fire

Book One of Heir of Ash and Fire

Inniros hisses, ghost white hands clawing at his back where the Red Priestess had whipped him. Searing hotk, far worse than any lashing he had felt for it was dealt by a worshipper of the Lord of Light. His entire back was hot, throbbing to the point where he wanted to rip his skin off. Why had she interfered? He had her. His task could have already been done with.

Baring his teeth, he rocks forward; anything to ease the torture.

Lord of Light.

He glares at the simple candle he had lit, the shadows formed and flickered on the walls of his temporary room. Willing his shadows to snuff it out, they wiggled and quaked; unable to go against the light. A bead of sweat trailing down his temple, Inniros huffs. If any of his cohorts from the Golden Company saw him now, they wouldn’t believe him to be the same person. Like a god among them, Inniros had gained fame and rank in what seemed like over night. Of course they wouldn’t know his one weakness.

R’hllor.

For the longest time Inniros had vehemently denied the connection of his ability with that of the fiery faith.

Despite his master insisting that he must respect the duality of the relationship. It was so easy to get drunk on the power of shadow binding.

Now it was clear though.

Inniros catches his reflection in the mirror, as dim as it was. One lone blue eye glaring back at him. An eye that painfully reminded him of his mother. At least the thought of her dulled the pain he was feeling.

What would she think of him now? A killer for hire. Delving deeper and deeper into his shadow art.

Fingers limp on his back, he remembers how tenderly his mother took care of him when he got hurt. Everything else about Asshai may have been tough but not her. She had never belonged there.

“Don’t cry.”

“I miss my mom.” Little Inniros pathetically wipes at his overflowing eyes. “I want my mom.”

“She’s beyond you now, boy.” His Master was always quick to scold. Burly and wearing a mask like many did in Asshai, he would pick up Inniros by the back of his shirt and pull him off his feet. “Unless you want me to throw you in the grave with her.”

What else was a little boy to do but suck up his tears and bury his sadness. Shadows replaced all sorrow. They ate away any emotion until he was a shell.

It was all worth it.

Testing his back, Inniros picks up his dragonglass blade.

There was no resting until the girl was dead.

** “Darkin? Be serious (y/n).” Jaime scoffs, relaxing in his hammock. He was keeping you company in the small cabin below as you were prone to serious sea sickness. It wouldn’t be long until you reached Volantis.

Taking a deep breath in an attempt to keep the nausea at bay, you place a hand over your mouth. “I am being serious, Jaime. Sirvart was with me. She saw him too. They aren’t just stories. What, dragons are easy to believe but not darkin?”

“The documentation of dragons is a well studied one. There’s the bones in King’s Landing. There’s proof. Darkin? Just tales that mom used to tell us.”

“You shouldn’t be so quick to reject their existence.” Alizah pipes in. She sat perfectly still on the floor next to you. Her eyes filled with stars staring at nothing in particular. “If you’re this credulous, then you might have a hard time when we reach Volantis.”

Shifting, Jaime narrows his eyes at the blind priestess. “What do you mean? Does this have to do with Thalina?”

Alizah nods. “Of course. She set the stage for everything.”

Leaning closer, Jaime persists. “So? What’s the big secret? Why is it so important for (y/n) to go to the Red Temple in Volantis?”

This makes her laugh. “This one asks a lot of questions!”

You smile, teasing your brother as well. “He sure does.”

Laughter dies as Alizah sighs. It was so eery how her eyes seemed to be looking at you despite her not possessing sight. “What did Thalina tell you of R’hllor?”

“Just an outline. . . Azor Ahai, the Long Night. . . She didn’t really get into details. We had just started discussing it before- well before everything went down.” You didn’t want to think of Thalina’s death. It still made you sad thinking of how she died. Thalina didn’t deserve any of it. At a time when you didn’t have any friends, she had been your constant companion.

“We believe that one day Azor Ahai will come back to us in the form of another.” You heard Jaime scoff again but you chose to ignore it. “There will come a day after a long summer when the stars bleed and the cold breath of darkness falls heavy on the world. A warrior shall draw from the fire a burning sword. And that sword shall be Lightbringer, the Red Sword of Heroes and he who clasps it shall be Azor Ahai come again, and the darkness shall flee before them.”

“That’s a lovely story.” Practically hearing Jaime’s eyes roll in his statement.

“Jaime. Don’t be rude.”

“What does this story have anything to do with my sister? Or are you all just a bunch of religious freaks trying to convert us?”

Groaning you knew there was no stopping Jaime’s mouth. When he disagreed with something he always voiced it. There was no muzzling him.

None of this bothered Alizah though as she continued to smile. “A prophecy was foreseen long ago. One that pertained to when Azor Ahai reborn would come back. Those of us who are lucky enough can read flames. These flames can make predictions as well. Thalina was just beginning to show promise when she had a vision. Of you. A little mouse stuck in a den of lions.”

