#her irish wolves

[ruthlessreaders]

Her Irish Wolves

Okay, okay, I’ll admit it—I’m the worst Wolfennite ever. I’m not truly one of the devout, bonneted brides who traveled to my sister’s wedding in Scotland hoping to find a pious mate in her adopted kingdom pack. Honestly, I only signed up for the free plane ticket and a place to lay low until I could sneak off and start the academic life I’ve been secretly planning for years. But my nerdy new life plans are shattered when I—along with all the other potential Wolfennite brides—get kidnapped by our Scottish hosts’ oldest and bitterest enemies: the Irish Wolves. These ruthless (and super not pious) wolves are led by two Irish kings whose real names no one is allowed to know. The Wild King acts like an animal, sniffing at me and whispering filthy things every time we meet. The Sea King is covered in Viking tattoos—and clearly hiding something behind his unfairly devastating smile. Neither of them care that they’ve snatched me from the life I had planned. According to them, I’m their prophesied queen, destined to unite the three Irish kingdoms. Wait, did they say three??? Look, I might not be devout, but I’m completely innocent. So, you won’t believe what happens when I meet the third Irish King… Her Irish Wolves is a knotty 5-fire-emoji heat-level, why choose romance. Warning: This scorching hot romance contains… Ruthless kidnapping of sheltered, innocent brides Dubious heat consent Seven Brides for Seven Brothers energy Lots and lots of deflowering A City King who’s reluctant to share (and will have to be mercilessly convinced) A secret kingdom you’ll wish you could visit The kind of spice scenes you’ll be embarrassed to tell your friends about — Release Date: October 23, 2024 via the Ruthless Readers Book Store and October 30, 2024 via Amazon, etc.

Character Profiles: Naomi Hamilton + Sea King + Wild King + Dublin King

[quilleth]

WIP Wednesday Progress

Yes, i know it's Thursday. I wasn't feeling great yesterday though XD

Here's what I managed to get done from the results of last week's poll!

Here's what the results were: -write 1 sentence for Elisabeth and Jasper -Work on my recipe card(s) for at least 5 minutes -work on the drawing for Vanora and Faolan for at least 5 minutes -spend at least 5 minutes working on Vanora’s winter weather outfit -and play Our Life again

and the results below the cut!

Elisabeth and Jasper floriography prompt: larkspur, first time making someone laugh

"..Besides, I did try to point that out myself, but alas, he would not be moved."

MXTX food zine sketching

My phone will not focus on it at all, but the bit i worked on may have involved a decorative little paper airplane ;)

Vanora's winter outfit

My fashion illustration class was a long time ago and not a great experience either, so i don't really remember how you're supposed to draw chonky knit wear, but this is working well enough for me. Also, decided to make her belt more of a woven material (tried sketching it as rope/ cord but that looked bad) instead of something like leather to have ALL the textures! and a seashell shaped buckle. because i can. Is this what someone from the tropics would think of to wear in colder weather as opposed to my native to colder weather thinking what would be good? i'm not sure xD Once i get the base of this outfit done, though, she'll have two different coat options; a ruana that she probably would've picked up at some point, possibly before acquiring said chonky sweater, and an actual wool coat the bard in our party, Peach (played by @december-snow) picked out for her a few sessions ago when we learned we'd be travelling into some mountains and it's just about winter in game :3 I'll draw those as separate things, sort of like a paper doll situation.

Play Our Life again

I finished step one with my redo of Sylvie's file, since I got a new computer and started step 2! I'm trying to remember how i did things on my old computer, but I guess we'll see how it goes xD Saving the Runaway moment for last always feels appropriate for step one though...

I didn't manage to do more for the drawing for Vanora and Faolan this week, unfortunately. I looked at some reference things on pinterest, but didn't specifically work on the drawing, and they were some i already had saved. I have a few days of working from home, and a long weekend next weekend, so I hope to make some more progress on it then!

Since i've been a little under the weather lately, I'm skipping a poll this week, but will probably be back with a new one next week, to take advantage of my longer weekend next weekend ;)

[fatehbaz]

Travel back [...] a few hundred years to before the industrial revolution, and the wildlife of Britain and Ireland looks very different indeed. 

Take orcas: while there are now less than ten left in Britain’s only permanent (and non-breeding) resident population, around 250 years ago the English [...] naturalist John Wallis gave this extraordinary account of a mass stranding of orcas on the north Northumberland coast [...]. If this record is reliable, then more orcas were stranded on this beach south of the Farne Islands on one day in 1734 than are probably ever present in British and Irish waters today. [...]

Other careful naturalists from this period observed orcas around the coasts of Cornwall, Norfolk and Suffolk. I have spent the last five years tracking down more than 10,000 records of wildlife recorded between 1529 and 1772 by naturalists, travellers, historians and antiquarians throughout Britain and Ireland, in order to reevaluate the prevalence and habits of more than 150 species [...].

In the early modern period, wolves, beavers and probably some lynxes still survived in regions of Scotland and Ireland. By this point, wolves in particular seem to have become re-imagined as monsters [...].

Elsewhere in Scotland, the now globally extinct great auk could still be found on islands in the Outer Hebrides. Looking a bit like a penguin but most closely related to the razorbill, the great auk’s vulnerability is highlighted by writer Martin Martin while mapping St Kilda in 1697 [...].

[A]nd pine martens and “Scottish” wildcats were also found in England and Wales. Fishers caught burbot and sturgeon in both rivers and at sea, [...] as well as now-scarce fishes such as the angelshark, halibut and common skate. Threatened molluscs like the freshwater pearl mussel and oyster were also far more widespread. [...]

Predators such as wolves that interfered with human happiness were ruthlessly hunted. Authors such as Robert Sibbald, in his natural history of Scotland (1684), are aware and indeed pleased that several species of wolf have gone extinct:

There must be a divine kindness directed towards our homeland, because most of our animals have a use for human life. We also lack those wild and savage ones of other regions. Wolves were common once upon a time, and even bears are spoken of among the Scottish, but time extinguished the genera and they are extirpated from the island.

The wolf was of no use for food and medicine and did no service for humans, so its extinction could be celebrated as an achievement towards the creation of a more civilised world. Around 30 natural history sources written between the 16th and 18th centuries remark on the absence of the wolf from England, Wales and much of Scotland. [...]

In Pococke’s 1760 Tour of Scotland, he describes being told about a wild species of cat – which seems, incredibly, to be a lynx – still living in the old county of Kirkcudbrightshire in the south-west of Scotland. Much of Pococke’s description of this cat is tied up with its persecution, apparently including an extra cost that the fox-hunter charges for killing lynxes:

They have also a wild cat three times as big as the common cat. [...] It is said they will attack a man who would attempt to take their young one [...]. The country pays about £20 a year to a person who is obliged to come and destroy the foxes when they send to him. [...]

The capercaillie is another example of a species whose decline was correctly recognised by early modern writers. Today, this large turkey-like bird [...] is found only rarely in the north of Scotland, but 250–500 years ago it was recorded in the west of Ireland as well as a swathe of Scotland north of the central belt. [...] Charles Smith, the prolific Dublin-based author who had theorised about the decline of herring on the coast of County Down, also recorded the capercaillie in County Cork in the south of Ireland, but noted: This bird is not found in England and now rarely in Ireland, since our woods have been destroyed. [...] Despite being protected by law in Scotland from 1621 and in Ireland 90 years later, the capercaillie went extinct in both countries in the 18th century [...].

---

Images, captions, and text by: Lee Raye. “Wildlife wonders of Britain and Ireland before the industrial revolution – my research reveals all the biodiversity we’ve lost.” The Conversation. 17 July 2023. [Map by Lee Raye. Bold emphasis and some paragraph breaks/contractions added by me.]

[cherryheairt]

https://www.tumblr.com/cherryheairt/759900346911997952

I think it should be a whole army of babies (come on, you can see in the distance that when Cregan falls in love with the princess, he'll be so passionate about her that he'll never be able to leave her alone) and I feel that those babies whose dragon eggs don't hatch is because the babies are destined to have wolves because they are wargs. So each baby will have a great connection and trust with their beasts, It would be funny that the babies that are wargs are the most similar to the Targaryen physically with eyes in different shades of violet and silver white hair. Whereas the dragon riders have more Stark physical features with grey eyes, dark hair and long oval faces.

YOU'RE A GENIUS I LOVE YOUR MIND🤩

The fate of the direwolf owners would be something predetermined by the old gods that Cregan worships, I think. The dragonrider babes are fated by the Valyrion gods that Daenys follows. They share custody and argue frequently.

The realm frowns upon the non-Valyrion featured dragon riders, insisting that Starks should not be given dragons. Cregan quells this quickly, saying that his children are as much Targaryen as they are Stark, despite what the men of the courts believe that men pass down the most genes/name. I also think, after having kids and growing up to be more sure of herself, Daenys would be even more protective and outspoken when it comes to her children. She will not sit and watch her kids be bullied like Rhaenyra did (she loves her mom, but admits that she could've done more).

If Daenys does decide that she wants children, Cregan would not leave her alone ever again. Their two-week long honeymoon is spent solely in his chambers, while they take no duties the entire time. They would def be the parents surrounded by irish twin siblings, perhaps even blessed with twins or triplets.

I'm thinking very Ned Stark and Catelyn in their married relationship, how in the books she was thinking of having more babies with him just bc he was such a good dad. They'd be having kids into their 40s me thinks.

Although he loves all his children equally, he especially dotes on the ones that take on Daeny's features. The ones that do hold a special place in his heart, knowing that she will live forever in the realm's eyes and in his heart. I feel like their firstborn might be a carbon-copy of her, leading the heir to the Starks to look like a Targaryen.

Coincidentally, while looking like Daenys, the heir would be the first warg Stark born since Cregan. Not a long time, yes, but it makes him very proud.

Maybe down the line, a little special snowflake Stark-Targ is born that rides a dragon and tamed a direwolf 👀 wink wink

[twilightt-fantasy]

new beginnnings [garrett denali]

description: could you do a Garrett x wolf shapeshifter Irish reader where Garrett meets the reader during a visit to the Cullens during the Christmas holidays. This is after the battle to see if Renesmee is an immortal child or not. He finds out that she is a wolf shapeshifter. He thinks she is part of the pack, but Esme tells him that she just became part of their family after her grandfather (who raised the reader by himself, was a friend of the Cullens and knew of the supernatural world due to having many different kinds of shapeshifters in the family) passed away. She is very quiet during the holidays, he thinks it's because he makes her nervous but when she speaks to him on Christmas Eve, she tells him that she just misses her grandfather. He stays for a bit longer and celebrates Christmas with the Cullens and the reader.

requested by: @futurequeen2018-blog

warnings: none

thanks for requesting! merry christmas <3

"you've been staring at her for a very long time." an amused voice came up behind garrett and the vampire jumped, not used to being snuck up on. he whipped around, glaring at esme cullen's teasing expression.

"i'm not staring at anyone." he argued, though his scarlet eyes betrayed him when his gaze fell back on the irish wolf girl sitting alone by the fire.

truthfully, he had been watching her for a couple days now - since he had arrived at the cullens' house in order to witness for bella and edward's hybrid daughter. the girl was quiet, a mystery to garrett. he hadn't seen her speak much to anyone, even the boys that she had to be a part of.

"she doesn't talk much." garrett said quietly, not sure if the girl could hear him or not.

"she doesn't." esme agreed. "though, now that she's lived with us for a while, she has opened up a bit and talks quite a bit when it's just the family."

garrett snapped his attention to esme again, not quite understanding what she was meaning. "she lives here? i bet that pack of wolves love that."

"she's not in their pack." esme shook her head. "she comes from a long lines of shapeshifters and her grandfather - who was a very close friend of mine and carlisle's - raised her. we took her in once he passed."

the vampire thought for a moment, figuring it made sense. she really didn't talk to anyone outside of the cullen clan and avoided garrett like the plague - he figured it was because unknown vampires made the wolf uneasy but maybe she just didn't care for him.

seemed unlikely.

"she's a very kind girl." esme said, though her voice sounded a hint sad. "she's had a hard time since her grandfather passed, though. i think things are just now starting to look up for her."

garrett only nodded in response, his eyes still locked on the girl who'd had his attention for days now. he only wished she would pay attention to him back.

___

"you seem like you're in deep thought." it was the second time someone had snuck up on him in a matter of hours and garrett was really beginning to wonder if something was wrong with him.

this time, though, it wasn't esme. the voice was different, lighter and held a pretty accent. he turned his head, catching eyes with the shapeshifter. she smiled at him briefly, before tucking her head and joining him on a log.

"seems like i'm not the only one." garrett answered after a minute, trying to gather himself from the shock of her starting a conversation with him. "you seem like you're always lost in thought."

"hmm, sometimes i am." she hummed. the girl studied him for a moment. "the holidays are a hard time for me. with christmas just right around the corner, i always think of my family."

"i heard about your grandfather." he nodded, offering silent support.

her lips quirked a bit, almost in a wince, and she dropped her head, letting a curtain of hair fall in front of her face. "yeah, he meant a lot to me. raised me most of my life, so we were really close."

"i imagine." garrett answered. "loss can be hard and dealing with it around holidays can be even harder since you've made so many memories over the years. grieving a little more during this time makes sense."

she lifted her head then, her pretty eyes watching him in interest. it was almost like she was searching for something in him, and she must have found whatever she was looking for because she smiled at garrett, brightly.

"i've been wanting to come up and talk to you, but truthfully, you made me a bit nervous." she giggled, like the idea was absurd now. "but now i can see that there was nothing to be worried about."

a warmth filled garrett's chest as the girl next to him continued to laugh and he felt himself wanting to join along with her. "what made you decide to do it then?"

she shrugged. "it's christmas. what better time to try something new, right?"

"right." garrett answered immediately, and the pair smiled at each other again. garrett had a feeling this was going to blossom into something beautiful, and he couldn't wait to see what it formed.

[wombywoo]

I think you mentioned werewolves some time ago. Are they treated about the same as vampires ? Or do they face more/less bigotry? Are they the kind that can control their transformations or only can transform during a full moon? In your universe are they born as werewolves or turned ? (Big werewolf and quinncent universe fan…)

Waaahhhh I can't believe I've neglected werewolves for this long 😩 Apologies! Tbh, I've spent so much of my time daydreaming about my main 2 dudes, so I feel like I haven't given as much attention to other stuff in the lore ✨

But yes! Werewolves exist! In this universe, lycanthropy is contracted by being bitten by a bigass mutated supernatural wolf thing (™️) or by another werewolf. The mutated wolves are extremely feral and used to be rare enough that they only caused isolated problems throughout history, but a recent influx has seen a rise in attacks on the public (yikes). It's not a guarantee that someone bitten will turn either; sometimes they come out unscathed, sometimes they just die 💀

The appearance of a werewolf is pretty standard--giant dog-like beast. Fur color can vary; browns, grays, reds, etc. There are also variations in the body type--some are bipedal, others quadrupedal. For the most part, they're all extremely fast runners. They have big, glowing, completely white eyes, reminiscent of the moon. Claws, teeth, the usual. It is an extremely painful process to transform, but once you've endured the first year, it gets a bit easier.

Now that werewolves have been acknowledged under new abhuman recognition laws, there are several methods of 'treating' the condition. During a full moon, a registered werewolf is required to either--a. take a neutralizing pill (this won't stop the transformation, but it causes the patient to be rendered docile and nonaggressive during their cycle) or option b. visit a secure 'werewolf transformation center' (a fortified facility where patients can safely transform amongst other werewolves while under observation). A transformation is unavoidable for every full moon, but werewolves can also transform from various circumstances at any given time--under duress, anger, fear, as well as dog-like triggers--bursts of running, having an object thrown at them (frisbees have been banned in public places, sadly 😔) There's a separate pill that exists to limit these kinds of involuntary transformations (results vary).

Another aspect of werewolf documentation is the requirement that they have a 'handler'. As you can imagine, this sparks a lot of 'dog and master' debate, so it's not entirely well received--but a werewolf is required to have someone supervise them in their day-to-day life (in order to be on standby if a random transformation were to occur). This is usually a relative, but can also be an assigned service worker if there's no other option.

There is a fair amount of prejudice stacked against them--I think people are even more blatant in their bigotry against werewolves because of all the dog comparisons 😞They're viewed as 'feral and disgusting', and a lot of people attempt to conceal their conditions because of this. Vampires also face backlash, but there's more of a public fear for them, whereas werewolves are usually the butt of a joke, despite being equally dangerous 🥲

For protective measures against rogue werewolves, or even ones unaware they have the condition yet, a tranquilizing dart has been implemented that will sedate and incapacitate someone in the midst of a violent transformation. (This is why a handler is needed--to carry this tranquilizer and use it in case of emergency.) A rabies-like vaccine has also been developed to inject into a recently-bitten individual to prevent the lycanthropy from spreading.

I do have a werewolf character in mind for my little imaginary military task force--her name is Sheila; snarky, Irish, butch lesbian ✊ She was bitten as a teen (by one of the aforementioned mutant dogs) and so far, she has not disclosed her condition to the rest of the squad 😤 She's also ditched her government issued handler for a while (crusty old dude who she hates), and instead has been assigned a temporary new one--the enigmatic witch 'consultant' of the team known as Birdie....

More on that later (at some point) muahaha🙆‍♀️

[evaglass]

Four men, four countries

So I'm just posting and speculating for fun. This is a small theory, but I think it would be interesting if each of the four men were from each country in the British Isles.

So we already know that Fowler is from Ireland, but we don't know about Violet's, Skeffington's, and Routley's origins aside from the fact that they're most likely from the British Isles. Usually, you can tell where someone is from by their surnames, not always, but usually; however, I don't think that will help us in this case. The reason why I don't think the mens' surnames will give clues on where they're from is because I don't think they're using their real names.

The reason I think those names are aliases rather than their actual names is due to the timeframe and historical context. There is no way around the late 16th century to early 17th century would an Irish child be named Abijah Fowler; he would have most likely been named after his paternal grandfather if he was the oldest son, and it would be an Irish Gaelic name, along with his surname also being Irish Gaelic.

It also makes sense that the men are not using their birth names as they are participating in the black market.

However, I think I can at least make an educated guess on where each the men could be from.

Violet - I think he's English, I also think he was somewhat of the leader in that group. Violet was referred to as "old Violet," which could mean he's an old friend or he was possibly very elderly, maybe the eldest out of the four men.

It would make sense if he was the eldest, considering in the flashback he seemed very easy to kill. I also want to bring up that Fowler genuinely seemed upset about Violet's death and looked like he was genuinely going to kill Mizu for it. I believe each of the four men came from harsh upbringings, like Fowler, and I think Violet was likely the first to go into that sort of black market lifestyle and took the other three men under his wing. It's likely Violet took Fowler in after he lost his sister and thought him everything he knew.