You remembered back in King’s Landing. Moments when you would be mesmerized by the flames in your fireplace. How they danced in such a way that could be mistaken for an image. And your dreams. . . The dreams you had had in your poison induced sleep.

“(y/n), Thalina believed you to be Azor Ahai reborn.”

Deathly silent.

Until Jaime jumped out of his hammock, anger bright in his wildfire eyes. “That’s it?! That’s why we left Westeros because some crazy girl thought she saw my sister in a fire? We came out here for nothing!”

“Ja-”

“No (y/n).” He snapped and you knew best to let him vent. Jaime glared at Alizah. “You’re all crazy.”

“And why do you think that?” Alizah hummed, unphased by his outburst. She’s picking at the hem of her sleeve. “You sound scared.”

That made him bare his teeth. “I fear nothing. Look at her! Does she look like a prophet to you?”

Maybe you should have been offended. You saw where your brother was coming from though. You could use a sword but not very well; still possessing baby fat in your cheeks and an unintimidating atmosphere around you.

“You’re right.” Alizah flicks her eyes to you. “She doesn’t look like a prophet. She looks like a hero.”

He throws his hands up. “That’s it. (y/n), we’re getting off of this fucking boat.”

“I can hear you yelling all the way up deck.” Comes Sirvart’s grumble. “What’s going on down there?”

“Tell the captain to dock immediately. We’re getting out of here and going back to Westeros!”

Ducking her head inside, Sirvart’s eyes challenge your brother. “Westeros? You won’t even make it to Westeros with that darkin after (y/n). Even if you did what makes you think Westeros would be best for her? People obviously want her dead over there. Do you really want to take her back to that environment just because you have faith in nothing.” Sirvart easily blocks the way out with her lethal body. “You made a promise to Thalina. Regardless if you believe any of this. Or are you going back on that vow too? Yes, we know of your relationship with your twin sister. Alizah reads the flames as easily as one would read a book. Will you forsake (y/n) again in favor of Cersei?”

You meet Jaime’s conflicted eyes. In there was the longing to go back. To go back to Cersei. Clashing against his desire to keep you safe and do right by you. Sirvart took the silence as her answer. Craning her head up, she sighs. “We’re almost there. Go ahead and don’t believe us. Know that we only want to keep (y/n) safe. That has always been our goal.” Creaking back up the wooden steps, she leaves the three of you in a heavy quiet.

Everything sounded insane, too wild to believe. You were supposed to be some sort of warrior reborn. That was the last thing you would ever call yourself.

With a lowered voice, Alizah says “The darkin is the least of our worries. One day you’ll return to Westeros. When you do you’ll have to face the real threat. You may not be a warrior yet, but give it time.”

Your head spun and not due to the slight rocking of the boat. It was a lot to take in and so many things were starting to connect. This couldn’t just be a coincidence that your dreams and experiences seemed to match with what Alizah had said.

Jaime flops onto the floor, head in his hands. “This is crazy. Absolutely crazy.”

Tenderness makes Alizah’s face look sad. “Yes it is. But that’s life. Crazy and unbelievable at times.”

Curling into yourself, you close your eyes and try not to think of the mayhem that was to me when you reached Volantis. You had been so excited about reaching the end of your journey. Now though? There was suddenly a high expectation thrust upon you. One that you couldn’t possibly live up to.

Now you actually wanted to go back to Westeros. To show Rhaegar that you still lived and still loved him. He never expected anything from you. He just wanted you to be happy.

You didn’t want to be a prophet, or a hero, or Azor Ahai.

You just wanted to go home.

“Port up ahead!” The captain’s booming voice traveled easily down below.

This was it.

Alizah perked up, excited to be back home. How long had she been waiting in Volon Therys for you? The journey through out Essos had taken you about a year. To be away from your home for so long must have been hard.

Heading up to the deck you felt immense trepidation. Had this really been a mistake?

Covering your eyes from the sun you look out to the city of Volantis, ancient yet still standing like a giant.

Then you heard it. The cheers coming from the dock. No one could mistake it for anything else.

A large group of people stood waiting. Cheering, for you. They cried out your name. Filling the sunny sky with only your name as your boat drew closer. Men and women crowded one another at a chance to catch a glimpse of you. You and Jaime share a glance of utter astonishment while Alizah clapped her hands together and said something in a language you didn’t know.

“They come for you.” Sirvart’s smile is wide, finding entertainment in your large, gawking eyes. “You are who we have been waiting for, for thousands of years. Our champion, our Azor Ahai reborn.”

In Jaime’s eyes, you saw it. The realization of what all this meant. The truth in it all. Someone he had always seen as a little sister. A foolish, naive, girl. . . She was indeed seen as a savior to many. She was someone. Important and immediately adored.

They cried out in Valyrian, a chanting choir; a hymn that they happened to know by heart.