It's a bit tricky to figure out Skeffington and Routley, especially if the surnames do turn out to just be aliases. So, let's look at the names from a more metaphorical lense instead.

Skeffington - so when I do a quick Google search of the name Skeffington, its meaning has roots in the words 'sheep' and 'farmstead', which you'll find a lot of both in Wales. A bit on the nose, to be honest.

Routley - looking into the meaning of the surname, Routley was a bit more difficult as apparently to some sources, the meaning is lost, but according to ancestry, the surnames can be associated with the term 'cliff', and Scotland makes 60% of cliffs in Britain. RIP Welsh Routley theory, you will be missed

Another thing is that I believe that Skeffington will be the most sadistic, as someone on another post pointed out that Skeffington can also be referred to as Skevington, which is also the name of a torture device know as Skevington's daughter. His last name having ties to the term sheep can also be used to foreshadow his personality as a wolf in steep clothing, someone who's a mindless sheep (a blind follower), or even a sheep in wolves clothing because deep down he's a coward.

As for Routley, I can assume he's probably the youngest out of the four. Also, let's be honest, many of us believe he's either Mizu's father, or if you believe in the European mother theory, then most would believe he's at least her uncle because of the 'pretty eyes' comment. It's very likely that Routley will be the most significant target to Mizu, and he'll play a big part in season 2. Which might mean Mizu be half of

In all seriousness, it could be possible that each for four are from one of each country in the British Isles as during that time frame it could be beneficial for the group for one person to know Welsh, another to know Irish Gaelic, and another to know Scottish Gaelic. I also want to point out that, apparently, the surname Violet comes from the term 'pathway', I guess Violet painted the pathway for the other three men to join him.

Take this with a huge grain of salt as this is just a theory for fun.

[peridot-tears]

Mind sharing some Ezio, Ziio, Shay and Edward Hcs?

Sofia and Claudia got along like sisters (idk I think this might actually be canon).

Ezio encouraged Flavia to be spirited and curious, and sees himself in her and the way she takes care of Marcello. If Ezio had lived to see her to adulthood, he would have been protective but let her choose her own husband.

Ezio wanted to keep his Assassin activities a secret from his children. After he died, Claudia took them in and trained them herself the way their Uncle Mario did for them.

Ziio and Oiá:ner's interactions became stilted after the birth of Ratohnhaké:ton. There was no doubt that the love was there, but Oiá:ner could not quite look at her the same again, and she had to busy herself with finding someone else to groom as successor. They were finally warming up to each other again just a year or so before Ziio died.

Oiá:ner put full trust into Ratohnhaké:ton and his decision-making going forward because she didn't want to drive a wedge between herself and her grandson the way she did with Ziio. And it was the hardest thing she ever had to do.

Modern-day Ziio would have been a leader in the stand-offs against the Canadian government and localities like the Kanehsatà:ke Resistance, which her voice actor Tiio Horn was actually in. My headcanon Ziio has a lot of Tiio Horn's traits, mostly because Tiio Horn's sass that I see in her social media comes through a lot in her voice acting for Ziio.

Ratohnhaké:ton's a BEAST at lacrosse. Man moves like WATER.

Shay died peacefully in a manner similar to Ezio's -- in a garden, watching his family.

Shay most definitely was the black sheep amongst the Templars -- not just because a traitor gets no trust from any side, but because he's Irish and many other Templars were Englishmen who were racist against him. Adéwalé called him Haytham's hunting dog, but the Templars thought the same of him.

Because of this, Shay was that high-achieving Templar the others resented, because they hated the idea of being outdone by someone they felt was lesser. They kept their distance from each other, and his friends in the Order were kept in a tight circle -- Jack Weeks, Gist, and Haytham.

That's also why Cudgel was so fiercely proud of his grandfather later on too -- despite the racism, he was more Templar than any of them.

Also, Lil Cudge seems to me like that kind of guy who in modern day would insist that the Irish were slaves. He seems to me like someone who's very loyal, but but blindly so, and someone who doesn't question tradition.

Edward wanted to raise Haytham as English as possible, but he'd occasionally slip up and curse in Welsh at times. Haytham would grow up with only vague memories of the Welsh part of his heritage.

Edward was a rambunctious lil youngster who didn't need any dogs to herd the sheep. The wolves were scared of HIM lol.

Edward's relationship with Jenny haunts my dreams. What happened in the years between her and Haytham's birth. The people need to know.

I wrote a whole other word vomit post expressing my guess that he didn't want her to get involved in the Assassin world because he wanted to protect his last memory of Caroline. He believed in being honest with your child, so she knew everything about his activities. But given that Caroline had already been disowned because of him and even now that he was a new money gentleman, he was a social pariah because of his pirate past, he wanted Jenny to live a noblewoman's life -- marry a man of good social standing and be a good wife. And although she protested, he always thought he knew what was best for her.

If Jenny knew about her brother's child and ever met him, she honestly would've adored him. Such a polite, well-loved young man. She would've been relieved that he was raised right by his mother's side, away from the Kenway drama. Thank God all he had in common with her side of the family was blood, but if she could have chosen to be blood with any remaining relative of hers, it would have been him.

[verdemoun]

fantasy rdr2 au for halloween:

almost every single o'driscoll is a werewolf (traditional sort: they don't entirely have control/remember what happens when they are in wolf form)

dutch killed colm's brother because he bit young arthur, cursing the traumatized boy who had already been through enough in his life with lycanthropy

however, as arthur gets older, and dutch starts becoming less of the 'old dutch', he treats arthur like an attack dog

arthur being a werewolf is a secret to most of the gang, because werewolves have pretty bad reps. only john, abigail, hosea, dutch and susan are meant to know. charles and of all people pearson figured it out on their own. kieran also knows as a former o'driscoll

no one knows if hosea is actually psychic or just a really good con-man but he's accurate enough for them to trust most of his calls

john's fear of wolves is actually due to arthur, who scratched him as a child. he won't let jack near arthur when a full moon is close

sean is supernaturally lucky (always rescued just before he's killed by bounty hunters, bullets flying fraction of an inch from his head in rhodes) jokes it's the luck of the irish but actually lives in constant fear of his luck running out

uncle is an quasi-immortal that still ages at a slowed rate. he has been in his late 50s for over a century and hates it

miss grimshaw is a siren but has lost most of her abilities due to thinking she is no longer beautiful. people are still compelled to listen to her but more out of fear than allure

javier is a vampire and treats john like his personal blood bank

kieran is a dullahan. the gang did not know this until horsemen, apocalypses, where his body stood after being thrown and immediately started shooting at o'driscolls. without his head, his body has a radically different personality and communicates through rudimentary sign language (mostly giving the middle finger and smacking people)

lenny has an eidetic memory, which in itself wouldn't be supernatural if his memory didn't extend to past lives. he's met uncle as at least three different lives and they didn't get along in any of them. sometimes randomly gets homesick for past lives

karen is a nymph. the maenad, ecstatic frenzied drinking mad women, sort. not the sweet, nature tending element kind

charles is literally just some human guy trying to keep up. he's actually the main character.

[nyxshadowhawk]

I Read The Silmarillion So You Don't Have To, Part Five

Previous part: https://nyxshadowhawk.tumblr.com/post/728961431368761344/i-read-the-silmarillion-so-you-dont-have-to-part

Chapter 10: Of the Sindar Meanwhile, in Middle-earth…

Remember the Sindar? They’re the people of Elwë, the only one of the original three Elven Lords who never made it back to Valinor, and Melian, a Maia who seduced him. The Sindar are basically native to Middle-earth, and save for Elwë himself, none of them have seen the Two Trees of Valinor. That makes them “Grey Elves,” neither light nor dark. They live in Beleriand, the westernmost land mass of Middle-earth, on which most of The Silmarillion takes place, and which is completely gone by the time LotR takes place.

Elu Thingol by @bohemianweasel

The Sindar know Elwë as Thingol, which is Sindarin for “Greymantle,” and acknowledge him as king. Earlier, I assumed that Thingol and Melian were the ancestors of the Sindar, but this isn’t true; they only have one child, and her name is Lúthien. She is one of the other major players in The Silmarillion, and was based directly on Tolkien’s wife Edith, so she’s kind of a big deal. She’s born in the forest of Neldoreth, and white flowers spring up to greet her.

While Melkor was being held captive in Valinor, the Dwarves finally enter the picture in Middle-earth. They call themselves Khazâd, and the Sindar call them Naugrim, which means “stunted people.” The Elves are somewhat bewildered when the Dwarves come into Beleriand from the East, because they didn’t know that any other people existed. They assumed that they were the only living things who could speak or make things. They don’t learn the Dwarven language, but the Dwarves endeavor to learn Sindarin. When the Noldor eventually show up, the Dwarves really like them, because the Noldor share their reverence for the god Aulë and their skill at metalwork and cutting gemstones.

Because Melian is a Maia, she can see the future. She warns Thingol that the peace isn’t going to last. Thingol decides to build a fortress in case worst comes to worst, and enlists the help of the dwarves to build it. The Dwarves oblige, happy to have a new project, and Thingol pays them in pearls, which they’d never seen before. The biggest pearl is called Nimphelos, which the Dwarves particularly value. (Its name sounds a lot like Omphalos, an egg-shaped sacred stone at Delphi that the Ancient Greeks thought was the navel of the world.) The Dwarves build Thingol a mansion underground, in the style of their own. I’m guessing that, like Hobbit holes, this is a reference to Celtic fairy lore that describes fairies as living in mounds. Like the fairies of British and Irish lore, Thingol has a lavish underground palace called Menegroth, the Thousand Caves. Its pillars are carved to look like trees, with carved animals on the walls and in the “branches” of the pillars. Colorful mosaics decorate the floors, banners and tapestries chronicle the deeds of the Valar, there are silver fountains and singing nightingales, and it’s all as beautiful as anything gets outside of Valinor.

Everything’s great for a bit, but Melkor’s monsters still exist, and eventually Orcs and wolves push into Beleriand. The Elves don’t know what the Orcs are. They assume that the Orcs are Avari (Elves that refused to go to Valinor) that turned evil, which is almost right in an indirect way. Thingol needs weapons to fight Melkor’s monsters, but the Sindar don’t have any weapons and don’t know how to make them, because they’ve never needed them before. The Dwarves know how to make them, having used them to fight all the dangerous things in the East, and they teach the Sindar how to make and use them. Dwarves remain the absolute best at making things of steel, and they invented chainmail.

Remember the Nandor? They were another subgroup of Elves who split off from the Teleri while they were traveling to Valinor, and stayed in Middle-earth. They become the Wood Elves, and their descendants will be the elves of Mirkwood. But at this point in history, they come to Thingol, seeking protection from Melkor’s monsters. Thingol lets them stay in an eastern land called Ossiriand.

A Sindar Elf named Daeron invents the runic writing system, which the Elves don’t care for, but the Dwarves readily adopt.

Once again, everything’s great for a while. But then, Morgoth and Ungoliant have their struggle to the north. The Sindar hear Morgoth’s shrieking and know that something is wrong. Melian’s magic keeps Ungoliant from entering their land, but barely. The Sindar are suddenly assaulted by Morgoth’s massive army of Orcs from his northern citadel of Angband. The Orcs aren’t like anything the Sindar have ever seen, and there’s thousands of them. We get a short summary of the ensuing battle (in which Tolkien drops more place names than I can possibly keep track of).

The Elves and Dwarves win, but they lose a lot of lives in the process. The King of the Nandor, an Elf named Denethor, dies in combat. Distraught by his death, many of his people renounce open war. They are called Laiquendi, “Green Elves,” because they wear leaves. The rest of the Nandor join the Sindar, and merge with them. The Sindar fence themselves into their forest with a magic wall of “shadow and bewilderment” that Melian casts to keep the Orcs out. After that, their forest becomes known as Doriath, the “Land of the Girdle,” after the magic wall. The wall protects them, but the peace and bliss are broken.

Chapter 11: Of the Sun and Moon and the Hiding of Valinor In which the Two Trees have a last hurrah.

Back in Valinor, the Valar are very sad about the Trees, but they’re even sadder about Fëanor. Fëanor is, without a doubt, the best of the Elves. He may be a narcissist, but he’s right about how great he is: he’s the strongest, the smartest, the cleverest, the most beautiful, the most skilled, and the most capable both mentally and physically. Imagine all the good he could have done in the world, and what beautiful and useful things he might have made, if Morgoth hadn’t corrupted him! Now he’s going to waste his life on a pointless endeavor, and his entire line is cursed. It didn’t have to be like this. When a messenger tells Manwë how Fëanor responded to the prophecy of doom, Manwë cries.

However, Manwë doesn’t dispute Fëanor’s boast that people will sing of his deeds until the end of the world. After all, songs are beautiful things. If you remember, Eru Ilúvatar told Melkor that all of his evil deeds will result in more beautiful things, that no one would otherwise have conceived of. Evil always begets good, in spite of itself. Fëanor’s evil deeds will result in the creation of beautiful art in the future, thus indirectly producing good things. But that doesn’t make Fëanor’s actions any better in the present.

Yavanna, goddess of plants, and Nienna, goddess of sorrow, do their absolute best to heal the Trees. The Trees are beyond saving, but the goddesses’ lamentation does do something: With their last bit of strength, Telperion bears a single silver flower, and Laurelin bears a single golden fruit. Yavanna picks them both off the trees. After that, the Two Trees die for good, with nothing but their lifeless stems remaining in Valinor as a sad monument to what once was. Manwë blesses the flower and the fruit, and Aulë makes vessels to hold and preserve them. Then Varda hangs them in the sky as the new lamps: The flower of Telperion is the Moon, and the fruit of Laurelin is the Sun. The two lights will help the Children of Ilúvatar and hinder Morgoth.

Creation of the Two Trees by Julia Pelzer

Each group of Elves has a different name for the Moon and the Sun. The Vanyar (the Elves who got to Valinor first and stayed there) call them Isil and Anar. The Noldor call them Rána the Wayward, and Vána the Heart of Fire.

The Moon and Sun also have their own Maiar to guide them through the sky. The Maia of the Sun is called Arien, and the Maia of the Moon is called Tilion. Both Maiar had loved their respective Trees while the Trees were alive, and begged for the position of tending to the Sun and Moon. Arien is a fire goddess who doesn’t fear the heat of the sun, and Tilion is a hunter god who was one of Oromë’s companions. (This mirrors Norse Mythology, in which the Sun is driven by a goddess called Sol or Sunna, and the Moon by a god called Máni.)

Narsilion by breath-art

The Moon rises first, and brings hope to the Elves. When the Moon rises, Fingolfin and the Noldor begin their long trek into Middle-earth across the frozen north. After the Moon rises and sets seven times, the Sun is hung in the sky, and the first dawn comes. When the Sun sets, it comes to rest in Valinor, briefly reminding the Valar and remaining Elves of the light of the Two Trees and the joy they once had. But the Sun and Moon still pale in comparison to the Two Trees. The only remaining things that preserve the original light, pre-Ungoliant’s destruction, are the Silmarils.

Morgoth is obviously horrified, and immediately sends dark clouds to prevent the Sun from shining upon his land of Angband. Arien, the Maia of the Sun, is the only entity that Morgoth is really afraid of, and he no longer has the strength to attack her. But he does send evil spirits after Tilion, the Maia of the Moon. (This might explain why the moon has phases, but it’s not explicitly said.)

The Valar still remember what happened the last time they put up lamps, and they’re not about to let Morgoth destroy their paradise for a third time. They decide to almost completely cut off Valinor from the rest of the world. They make the Pélori Mountains around Valinor rise impossibly high, with sheer faces like glass. The only way in or out of Valinor is through a mountain pass called the Calacirya, which the Valar leave open to allow the Elves to see the stars. But the pass is heavily guarded. And, as an extra precaution, they fill the sea with enchanted islands that are full of illusions to confuse and trap anyone who tries to sail to Aman. The Noldor are officially, permanently cut off from Valinor — there’s no turning back now.

Telperion and Laurelin by MrSvein872

Chapter 12: Of Men In which the Men finally show up.

Having sealed themselves away, the Valar basically leave Middle-earth to the mercy of Morgoth. It’s not all bad, though; the Sun keeps Morgoth at bay, and it causes many new things to grow in Beleriand. Beleriand is a pretty nice place, for what it’s worth. Not as nice as Valinor, but, y’know… it could be worse.

When the Sun rises, the Men finally awaken. The Elves have a lot of different names for them, but the important ones are Atani (“Second People”) and Hildor (“Followers”). The Men didn’t have a Vala to invite them to Valinor. Men fear the Valar, because they don’t really know what the Valar are or why they’re there, and the Valar have stopped paying attention to Middle-earth. Ulmo watches over the Men through all the water of Middle-earth, but Men don’t know how to understand the divine messages brought to them by the water. It’s rumored that the Men befriend the Avari, the Dark Elves who never went to Valinor.

At the time, Men looked more like Elves than they do now. Men were taller, stronger, and longer-lived than they are now, but Elves were still prettier, wiser, and more skilled than Men. Elves are immortal, and do not sicken or age, but they can still be killed. Men have less robust bodies and are more prone to illness and injury. Dark Elves are better than Men, but the High Elves that saw Valinor are significantly better than both Dark Elves and Men. The only Dark Elves that come close to the greatness of the High Elves are the Sindar, and that’s only because their queen is a Maia.

The other big difference between Elves and Men is what happens after they die. When Elves die, they go to the Halls of Mandos and eventually reincarnate. The Elves don’t know what happens to Men after they die. If they go to the Halls of Mandos, they don’t go to the same part of them that the Elves go to. No one but Mandos and Manwë knows what happens to the Men after that. Only one Man ever came back from the dead (we’ll get there). It’s possible that the only entity that knows anything about what happens to Men after death is Ilúvatar himself.

The relationship between Elves and Men gets steadily worse with time, mostly because of Morgoth (again, we’ll get there). By the time of the Third Age, when LotR takes place, there are very few Elves left. They have retreated away from the sunlight, into lonely woods and caves, and “become as shadows and memories.” The Men take over from the Elves, and forget that the Elves ever existed. But the The Silmarillion is about the First Age, and back then, Elves and Men were friends. Some Men achieved greatness through learning Elven wisdom, and some Men even had children with Elves.

Chapter 13: Of the Return of the Noldor In which we return to the main plot, and a LOT of shit goes down.

Where we last left the Noldor, Fingolfin was leading them on an impossible journey across a frozen wasteland to cross into Middle-earth, because he saw Fëanor burn the boats on the opposite shore. Fëanor and his sons continued further into Middle-earth, and made a camp in the north.