“Hen se perzyssy.” From the fires she has risen.

“Se egros mazemilzi.” The sword she will claim.

“Ilva kosh bona R’hllor eza kivio.” Our princess that was promised.

“Azor Ahai sigligon.”

Azor Ahai reborn.

[scarecrowwizard]

I keep thinking of Aatrox and Renekton. I'm not sure whether I ship it or if I see them as friends; all I know is that Aatrox's voiceline "In your madness, you know my suffering" towards Renekton hit me a little too hard Incomprehensible thoughts below. Sorry in advance

They served Shurima together. They probably shared laughs, maybe stupid nicknames and a few drinks. Two of the most respected Shuriman heroes, even before Renekton actually Ascended. I can imagine them talking about Nasus' illness together; they were both okay guys pre-everything (at least if memory serves correctly) so I think Aatrox would've been a good friend to Renekton during those times.

Anyway, they both fought in the Void War/battle of Icathia together. It screwed both of them up, undeniably (even Jax comments on Aatrox's trauma in one of his voice lines, and he was their enemy!). I think this is where they start drifting apart, and they both know they are. But they don't get a chance to reconcile; the whole Azir-Xerath fiasco happens and Renekton gets locked in the tomb.

The Darkin war happens, so Aatrox doesn't have a lot of time to think about Renekton for a while; and when he does have the time, he's mourning what he's become.

I don't know where I'm going with this, I'm just wondering if Renekton, even after Xerath broke his mind, would ever be able to see Aatrox and have a moment of clarity. Self-recognition through the other.

I'm not sure what'd happen after that. Maybe a conversation, maybe a fight? Or maybe just a lot of unspoken grief on both ends before they ultimately go back to bloodshed and madness as a coping mechanism. Whatever works.

[shimmerbeasts]

Nasus And Naafiri's Feelings Of Expendability

The image has been sourced from Facebook, I am afraid I do not know who the original creator is. Image is used to illustrate this headcanon.

Even though Naafiri never looked like it, she was one of the oldest recorded Ascended. The slim, black-headed, female-presenting jackal Ascended had been blessed by the sun disc, long before such greats like Nasus and Renekton had ever stepped under the powerful artefact. Naafiri was renowned for being one of the most efficient and relentless assassins the Shuriman Empire had ever seen. Many described her as a master with a knife and a being, which seemed to stand on the bridge between the living and the dead, having spookily intimate knowledge of both. Naafiri's ways of murder and disembowelment actually influenced Shurima's burial rites and would only be perfected with Nasus' ascension.

After Nasus ascended and became Azir's royal advisor, he chose to take Naafiri up as a private servant/hitwoman-for-hire. Even before Ascension, Nasus' skills in planning out battles had become legendary. He recognised Naafiri's unique skill set as an assassin and chose to utilise them for his own end. This meant that during the campaign against Icathia, Naafiri was often burdened with the task of assassinating void-borns all on her own.

Nasus had long grown to suspect that the fight in Icathia was taking a toil against the Ascended in a previously unknown way and he deeply worried what it could mean for Shurima's future. Because of these worries, he didn't just use Naafiri to gather intel about the void-born and kill the smaller ones. He also specifically studied her mind after these encounters in an attempt to understand how the void was corrupting her. If Naafiri so much as thought to protest, he reminded her with cold calcul that she should know better than him that as an Ascended, she belonged to the Empire and was expected to give her life for it.

While Nasus never stated it out loud, he signalled towards Naafiri that she was expendable. What was worse, was that this wasn't even the first time, Naafiri experienced a feeling of expendability. After Nasus had ascended, she was no longer the only jackal-headed god warrior of Shurima. And even as an assassin of legend, Naafiri paled in comparison to the 'youngest general in Shuriman history'. It also didn't help that she and Nasus looked extremely similar, with Naafiri merely being a bit sleeker in build. Because of those similarities, the Shurimans even began to confuse the two with one another, often mistaking Naafiri for Nasus. It became quickly apparent that Nasus was the one of importance, while Naafiri was condemned to live her life in the shadows, being nothing but an expendable pawn to be moved around at her Emperor's leisure.

These feelings of expandability as well as her exposure to the void from a very personal and close-up angle, which lead to Naafiri seeing horrors, not even some of her brothers and sisters could comprehend upon their fall, contributed to Naafiri's fall and turning the Ascended into a Darkin. It was why she began to fantasise about dominating and leading the Darkin. Not in a blind grab for power or out of arrogance, but out of the desperate desire to matter once in her life, to no longer be treated like she was expendable and only worth something for her talents.

At first, when Naafiri was trapped in the dune hounds' bodies before the Darkin made the choice to take them over, a lot of conflicting emotions rushed through them. While they had originally summoned the starved pack to force their unwitting vessel to wield them, subconsciously, the dune hounds had also reminded them of Nasus. This memory of Nasus and everything they had endured, from the war campaign against Icathia to their lonely imprisonment in their own dagger, made Naafiri at first resent the mere idea of possessing the dune hounds.