Morgoth also saw Fëanor burn the boats. Even Morgoth was a little afraid of Fëanor, so he decides to preemptively attack Fëanor’s camp. Despite being taken by surprise, the Elves trounce the Orcs, because they still have the strength of Valinor in them. They’re strong and swift, with sharp and effective weapons, and the Orcs don’t stand a chance. A small handful of Elves — Fëanor, his seven sons, and their loyalists — slaughter an entire army’s worth of Orcs in only ten days. Morgoth’s plans for the conquest of Beleriand are ruined, for now.

Fëanor assumes that by chasing down the Orcs, he’ll find Morgoth. Fëanor is so impassioned, so ready to finally kick Morgoth’s ass, that he pats himself on the back for having defied the Valar. It was such a good idea to tell the Valar to go fuck themselves and come to Middle-earth! Now he gets the opportunity to personally take Morgoth down!

He spoke too soon. Fëanor promptly finds himself face-to-face with the fortress of Angband and an entire army of Balrogs. Oops.

Somehow, Fëanor manages to hold his own against multiple Balrogs, until Gothmog, the Lord of the Balrogs, nearly kills him. He only survives because his sons arrive at the last minute with reinforcements to fend off the Balrogs.

Fëanor against the Lord of the Balrogs by Evolvana

Fëanor doesn’t live for much longer, though. His sons start to carry him back to their camp, but he bleeds out on the way. He curses Morgoth and tells his sons to avenge him with his dying breath. As his spirit leaves him, his body burns to ash, because his soul is just that fiery. And that’s it — Fëanor, the mightiest Elf to ever live, is dead. His curse means that his soul is forever trapped in the Halls of Mandos, and he will never reincarnate. No one like him will ever appear in Arda again.

The Death of Curufinwe Feanaro by Gwenniel

Honestly, I’m surprised that Fëanor dies this early. I thought he was the central character, but I’m still only about a third of the way through, maybe less.

Despite having taken out Fëanor (mostly due to Fëanor’s own arrogance and impulsiveness), Morgoth still lost badly. He sends an envoy to Fëanor’s sons, acknowledging defeat and requesting a ceasefire, even offering to surrender a Silmaril. Fëanor’s eldest son, Maedhros (MY-thros, ‘th’ as in “this”) takes over from Fëanor as the leader of the Noldor. Maedhros doesn’t trust Morgoth as far as he can throw him, but decides to go to the negotiation anyway, with backup. Of course it’s an ambush, and there are Balrogs. All of Maedhros’s backup are killed, and Maedhros himself is captured and taken to Angband.

Fëanor’s other sons build themselves a mighty fortress, but Morgoth keeps Maedhros hostage until the Noldor agree to end the war and leave Beleriand. The sons of Fëanor doubt that Morgoth will keep his word on that. They also literally can’t stop fighting Morgoth, because of their oath. So, Morgoth hangs Maedhros by the wrist from the face of the Thangorodrim Mountains. The only remaining option is to try to rescue him.

Maedhros Upon Thangorodrim by Jenny Dolfen

Back with Fingolfin, the rest of the Noldor painstakingly make their way across the land bridge. It’s an agonizing journey, and many Elves die, but when the first dawn finally comes, Fingolfin unfurls his banner and blows his horn in victory. The ice starts to melt, and flowers spring up under his feet. The Sun chases Morgoth to the depths of his citadel, so he doesn’t harass Fingolfin’s group as they arrive in Middle-earth.

Helcaraxe by Stefan Meisl

Fingolfin is wiser than Fëanor, and doesn’t try to attack Angband. Instead, he tries to find the other Noldor. Most of his Fingolfin’s group really hate Fëanor and his sons, because it’s their fault that they nearly froze to death. So, they make their own camp near Lake Mithrim.

Fëanor’s group hears of their arrival. They’re astounded and impressed that Fingolfin and co. managed to survive, and that they made it to Middle-earth. They would welcome Fingolfin’s group, but they’re too ashamed to offer. Too little, too late.

Fingon, Fingolfin's son, decides to try to heal the relationship between the two groups of Noldor. He recognizes that Morgoth would be thrilled if his enemies were so divided against themselves. If they want to stand a chance against Morgoth, they have to unite. Fingon has the perfect idea for how to bring the two groups together. He was very close to Maedhros. He doesn’t know that Maedhros wanted to go back for him when Fëanor burned the ships, so, he assumes that Maedhros betrayed him. Even so, he still cares enough about Maedhros to want to try to rescue him.

He climbs the mountains of Thangorodrim by himself, hidden under the cover of the darkness that Morgoth created to shut out the sun. Then, Fingon takes out a harp and starts singing. He sings a song from Valinor, from long before the unrest took hold. His voice rings throughout the mountains, in which there had never been singing before. He sings in defiance of Morgoth like the Whos singing in defiance of the Grinch on Christmas Day.

He Sang a Song of Valinor by Jenny Dolfen

Faintly, he hears an answering voice singing the same song. Maedhros is singing, despite his suffering. Fingon climbs up to where Maedhros hangs, and cries when he sees how much pain Maedhros is in. Maedhros has long since given up hope, and begs Fingon to shoot him, to put him out of his misery. Fingon prepares to shoot an arrow, but says a prayer to Manwë, asking him to have mercy.

Fingon’s prayer is answered. Manwë sends the King of the Eagles, Thorondar, who picks up Fingon and carries him up the mountain face to where Maedhros hangs. Fingon can’t find any way to open or break the shackle that holds Maedhros, and can’t detach it from the mountain face. Maedhros again begs Fingon to kill him, but Fingon figures that it’s better to lose a hand than to die. Fingon cuts off Maedhros’ hand, and Thorondar catches him, carrying both Elves back to Lake Mithrim.

Flight from Thangorodrim by @thegreencarousel

(As you can probably guess, a lot of Silm fans ship Fingon and Maedhros. I almost did, too… and then I remembered that they’re first cousins.)

After that, the rift between the two groups of Noldor is healed. Fingon is hailed as a hero by both groups of Noldor. Maedhros steadily gets better, and recovers his strength. He pulls and Inigo Montoya and learns to wield a sword just as well with his left hand. He also waives his claim to kingship over the Noldor. He begs Fingon to forgive him for having deserted him back when Fëanor burned the boats, and tells Fingon that he’s the rightful heir of the House of Finwë. That’s a nice gesture, but it’s actually part of the curse — The House of Fëanor became known as the Dispossessed, because even though they’re the older brother’s children, they permanently lost the rulership of the Noldor.

The now-united Noldor decide to explore Beleriand a little more, and they eventually meet the Sindar. The Noldor and Sindar recognize each other as kin, but have a hard time understanding each other because they speak different languages. Eventually, they figure out a way to talk to each other. The Noldor learn about King Thingol and the magic wall around his kingdom of Doriath, and about the Sindar’s battles with the Orcs. The Sindar are delighted that these stronger, smarter elves from Valinor arrived right when they were most needed, and assume that the Valar must have sent them.

Thingol is less enthused about a bunch of hotheaded foreign princes arriving in his land. The only Noldor he trusts to let past the magic wall are Finarfin’s children: Finrod, Angrod, Aegnor, and Galadriel. This is because their mother was Eärwen, one of the Teleri Elves and Thingol’s niece. So, they’re his closest relatives among the Noldor. Angrod is the first of the Noldor to enter Thingol’s palace in Doriath. He tells Thingol all about what happened to the Noldor in the North — how they crossed over, how many of them there are, how they beat back Melkor’s forces, how Finrod saved Maedhros, etc. He leaves out the part about the kinslaying and the curse.

Thingol gives the Noldor his blessing to remain in the northern part of Beleriand, but they can’t displace the Sindar from their homes. They also aren’t allowed to come past Doriath’s magic wall, unless they’re invited, or if they desperately need an audience with Thingol. Thingol is Lord of Beleriand and the Noldor are imposing upon him, so, they’re in no position to argue.

When Angrod brings this message back to the Noldor, Maedhros straight-up laughs. “What kind of king is he? These aren’t his lands. He doesn’t have the power to grant us leave to live here, as if we were his vassals. If it weren’t for us, there’d be Orcs breaking down his door.”

Maedhros by _star热爱生活呀巴扎嘿

Caranthir, another one of Fëanor’s sons who inherited his father’s fiery temper, also doesn’t like Thingol’s conditions. “Who’s idea was it to send Finarfin’s sons as our spokesmen? I don’t trust a word they say, and I don’t trust this cave-dwelling Dark Elf. Finarfin’s sons should remember that, whoever their mother was, their father was still a Noldo — they should be loyal to the Noldor.”

Angrod is furious at this, and storms out. Maedhros chides Caranthir for going too far. The rest of the Noldor are all concerned that Fëanor’s whole family appears to be a ticking time bomb. It’s only a matter of time before one of them snaps and causes violence. Maedhros reads the room, and manages to get his brothers under control. He decides that he and his brothers should leave before things get worse. Not just leave the meeting, but leave the region — it’s better that they and the other Noldor remain friends at a distance, rather than risk another confrontation that tears them apart from within.

Maedhros and his brothers head east. Their new home is more exposed, and has less natural defense against Angband, but Maedhros doesn’t mind this. He and his brothers can be a buffer for the rest of the Noldor if Morgoth attacks again. And of course, the curse is still in effect.

Caranthir and his people are the first to find the Dwarves, who had stopped coming into Beleriand ever since the battle against Morgoth. You’d think that the Dwarves and the Noldor would have a lot in common, since both love to make things from metals and gems, and they both appreciate good craftsmanship. But nope. The Dwarves are too secretive, and Caranthir is too arrogant. He doesn’t even bother to hide that he thinks the Dwarves are ugly, and all his underlings follow suit. Despite that, the Dwarves and Caranthir’s Elves have a common enemy in Morgoth, so, they form an alliance anyway. From that alliance, Caranthir ends up learning a lot of Dwarven secrets about metalworking and masonry. It’ll really pay off for him in the future.

Caranthir by Miyota

Twenty years pass since the Sun first rose, and Fingolfin decides to throw a feast to unite all the scattered Elves. This feast is such a big deal that it has a name — Mereth Aderthad, the Feast of Reuniting. It’s a last moment of joy and happiness before everything goes to hell again. A number of Sindar attend the feast as well, alongside their leader, an Elf called Círdan (you’re gonna want to remember him). Thingol does not leave his magically-fortified palace, but he sends two diplomats to the feast — Daeron, the Elf that invented runes, and another called Mablung. There are even some Green Elves from the easternmost part of Beleriand. The main language spoken at the party is Sindarin, because the Noldor have had an easier time learning it than the other Elves have had of learning Quenya. All the Elves are on good terms with each other, and everything is great for a while. The Noldor begin to think that maybe Fëanor was right about Middle-earth being a good place for them.

Another thirty years pass. Turgon (Fingon’s brother and a son of Fingolfin) meets up with Finrod (a son of Finarfin). Together, they travel southward on the River Sirion, just to get away for awhile. They sleep on the riverbank, and Ulmo (the Vala of water) sends them a dream. Neither of them remembers the dream, only that it was troubling, and neither realizes that they had the same dream. After that, they’re both burdened with a sense of unease. Troubling dreams can only mean one thing — Morgoth is going to become a problem again. Turgon and Finrod independently decide that it’s a good idea to prepare for the worst.

Finrod and Galadriel, his sister, are briefly guests of King Thingol in Doriath (being two of the few Noldor whom Thingol would allow past the magic wall). Finrod is very impressed by the majesty of Menegroth, the king’s underground palace. He wants his own underground palace just like it, and tells Thingol as much. Thingol could have said, “no, how dare you copy me,” but instead he tells Finrod about a secret place in his realm — there’s a gorge in the River Narog, the river to the west of the Sirion, where there’s a cave complex that Finrod can use to build a palace.

Enlisting the help of some Dwarves, Finrod builds his palace, Nargothrond. He gives the Dwarves treasures from Valinor to thank them. The Dwarves are so impressed with the jewels that they make Finrod a beautiful necklace called the Nauglamír, which is said to be the finest work of the Dwarves in the First Age. It’s set with many, many gemstones from Valinor, but it’s as light as spider silk. The Dwarves are also grateful to Finrod for giving them an excuse to build another cool cave palace. They give him an epithet in their own language, Felegund, which means “Hewer of Caves.” Only a really cool Elf appreciates caves so much that he asks for his own cave palace.

Finrod by _star热爱生活呀巴扎嘿

Galadriel decided to stay in Thingol’s court, instead of following her brother to Nargothrond. She happened to meet one of Thingol’s relatives, a certain Sinda named Celeborn, and fell in love with him. Staying with Celeborn gave Galadriel the opportunity to study at the feet of Melian herself. So, if you’re wondering where Galadriel gets her wisdom and power from, it’s because she learned directly from a Maia.

Meanwhile, Turgon is feeling homesick for Valinor. He remembers the city of Tirion on its hill, with its silver tree (not the Silver Tree, one of its descendants). When he returns home, Ulmo personally appears to him, and tells him to go to the Vale of Sirion. He finds a hidden valley surrounded by mountains, in the center of which is a hill. It’s the perfect place to establish a New Tirion.

Throughout all this, Morgoth has been carefully observing the Noldor’s activities, and judging their strength. As soon as the Noldor are too distracted by city-building to prepare for war, Morgoth strikes. The Orcs are still a lot weaker than the Elves. Fingolfin and Maedhros chase the new Orc army all the way back to Angband. They kill every last one, within sight of Angband’s gates. But remember, Morgoth is a Vala, and has more up his sleeve than simply Orc armies. He causes earthquakes, fires, and volcanic eruptions. The Elves realize that there’s only one thing to do: cut the threat off at its source. They lay siege to Angband, and this siege lasts a full four hundred years.

Angband by gresetdavid

The Orcs are so afraid of the Noldor that they don’t leave Angband. Fingolfin boasts that the only way Morgoth could score a point against them is if the Noldor commit treason amongst themselves, which sounds a lot like tempting fate. Despite his confidence, the siege is a failure. Four hundred years, and the Elves don’t get any closer to capturing Angband, let alone taking back the Silmarils. Morgoth can still send spies out the back way, because the Elves can’t climb the snowy Thangorodrim Mountains. He captures Elves alive, and terrifies them so much that they do his bidding without having to be forced. He also looks for opportunities to sew dissent amongst the Noldor. It worked once, so it can work again.

A hundred years into the siege, Morgoth tries to capture Fingolfin. He knows that Maedhros isn’t about to let himself get captured again, and taking out the king would be an advantageous move. So, Morgoth sends a bunch of Orcs to sneak towards the Elves’ camp using the back way, through the same frozen mountain pass that Fingolfin used to get into Middle-earth. Morgoth should know at this point that Orcs are no problem for Elves. Fingon notices the Orcs, and slaughters them. This battle doesn’t even count as one of the “great battles,” because there aren’t enough Orcs for it to be notable. After that, there’s an interlude of peace that lasts for many years.

Fingon by _star热爱生活呀巴扎嘿

Morgoth finally gets the memo that he’s not going to beat the Elves by throwing Orcs at them. So, he tries a new tactic: A fucking dragon! If you think Smaug is bad, he’s a little baby lizard in comparison to Morgoth’s dragons. This one is called Glaurung (“gold worm” in Sindarin), and it’s a fat worm-like thing with a mouth of sharp teeth and fire breath. Glaurung is a young dragon, so, he mostly just thrashes around destroying fields and so forth. But he sufficiently terrifies the Elves.

Glaurung by Vaejoun

Fingon isn’t afraid, though, and takes a band of archers to pummel Glaurung with arrows. Glaurung’s armored scales haven’t fully developed yet, so the arrows drive him crawling back into Angband. Fingon is endlessly praised by the Noldor for having defeated the dragon, and Morgoth is kicking himself for having shown his hand too soon.

After Glaurung’s defeat comes the Long Peace, which lasts two hundred years. In that time, the Elves have the opportunity to build beautiful cities and write books of lore and create other art. (This time is called the “Long Peace” because Morgoth doesn’t make any attacks, but presumably, the Siege of Angband is still going on.) The Noldor and Sindar also intermix, becoming more like one society, though the biological and cultural differences between them remain: The Noldor are still smarter and stronger, wiser, better warriors, and they like living in stone buildings. The Sindar have better singing voices, and are better musicians in general, and like living in the woods. Some Sindar are nomadic and wander around Beleriand, singing as they go.

*whew.* That’s it for this section.

Next part.

[pocketramblr]

Ask game, please! Dracula AU where Jonathan is a werewolf. It doesn’t end well (well, even sooner) for the count.

Ok love this also we're throwing werewolf lore in a blender to make this work and kinda fit the original novel. Kinda.

1- ok so Bram Stoker was Irish so our dear friend Jonathan is a descendent of Laignech Fáelad and the werewolves of Ossory, though one who's family has been in England for at least several generations now. Also, these are the "astral projection of spirit in the form of wolves" type of werewolves described in Nennius of Bangor's Historia Britonum, similar to the ones Augustine of Hippo say are possible through God to fight evil because uh whatever Christianity thing is going on in Dracula.

2- So when Jonny boy shows up to Transylvania and all the locals are freaked out about something, he looks in his Romanian to English dictionary and sees they're using a word that means either vampire or werewolf. And then he wonders if the Count is a werewolf too, and is curious about how that works here- the only other werewolves he ever knew were his mother and grandfather, but they are tragically long dead since he's an orphan who sees his boss as a parental figure. So when he hears wolves in the woods, he's not too concerned yet. When a woman presses a rosary into his hand, he awkwardly takes it and wonders if she'd be superstitious of him too, if she knew- but he really wants to meet the Count!

3- but then he meets the Count. And the Count does have the ability to somewhat control wolves... But he really also sets them off. They don't like him. And Jonathan? His inner wolf does not like this guy, it's unnatural, it's bad, he wants to bite but!! He can't do that, he's a real lawyer now and Mina would be so disappointed if he used his first customer as a chew toy. So he grins and bears it, wondering if it's just a territory thing, and wondering if the castle is so empty because the rest of the Count's family is out in wolf form. But... Where are the servants or anyone else?

4- Eerily, Jon goes to sleep, and his human body is left behind in his bed while his spirit pops out in wolf form. He can't smell anyone. Just the Count, and three faint scents, but they don't smell human. They don't even smell like real wolves. They smell like long dead corpses. Still nervous, Jon curls up in the corner and tries to get some rest as a wolf.

But then the Count comes in while he's "sleeping", getting close to the bed and frowning at the rosary. Jonathan's spirit werewolf has had enough and just jumps up, lunging on instinct to protect his human form.

A wolf battle commences, but Dracula hasn't had to put up an actual fight in so long, and Jonathan has the power of God and anime on his side so he wins- and the lady vampires drop dead from their connection to the Count. Freaking out about the murder, Jonny returns to his human body and runs.

5- when he returns to the town a day later, ragged and panicked, when the town hears about all four vampires being dead... They throw a party of a "funeral", everyone swears up and down that the Count and his family tragically died of a wolf attack the day before Jonathan got in and he found their bodies when the coach took him to the castle, and he's sent home bewildered but his boss is like "wow that really sucks, I'm sorry you had such a horribly unlucky first case, let's keep you close to home from now on. Also is your hair white now?"