However, eventually, Naafiri made the choice to take the dune hounds as their own together with the resolve that they would never see their vessels as expendable. It is the reason why one of their main abilities is the ability to grow a new dune hound out of their body. The pack will never be expendable. This wish was further strengthened as Naafiri realised the power of unity, the pack exhibited and the impenetrable bonds of companionship. Naafiri's desire for the Darkin to learn to hunt as one is in a way also a rebellion against Nasus' words towards them: If they hunted as one, then this meant that not a single one of them was expendable and that they all mattered.

[sxlemnity]

9, 15, 21, 23, 27, 30, 35

9 -

Elaine wants to be seen as a friendly face. She tries her best to, at all times, be kind and compassionate even in the face of cruelty because she knows the world is a dark place and she wants to make it better in any way she can.

15 -

It depends on what it's about, typically. Things like where she's going and approaching people? She's quick to decide in most cases given her overall lack of fear. After all, there's few things that could hurt her more than the thing around her neck, so why even be worried?

21 -

Despite the amount of agony this woman endures, she... Rarely cries, in all honesty. It's hard to cry about something that she's used to. Most often when she cries it is because she is afraid in some way- Usually of someone finding out about her past and her magic. Or losing someone she cares about.

23 -

Elaine's political views are very simple.

She believes that all people have a right to life and comfort, no matter the circumstances of their birth. For that reason, she genuinely dislikes places like Demacia and Piltover.

I actually desperately want a Noxian AU for Elaine because of this. She doesn't ascribe to the whole "power is everything" portion of their beliefs, but she does agree with everyone being able to make something of themselves, if they try.

27 -

A sinful little habit... Elaine listens to everything going on around her for various reasons. Trauma, alertness, and a shred of self-preservation (the only one she has really). This leads to her knowing a lot about people very quickly. She enjoys learning about people like this, in a way, because they never have to see or speak to her for her to hear their stories.

30 -

Elaine doesn't see anyone as worse than or below her. At most, she will recognize someone as a threat and she'll try to run. But other than that? Everyone starts on equal footing. This includes monstrous looking people, such as Shadow Isles denizens, voidtouched, those afflicted by darkin, etc.

35 -

Elaine's number one pet peeve is people thinking it is alright to just... Pick the tiny woman up for fun. People seem to disrespect her boundaries pretty often because she is small, and they do it either for a laugh or to move her out of their way instead of just asking. She hates it, and it makes her angry faster than anything.

[xhanelia]

I love your headcanons so much🤧

Okey so, I love angst I don't know if you do otherwise you can just ignore it.

Kayn and reader are in a relationship for a longer time, even Rhaast has accepted them and is starting to get fond of them.

But something tragic happened and reader died, leaving kayn heartbroken.

Thank you so much anon! I do like to read angst but ive never tried to write it. But hey, theres first for everything right? I hope u like it anon!

And i see your requests too my other anons! I didnt expect id get this much love for my writings 😭 Im trying to write them one by one. Hope u understand 🖤

<<<Reader is gn>>>

Kayn when the reader dies (angst)

I mean, if something like this were to happen, Rhaast wouldnt have any mercy on Kayn. But as you said, lets make him not so merciless about Kayn and you, yes? (Otherwise it ends up Rhaast taking over Kayn's body and destroying everything lol)

As i said in my headcannons, this man loves someone and dies with them. His heart is unreachable to everybody but not for you. Only for you. Now, for no one.

Seeing you lying on the ground with a dagger in your stomach, bleeding out to the marble of an anchient shrine made him snap. He threw the scythe on the marble. It cracked with the weight of the darkin while Kayn ran at you.

He tried to stop the bleeding by pressing his fingers outside of the dagger. He hold you in his arms. The moment he touched your cold skin, he knew you were far gone but he didnt wanted to believe it.

He didnt know what to do but his body acted before him. As he was trying desperately to bring you back with his words, his hands went to his robe to tear a piece for the wound. He pulled out the dagger and covered the wound that was starting to rot. It would be useful if only there were any blood left in your body to come out...

He hold you in his arms once again. Tracing his hand on your cheek left a light blood stain on your pale face. Only for a moment, he saw you flickering your eyelids. He wanted to believe it so bad but he cursed himself, knowing it was just an illusion from the darkin that was lying on the ground, looking at them.

He cursed out loud. Pressed your head on his chest, trying hard to not look at you. He wanted to cry, he was about to cry but he couldnt show any weakness right infront of the darkin weapon. The weapon sighed in his head and closed its eye.

Kayn looked at it. For a moment, he saw the darkins sorrow like how it saw his. The tears fell down from his face in years. The last time he cried like this was the moment he was thrown into the war to die by his people. He took an oath while lying in the mix of blood and mud. That he would not cry again no matter what. And here he was, crying worse than he ever did.

If it was for Kayn, he would stay inside the shrine untill forever with you. But the darkin made him snap into the real world by his words. It whispered him to burry you. Kayn slowly raised his head to the scythe. It was the first time Rhaast cared about a lifeless flesh enough to ask his host to burry it.

Kayn looked around him for a moment. He glanced at the dagger thats covered with your blood. He took it from the ground. This was the best gift you could ever give to him. Even if your body will be inside the ground, he would remember you and avange you with this dagger. Forever untill he joins you.

He slowly picked your lifeless body in his arms and got up. Your cold blood was dripping on to the floor again from his legs and hair. There were times when he was covered with more blood than this but this was clearly going to settle as the worst in his mind.

The Yanléi was late. He was late. Enough for your body to get drained from your blood. He closed his heart harder after your death. Maybe it would end up killing him or make him the greatest shadow master alive. He didnt know. But if there was something he knew, it is that he would never be late for you in a different realm.

[pei-na]

@shimmerbeasts said ; -

"Rhaast? Is that you? Love the new vessel."

// " right? aatrox didn't like it, but I think he's being a buzzkill. " , the voice manifests as a creature right behind it's vessel. to most people, it just looks like he's speaking through kayn, or kayn is talking to himself. rhaast is like a shadow, only visible to other darkins, or his vessel himself.

" I mean, this one's got everything I need. I don't know what he's complaining about. and the scythe is cool. "

he's at least grateful he's not being talked through again. although there is something weird about seeing the actual manifestation of what's usually just an annoying, bickering voice at the back of his head. it's worse when there's actually someone for him to talk to.

this means he gets to be acknowledged outside of kayn's head. makes him feel annoyingly real. his grasp on the scythe gets uncomfortable, and he huffs. he feels like he's being talked about by two doting parents. " I'm right here, you know. I can hear you both. " , kayn eventually speaks up, to break through their chattering. his tone is certainly slightly annoyed, to say the least.

[altarfates]

being palatable never held significance to kayn, his taste was at its most intoxicating when it verged upon oppressive, heightening the senses but dulling the noise. rhaast knows it, whether lurking in the dark recesses of his mind or idly stroking the broad stretches of bare skin kayn insisted on flaunting, he was always provoking him towards that particular vein of rapture. from the outside others can pretend that they’re dysfunctional, deluding themselves into being convinced kayn isn’t aware of how dangerous the delimitation he walks between chaos and destruction is but he’s intimately acquainted with it by now. he would have to be, the two have courted one another whilst he lay sprawled on his back staring at the vapid repetition of tiles on bathroom wall so many times that the lines began to grow amorphous. was it the drugs, a tongue of agony languidly stroking the insides of his veins or was it rhaast, looming over him, amusement turning wicked as it carves open his mouth. even if kayn wanted the notoriety, the illusory worship of the fans, he didn’t want it as badly as he wanted this, gorging himself on a suffering only the darkin could provide, drinking down that virulent poison until his thoughts were reduced to writhing static. they were at their best and worst like this — together. rhaast’s closeness is suffocating, urging the adrenaline churning within him not to abate but to grow frenzied in anticipation for something better. it wasn’t a contest between them, kayn’s obsession with ezreal stemmed from admiration, resentment, all too aware of how it looked when someone forfeited everything to their career and lost it all over one moment of hesitation, one fucking mistake. rhaast understands him, ezreal’s ignorance, his naivety, those things alone make the idea of him ever breaching the inviolable wall that separated them from him unthinkable. there will always be a part of him that relishes taunting rhaast, turning his own acts of rebellion into temptation with a snide remark or an irritatingly alluring grin. because, in some repugnant way, it reassured him that only the taste of his skin, his blood, his raw, unadulterated fury, could satisfy whatever entity rhaast proved himself to be. his teeth seek the place where kayn’s pulse spikes to graze against, earning a indignant groan from him. it was too slow, working lurid contusions into his skin like it was a practised art rather that the precursor to fucking him senseless. ❝ enough fucking foreplay, rhaast.❞ there’s nothing intimate about the way he says it, spitting it out with the bitter taste of an offence, if he wasn’t ruthlessly shoved to his knees in the next minute the high would recede, leaving room for something worse to inhabit the open wounds his thoughts became. that growl, hinting at his preternatural nature, sends a shudder of exhilaration through him, something to slake his thirst until the darkin decided to stop toying with him. he loathes then how his breath hitches, his body far more obedient than the mutiny of his mind, even he cannot deny how good it feels when he breaks skin, that initial puncture wound, the blood that swells to the surface around the indents of his teeth. stubbornly kayn seizes his umbrage, wraps it around his fist tight enough that his knuckles blanch and summons the necessary resolve to bark back a sharp retort. ❝ wanna see me prove you fucking wrong ? ❞ because rhaast is right in a way that twists within him, leaving his precious pride devastated. ❝ I get off on proving your ass wrong, remember. ❞ 