No vampires travel into England, Jonathan is worried that his wolf form now being stark white is a bad omen, but Mina just pets him behind his ears and says she thinks it's cute, oh, also, Lucy wrote her about one Doctor Van Helsing that a friend of hers knows, he heard about the strange wolf attacks in Romania and blamed it on vampires, can you believe?

[oidheadh-con-culainn]

are there many shapeshifty guys in medieval irish lit and if so who is your favorite one? (I mean, besides the one your blog is named after, I know about that guy and his funky transformations, I just do not know much about other shapeshifty guys that aren’t french/english/welsh/norse)

the morrígan is probably the most notorious shapeshifter in the texts i look at: she often turns into a crow but also at one point in the táin is an eel, a heifer, and a wolf, just to fuck with cú chulainn. sometimes her transformations are definitely physical and sometimes they seem more illusory. some of them it's not clear if it's actually her or just a bird lol, that always cracks me up

we also have of course our bird men in togail bruidne da derga, where it is deeply unclear whether they are birds who can be people or people who can be birds. one of them is called nemglán, he heads up the "bird troop". (this story is the basis of my stupid bird dad support group yonec crossover fic lol.) birds in general are often connected to the otherworld and we have quite a lot of birds that are transformed people, often recognisable because they will be wearing or linked to another bird with a fine chain. in some later texts like oidheadh chloinne lir you also get people turned into birds by external forces

sometimes birds are also angels, or the souls of the dead, so people die and then their soul shows up as a bird – this is mostly in voyage tales. voyage tales in general get fucky with shape and form

there are some sort-of werewolves in acallam na senorach who transform with the help of cloaks – it's sort of the reverse of bisclavret bc they put the magic cloaks on and become wolves, rather than becoming them when they take clothes off

then you get the ageless immortal shapeshifters like tuan and fintan where it seems to be more of a reincarnation thing that they have been different animals in different lives and can remember the early days of the world as a result. similarly there's a story in which the two bulls in the táin have been lots of different creatures in the past, going all the way back to two swineherds

so yeah quite a lot of shapeshifting going on! this is a deeply non exhaustive list as well, this is just the ones i immediately recall off the top of my head and doesn't include most involuntary transformations (e.g. etaine and others). finn's wife was also a deer part-time, that's why oisín is called that, but i think that was a spell too not an inborn thing

i would say the morrígan is probably my favourite (if "guy" is gender neutral lol) but also i do enjoy the sheer ??? of everything going down in TBDD with the birdmen, nemglán etc because truly they explain nothing

[teecupangel]

billiam bastard (squirtle), clay spawn, other desmond child, and elijah accidentally adopt a dog into their team because squirtle got attached (squirtle thinks they can speak to the dog with their fenrir "powers")

Connected to The William Miles Gets A Woman Knocked Up Grieving Desmond’s Death idea (and its minisequel and The Reader having a bad time and making it Basim’s problem) and the Statistically speaking she would be 30~40 years younger than him with a “what if Bill’s one night stand was from a big irish immigrant family?” what if idea.

Here’s hoping I got them all XD

I’m attached to making Desmond’s other child the Sage of Sigyn for the maximum family drama that would occur once Basim/Loki meets them and her quest to make Squirtle believe that she’s the best parent in the entire world so the dog adoption incident is her fault.

And it’s not one of those cute small dog.

No.

This is a large mixed breed dog that she got from god knows where, darker than the night itself.

Then she and Squirtle gave it a long bath (like… more than an hour long) and it turned out that the dog had brown fur, not black.

Elijah finally make use of his authority as the ‘unofficial’ leader of their group and ordered them to clean the entire safe house just to be safe and, for the love of god, they need to check that dog for ticks and anything hiding underneath that fur.

Elijah, for his part, went on a research bender to find out whatever was necessary about dogs because Aita’s memories are more on the ‘ancestors’ of dogs and wolves and… yeah, it helped but Elijah needed more information.

Needing to break into a veterinarian clinic multiple times in a year is added to their schedule, complete with which shots the dog needs.

He absolutely ignored Kaczmarek’s knowing look when he noticed the schedule app suddenly have certain ‘codes’ that he easily cracked as names for medicine for dogs like vaccines and such.

Elijah would stress he was simply doing this to do damage control. If he tries to stop them from adopting the dog, they’d just keep the dog behind his back and that could easily lead to complications he didn’t have time to take care of.

But he wasn’t going to defend himself in the first place.

.

Bonus points if they name the dog something ridiculous like “Kitty” or “Birdie”

Bonus bonus points if the twist is the dog was an offspring of the last mentor’s dog from the Fall comics.

[aikoiya]

LoZ Theory - Hylia = Amaterasu, But What Does That Mean?

Now, this theory is mostly just for fun, okay? So, keep that in mind when reading this.

Anyway, I'm sure that we've all realized to some degree that Hylia has some very obvious parallels to Amaterasu of Shintoist theology. At least, thematically speaking.

However, that brings into question as to who would take on the thematic roles of Tsukuyomi & Susano-o?

Interestingly, Hyrule itself doesn't really seem to have any gods of the moon & while wind & sky & even water gods have appeared throughout the games, the only one who you could feasibly refer to as a "storm god" really wasn't up to the same level as Hylia & I'd thus argue that he couldn't really be called a Susano-o parallel.

However, there was 1 divine entity that did appear in at least 1 game & had cameos in a couple of others. One that appears to bear some sort of connection to the moon.

The Fierce Deity. (Yes, he is actually, canonically, a Kishin, who are known for being compassionate protectors despite their viciousness in battle, however, I'm talking thematic roles here & therefore, he doesn't need to be a perfect representation of Tsukuyomi. At the same time, Hylia doesn't just parallel Amaterasu, but in some ways Danu, an Irish mother goddess, & even Christ to a degree. So, I don't understand why FD couldn't also have multiple influences.)

Not to mention, did you know that wolves, rabbits, & fairies all have some sort of connection to the moon? Like, I'm sure most of us know the wolf connection, but also there's the legend of the Jade Rabbit & I remember reading somewhere that the full moon was a portal to the realm of the fae. So, even in that respect, the Links still have some faint connections to the moon.

But if Hylia = Amaterasu & Fierce Deity = Tsukuyomi, then that still leaves Susano-o's Hyrulean mirror.

However, maybe we can figure this out by working through the game characters that Hylia & FD are most associated with, which are Zelda & Link.

And, as I'm guessing you're realizing, they too have a third: Ganondorf. And what seemingly divine entity is he most associated with?

The Bringer of Demise. Who happens to call down lightning in battle, as does Ganondorf. You could even make an argument about how his hatred could mirror the indiscriminant destructive power of a storm. Natural disasters, if you will.

Now, what I find interesting is what this implies about the 3 Hyrulean divinities in question. Because Susano-o had fallen from grace & been cursed into the body of a mortal for his misdeeds until he earned back his spot among the gods.

Is it possible that Demise had also been a true deity before committing some act that caused him to be cast out & become an... Akuma?

In fact, one of the things Susano-o did to get thrown out was that he destroyed his sister's crops. Specifically, it appears that he & Amaterasu both had 3 rice fields each, but whereas her fields were fertile, his were dry & barren, which in his jealousy, he destroyed her fields. (Which, itself, creates a bit of an interesting parallel between not just Susano-o's relationship with Amaterasu & Demise's with Hylia in SS, but also between the godly siblings & Ganondorf's relationship with just Hyrule, in-general. At least, if you trust WW Gdorf's words.)

One possible issue I see is a bit of discrepancy in the myths. In some depictions, it's Susano-o who kills Ōgetsuhime after his banishment, but in others, it's Tsukuyomi who kills Ukemochi. Which are simply 2 different names for the same goddess. Not only that, it was for the same reason. In order to serve them food, she produced it via some very unsanitary means, so they killed her for it.

As for Tsukuyomi, he seems to be regarded as an evil god, but at the same time, he only seems to appear in 2 myths. The myth of he & his siblings' birth & the myth of him killing Ukemochi.

Beyond that, personality wise, Tsukuyomi was described as cold & reserved, as well as having been noted to value things such as order, justice, & etiquette a great deal, to the point where it's said that he was willing to kill to maintain it despite murder not being condoned. In this way, he's seen as violent. Which could well fit with Fierce Deity, considering his portrayal as a Kishin with a few tweaks.

On the other hand, FD is referred to as a Kishin, which are inspired by the Buddhist Pāla or Protectors, a.k.a. Wrathful Gods. And though they are fearsome in battle & terrifying to behold, one of their core qualities is that they are compassionate, ultimately benevolent, & visit just vengeance upon those who wrong the innocent.

However, the only reason for Tsukuyomi being referred to as an evil god was his murder of Ukemochi. So, how does it change his character in a situation where the one to do so was instead his brother?

Are there other things he's done? It doesn't seem like it, which kinda paints Amaterasu in a not-so-great light considering how Susano-o does a lot more terrible things, yet later, she still forgives him.

Hell, remember he basically commits the exact same crime as Tsukuyomi. So, why is it that Susanoo gets a pass despite all the other shit he did, but Tsukuyomi doesn't despite technically having only 1 mess-up?

Is it because he hasn't apologized yet? Because he didn't get her some super powerful gift? Honestly, it makes me wonder what Amaterasu's reaction to Ukemochi's hostess skills & how she produced the food would've been.