what binds kayn and rhaast isn’t something gentle or redemptive, it’s something volatile, something destructive. a lifeline woven from shared ego and sharpened hubris, stretched taut between them and humming with mutual ambition. for all his pride, and rhaast is certain of his greatness, regardless of anyone else's misguided opinions — he’s begun to understand that there’s something valuable in what they’ve built together. not friendship, not trust, exactly, but a pact. an unspoken agreement to become more. more than castoffs. more than cautionary tales or tools discarded by the arrogant. stronger, louder, undeniable. there’s satisfaction in the thought of proving them all wrong — the fools who dared to stand above them, to belittle them, to believe themselves superior. rhaast almost pities them, letting their fragile egos ride a wave of fleeting glory, blind to the downfall that always comes next. they’ll fall. just like the rest. kayn has already lived at the bottom, clawed his way through the dirt and blood and ridicule to carve out something real. something earned. no shortcuts, no grace. just raw will and relentless grind. he’s rebuilt himself from the ruins, brick by brutal brick, and now he stands on a foundation forged through suffering — and rhaast, whether he’ll admit it aloud or not, respects that. feeds on it. there’s something intoxicating about it, like drawing in a breath laced with power and pain, heady and euphoric. it’s not just ambition anymore. it’s addiction. it’s survival. it’s revenge.

❝ what’s the matter, kayn ? ❞ a snarl, a crooked grin, and words that roll off his tongue in a low, mocking purr — rhaast presses in close, burying his face against kayn’s neck, slipping beneath his jaw like he belongs there. his lips aren’t searching for kisses, nothing as delicate or meaningless as that. no, it’s teeth he leads with, sinking into skin slick with sweat, sharp and unapologetic. the taste doesn’t faze him. he’s seen kayn ruined and wrecked far too many times to be bothered by something as trivial as heat or salt. his tongue follows after, a slow drag over the fresh indentations left by his bite, seeking the taste of blood. but there’s none, not this time. a letdown, honestly. the closest they ever got to something that might be mistaken for a kiss was when kayn had broken his nose, blood streaming down his face, and rhaast had leaned in with a hunger too sharp to resist. he doesn’t see it as something cruel, not really. he indulges in kayn when he’s at his most raw, when his body’s burning, when his mind’s clouded and fractured, pupils blown wide like black holes threatening to swallow everything. when he looks at rhaast with that wild, unguarded awe, like he’s the only thing that matters in the entire fucked up universe. gods, rhaast lives for that look. and when kayn gets angry, furious, twisting under his grip like being touched, held, or used by him is the most unbearable thing in the world ? that’s the best part. especially when it’s kayn who always begs first, always urges him on, always tells him to go harder, faster, deeper. it’s chaos. it's carnal. it's theirs.

❝ you couldn’t be quiet even with a mouthful of cock. ❞ this time, his words come out as a growl — low, ragged, almost bitten off — just before his teeth sink into kayn’s shoulder, leaving behind a mark that promises to linger. there’s something deeply satisfying about seeing it again the next day, like a signature scrawled in bruises. maybe it’s the mark itself, or maybe it’s the way kayn grumbles about it with that familiar edge of irritation that only makes rhaast grin wider. he doesn’t bother unpacking the reasons. doesn’t care to. all he knows is that he wants this — wants him — and for now, that’s more than enough. ❝ hard to not look down on you anyway, as if you don’t fucking like it. ❞

[witchcraftandburialdirt]

Because I know we talked about it but also because I know it's smthn u enjoy thinking about: How much has Tarhos corrupted Haru and how much of it is just the darkin is a God, corrupted as he may be, that actually answered his prayers unlike the others?

✧ ── 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐍 𝐈𝐍𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒 LEAGUE VERSE

Something that makes Haruo and Tarhos' relationship unique is, at least to me, their joined mindspace - while Rhaast and Kayn can communicate telepathically and can read eachother it is still two separate beings bickering with one another. For Haruko and Tarhos the line is much more blurred; they experience eachother's feelings and desires, hear each single thought and even have shared dreams. They are less "two people in one body" and much more "one person in two bodies" in terms of how they can communicate with eachother, I mean technically if we wanted to get really into it we could debate about how there is no true unified "self" but rather a fractaling recursion of self-repeating selves - think about how your conscience talks to you in your own voice or how you ask yourself questions and you answer them - that. Its incredibly complicated to try to explain in a tumblr post but that is how, for myself at least, Haru and Tarhos operate. Tarhos and Haru can hear the other one talking and know its not them doing it but it still feels like their own thought. I hope that makes sense because it's only going to get worse from here -

While that isn't necessarily the question I do think its an important thing to distinct when speaking about them; before Tarhos found a vessel they basically acted as a singular unit anyway - I doubt that mindset would change much once he took over the dragon in Ionia. So, beginning with that I'm going to continue on and say that I don't think Haru was "corrupted" so much as he was validated. Before the Noxian invasion Haruko was most likely living peacefully in Bahrl with his village and family, there was tension between Vastayans and Humans as always but he didn't go out comitting murder for fun. He just simply did not interact with them or care enough to - and I really don't think he cared about or even knew about Noxus. Based on that alone we can see a distinct difference from the past to present, and I do think that has a large chunk to do with Tarhos. Darkin are PTSD ridden forgotten Gods whose last moments feeling sunlight were surrounded by the rise of the Void, and the fall of Azir along with the Empire of Shurima - and when Haruko first found Tarhos, the blade was eager for bloodshed and violence.

Upon first contact their minds partially merged, Haru's strength of spirit was able to dominate and shackle back Tarhos' possession of him for the most part, but not completely. The battle was fought and Haruko fled having lost practically everything within a single day by an unknown force that brutalized without mercy - which I'm sure is an event Tarhos can understand way too well. This is where the validation and mind-merging come into play; even if Tarhos did not actively say anything to Haru at that time, Haru can still feel what Tarhos is and vice versa. Within Tarhos' own bloodlust and hatred towards the Void Haru felt validated and correct in his anger and immediate dehumanization of Noxians; seeing them as a plague to Ionia much like the Void is a plague to Shurima. Once the mind has decided to dehumanize it is very easy for people to fall into acts of violence without any reprise or guilt over them; its happened many a time throughout history and is still happening today. And that is very hard to change once its cemented, particularly through a place of deeply rooted trauma which resulted in a cultural and territorial genocide. One of which the very land has still not healed from.

Haru does view Tarhos as a God too - he is one - and to have those views validated and reaffirmed by something so universally larger than him screams to him that he is correct. Tarhos didn't have any bit of a healthy mindset when they originally met, they were both spiteful and livid at the world around them - and violence always breeds violence, anger breeds anger etc. With Tarhos healing though it does leave an actively larger question regarding that original validation; does it still hold as much as it should? Haru hates Noxians so much and frankly would be fine if they were eradicated, but that seems a very sharp shift for a creature thats lived in relative peace for 300+ years. Anger is often a mask we wear to hide things we're not ready to face yet, its the brain defending itself from whatever ugly can of worms needs to be opened but will really really hurt when it eventually does.

In short, Haru has found comfort, validation, and solace in a bloodthirsty God which reaffirms his fury and approves of it - he isn't getting any help for the legitimate reasons he's like this - and until he does there won't be any end to it. I don't think he was corrupted, I think Tarhos' just helped pour gasoline ontop of a small fire and both of them let it explode without really thinking about the consequences afterwards or why the fire was there to begin with.

[shimmerbeasts]

Nasus stood before the place of one of his greatest failures, sighing deeply at the place he had hidden her away. His shoulders sagged again as he stared at the desecrated temple, people had gotten in who knows how long ago, and even without ever having the courage to go back in he knew the blade had been taken. "Why does it take time, for knowledge to gained... for one to see just how they failed. Even the divine are not free from such failures, all of Runterra proves such." He looked from the ancient temple to the sands, the hand gripping his war staff gripping it tighter, causing the wood to creak. "At least she was not trapped with a betrayer like my brother was. Perhaps she will have had taken to self-reflection like I did when Shurima fell." He sighed before starting to walk away from the ruins, deciding to walk for a while instead of just teleporting away, keeping an eye out for anything else amiss.

Most of the time, Naafiri stayed as far away from the desecrated temple as they could. Too deep were the memories of having been sealed in her throwing dagger and hidden away by the one person, whom she was supposed to trust the most. The only times, they sought it out, was to protect themselves in the ruins from the sand storms, which regularly plagued Shurima's deserts. Better than sitting it all out in the open.

A recent sand storm had forced Naafiri and the pack back into that desecrated temple, though it had settled long ago and the breeze had taken their paw prints away. The pack had successfully stalked and killed a Skallashi, easily separating the large, long-legged, bison-like creature from its herd, before they had run it into exhaustion.

Fifty or so of the reddish dune hounds surrounded the carcass, burrowing their blade-protruding heads deep into the soft underbelly and scraping away at the meat and organs. The main body had already claimed the liver and heart for itself. Naafiri's ears rotated around, restlessly, constantly harking for any approaching predators or scavengers.

Vultures and hyenas, they could easily take care of themselves, however, outerbeasts or Baccai were a different story. They could easily challenge them for the carcass, though Naafiri had made quick work of most, establishing their threat. By now thinking like the dune hounds had become such a thing of ease for the Darkin that they sometimes had to actively remember that they had not always been a plural entity.

The hot desert wind carried the smell of a jackal over some of the hills close by. At first, Naafiri assumed it was just that - a mere jackal. However, there was something about the smell. Something, which nagged and troubled her. Growling, the main body flicked one of its ears, feeling the pendant jingle against its cheek. The pack grew restless, fuelled by Naafiri's dread and sneaking suspicion.

It could not be him, could it?

The main body started to jog up the hill, swiftly followed by five other dogs for protection and aid. A lone hunter starved. The pack was strength. Naafiri knew better now. The stronger the smell of jackal grew, the more the Darkin crouched down into the hot sand. Dune hounds could not crawl like cats, but they still knew how to use brush and overgrowth for cover.

There he was, wandering around the edges of their territory with this godawful calmness and stoicism, which had infuriated Naafiri even back when she had tried to beg him to stop studying the influences of the Void through her. Everything for the Empire. His drawl about it all made her sick. The fact that he had the audacity to be here! Had he found out that the crypt had been broken into? Why would he bother to check?

A low guttural growl tore from the main body's throat. Normally, Naafiri was laser-focused, even though they inhabited various bodies at once. However, something about Nasus' presence distorted that focus, making them feel more disjointed and overwhelmed. It was a similar experience to when the dune hounds had first consumed her dagger.

Naafiri shook the main body's head, blades rattling, in a desperate bit to regain some focus. It did not work. It only infuriated them more. Need to watch you bleed! Need to bring you down, you bastard! Their body acted before Naafiri had time to process the motion. Leaping into the air, one of the daggers around their neck detached themselves and flew in a sharp arch right for Nasus' back.

@ask-nautilus-titanofthedeep cont. from here.

[kagakuoniryu]

Can you do Kayn with a cute adorable s/o? I'm a huge sucker for dynamics where the cinnamon roll dates death personified 🥺😩

Synopsis :

Kayn with an overly cute s/o

Type :

Headcanon

Warning :

None, kayn have a ray of sunshine and isn't scared to use it

A/N :

Coming back again after a pause, the league fandom seems dead (like in game enjoyer, not only arcane) and it made me kinda sad but as long as I can contribute I'll be happy

~~~~~~~~~~

First things first kayn HATED how you seemed to be hapoy about everything

I hardly see kayn falling for someone out the the shadow order since he is mostly busy with master zed's mission, being an acolyte and his own goal to conquer rhaast power

So you're most likely a member and we'll stick to it

Unlike most people in the order you were bubbly and full of joy, most of them were orphans who lost theur family because of war, they had to grown up too fast and that's why most of them don't show much emotions

And if they do, they're mostly negative because they don't know how to deal with them

Your adorable personnality and bright smile make people drawn to you like a bug to a light

Since in their life you're most likely to be the brightest thing

But of course not all acolyte saw you as someone who can deal with shadow magic

Kayn was one of them, he fought that your persobbality didn't matched what was required to master shadows, and that in the end you'll be killed by these

But he was wrong

You were cute and adorable but not naive, you were mentally strong, event stronger than some of zedns student since most of them live while knowing only hatred and anger

One time kayn and you were both sent to a mission outside of Ionia, that's when kayn saw what you were really made of, and started to respect you a lot more

Things progressed slowly from there, from mutual respect to friends, and after kayn kept quiet about his crush for you for almost a year he finally confessed

You happily returned his feeling telling him that because of his always grumpy face you never dared to tell him what you felt

Your dynamic as a couple is definitely "someone will die" "of fun!"

Even rhaast sight when he start to hear you babbling happily about whatever when kayn is just there and nodding along

You hugged kayn by surprise once and he made a squealing noise out of shock you're not ready to forget, so surprise hugs became a routine

They aren't surprising anymore but kayn love to indulge and pretend you surprised him

He has the biggest poker face while you hug his arm with a bright smile, he can give you a headpat, but that's the only thing he'll do in public to show you affection

In private however he is much more attentive, not romantic, lovey dover or cute himself, but he touch you more, hug you more, kiss you more, becuse it's the two of you

When you go on separate mission he always kiss you on the forehead, a simple gesture to tell you that you'll be reunited

Master zed approve deeply of your relationship, he think that someone lile you has a good influence on kayn

He is less stressed, less angry, and less likely to be consumed by the darkin

Sometime grab kayn's cheek and use them to make him have a weird face, he never complained about it because in the end he always receive a kiss

Sometime he want to make you happy and indulge you in a piggy back ride

And you convinced him to bring you back to the order like this, he thought that since it was night everyone would be asleep

They were not, and teased kayn for a month straight about it

He never gave you piggy back ride after that

You two lay be opposite but kayn can't say how much he is lucky to have you

Sometime he may just contemplate life and ask himself how he managed to get someone as good as you

He'll never have his answer but he is already glad for what he has

~hope you'll like it~

🌸Request are open🌸