Furthermore, either Tsukuyomi killed Ukemochi, Susano-o killed Ōgestuhime, or Tsukuyomi killed her, she revived, & then Susano-o killed her again later.

In the case of the last one, it brings to question why she hadn't learned her lesson? At that point, she only has herself to blame.

However, it's also possible that the story of night & day & Susano-o killing Ōgetsuhime could possibly be one in the same, just told from 2 different perspectives. Keep in mind that Susano-o was able to transform a woman into a comb even after being banished. It wouldn't be too farfetched to assume that he could transform himself as well. Hell, shouldn't taking on the visage of another person theoretically be much easier than literally turning another person into an inanimate object?

If I'm right, then the situation would unfold like this: Susano-o was banished, Ukemochi held a feast & invited Amaterasu, she couldn't come & sent Tsukuyomi instead, Susano-o heard of Ukemochi's grand feast, & took on his brother's appearance. Susanoo-o as Tsukuyomi asked Ukemochi to provide him with food, then upon seeing how she did so, he killed her before leaving, & that's when Tsukuyomi came upon the scene. However, this left Tsukuyomi to be blamed for her death because other partygoers witnessed the not-Tsukuyomi's crime, which resulted in Amaterasu & the real Tsukuyomi separating, thus creating day & night. (Not that this is actually what happened in myth, but it's just a thought.)

However, even if he did do it, if this was the only instance of Tsukuyomi behaving in such a manner, then it honestly seems very unfair to have him automatically slighted as evil.

Though, what I find interesting is that if my interpretation of the story were correct, then it'd somewhat create another parallel between Tsukuyomi & FD. The misconception that dark automatically means evil, which has led to both being demonized. In FD's case, pretty literally due to unfortunate translation association.

Sorry, I just found this possibility to be very freaking interesting.

LoZ Cultural Masterlist 1

[slocumjoe]

companions start a minecraft server. how do they play? who lives with who? who starts a war over their dog dying?

Companions play Minecraft

Cait; hardcore mode speedrunner who looks for increasingly difficult and mindfuck ways to kill the Elder Dragon. Why? Success is a kind of high you'll get from nothing else. Especially when you kill the final boss with nothing but eggs and slime pistons. When playing on Hancock's server, functions as a bodyguard during less-safe builds, like underground, or at the edge of the forest. The first line of defense during a raid. Does busywork for Codsworth in exchange for throwing eggs. Piper built a traditional Irish pub for her to live in and you can occasionally see her just staring at it in wonder. Is the one with the pack of wolves. The town graveyard is filled with her fallen pups. Also has a parrot, just to watch it dance to the pub's jukebox.

Codsworth; Does the busywork around the town Hancock and the others have built. Town is probably called Goodneighbor, let's be real. Tends the farms, the animals, makes food, etc. Does a little bit of everything. Takes care of Curie's zoo, goes fishing with Danse, gives opinions on building materials...pure chilling. Refuses to slaughter farm animals for meat, he's too attached. Fish, bread, and vegetables are on the menu in Goodneighbor. Lives in a quaint little birch cottage by the river, where he keeps flowers, bees, and chickens. All of them have nametags. Second line of defense during a raid—touch his potato fields, and enjoy eggs for your last meal.

Curie; Spends all of her time following and studying the more fantastical creatures, like Endermen. Keeps real notes in a notebook as she plays, theorizing on their biology. Endlessly fascinated with the convergent evolution between Villagers and Pillagers. Will often join Preston's archeology expeditions to discover the lore hints in the environment. Dies a lot, usually has nothing but seeds and dirt in her inventory. Keeps an area filled with specimens in appropriate pens. Puts bounties out for new creatures. Favors the axolotls and fish, though. Lives in the second floor of the zoo's visitor center.

Danse; Minecraft has a powerful aura of sad nostalgia, and I don't think he could handle it. Will help out in Goodneighbor by going and getting materials for building. Enjoys fishing more than anything, though. Gets very attached to his orange cat that sits on his bed. His dirt hut is on the outskirts of Goodneighbor, but is covered in flowers, paintings, and whatever else decor the others have put up. Nick dyed his cat's collar pink. Accompanies X6 on Curie's specimen bounties. Will sometimes stop moving. Don't worry, he's just enraptured by the music and is enjoying it. Or is being made very sad by it. Same thing, right?

Deacon; Pays money to change his username to look like someone else's every week. Changes to their skin, too, but edited to have sunglasses. Otherwise, Herobrine wannabe. If you don't know what that is, you are too young to be reading this blog. Deacon will make small, uniform tunnels, fill them with oddities like bone and paper. He'll leave structures reminiscent of crosses. He'll use armor stands and elaborate Redstone mechanisms, make it look like someone's watching you from the trees, only for you to step on a hidden pressure plate, and the figure vanishes. Adds to the lore of the world. Has a rainbow wool house filled with so many rabbits, the game crashes when he approaches.

Gage; You think Gage is playing a kids game? He has shit to do. Like pirate it and sell copies for dirt cheap. Not even to make money, he just does it for the principle. The principle of fuck you, I will make as many copies of this shit as I damn well please. Probably has his face hung up in Mojang HQ, with darts stuck in the one good eye. Would play if he could join the side of the Pillagers. Yeah, sure. He could just set villages on fire himself...but where's the community in that?

Hancock; Owns the server. Keeps it on harder difficulties for the challenge, but not so much of a...whatever you call Cait's type of player. Avid builder, Goodneighbor is a massive project recreating Boston. It's not quite 1 to 1, but still damn impressive. But, hey, if Bobby wants to build places from Grognak, that's chill. Doesn't care about aesthetic or accuracy, just wants to relax and let the creative juices flow. Hancock himself lives in a giant mushroom he made out of mushroom blocks, wool, and mycelium. Pet of choice? Mushroom cow, obviously, courtesy of X6.

MacCready; Got sick for a week. Built the entire Ux-Ron galaxy on the other side of the river. Doesn't remember it, was hopped up on Nyquil and chicken broth in hot water. The resident hunter, when he isn't on a grape-chicken-liquid diet. He's good at building, but can get bored quickly. Aim is...frightening. Can kill a chicken across any gulf. Takes the nightshift guard duty to shoot down Phantoms. His house is a crashed UFO. Even got Deacon to do his redstone trickery, so it lights up all blinky when you trigger a plate at the door. Has a parrot for a pet.

Nick; One of the more adventurous ones. Goes off with Preston, X6, and Cait to explore the different biomes. The resident potion master. It's just a puzzlegame, but for cocktails that can make you jump real high. Keeps a garden with various ingredients, often ventures into the Nether for blaze powder and rods. Has a spawner caged up, so he just smacks them through the door. Writes down all potion or poison recipes in an in-game book and quill. The trial-and-error- failed recipes are also listed, so it's 200+ pages long. His potion hut is built like a speakeasy, and he lives in the basement with a black cat. Would fill the place with ravens, if they weren't in the spin-off game. Third line of defense in town—keeps a chest full of splash poisons. Occasionally opens it and stares at them, like he's not sure if he's willing to commit such an act.

Piper; Obsessed with the underwater update. Always diving for treasure and sunken ships and temples. Keeps all of the knickknacks in a chest back at Goodneighbor, not even for use. Piper isn't even an ocean kinda gal in real life, but...it's so pretty! And the dolphins are so cute! Trades resources for water-breathing potions from Nick. Fills out so many maps, keeps them framed on a massive wall on the Goodneighbor docks. Also keeps a book-and-quill with coordinates and traveling notes, it's longer than Nick's recipe book. Lives in an underwater bubble habitat off the coast of Goodneighbor. Keeps a pink dolphin in a massive glass habitat outside.

Preston; Resident archeologist. Excavates ruins and structures to study them. Spent a month in real life sponging up an underwater temple. Even longer digging out an End fortress. Goes into mineshafts and renovates them entirely, puts signs and maps up. Takes X6 most often on his expeditions, has his own wall of land-maps. Preston spends a lot of time studying the builds left in the world and pondering the historical implications. Real theorist over here. He's fascinated with the subtle story telling and clues. The End keeps him up at night. His house is the huge community library. Also keeps books, writes down his notes and theories. Has a llama for traveling. If anything happened to it, would be very distraught.

X6-88; Resident mercenary. Nick accidentally summoned the Wither? There's a baby zombie running around? Deacon's rabbits have broken out the windows, and the server is in legitimate danger if the horde grows any larger? Get X6-88. Appears with a clap of thunder on his black warhorse, wielding only the most enchanted of weapons, wearing the most enchanted of armor. He does all the hard, dangerous work. Clears out the Nether, the End, Dark Forests, Pillager encampments...X6 is the hard hitter that goes out into danger, whereas Cait stays behind to defend. Is the one who leashes animals and painstakingly brings them back to Goodneighbor, occasionally with Danse's help. He lost his mind, looking for pandas for Curie. Keeps one as a pet in his house, which is the castle in the graveyard.

[prettypinkporkchop]

Can you do Embry X reader where jake and sams pack is one now and they're co-alphas together and every wolf in the pack has a imprint including Collin and Brady and Claire as quils. You can choose the plot and details

GOOD IDEA MY SEXY PORKCHOP! Okay bet watch this shit. Oh also, I'm sorry but I never write Claire as Quils imprint bc it makes me

✨️uncomfortable ✨️ but I'll add faces for everyone's imprint besides you, obviously bc YOUUUU belong to Embryyyyyyy! Ugh, he's so loveable!

Collin's imprint: face - julia stiles. name- Amber

Brady's imprint: face - Mandy Moore. Name- Sarah

Seth's imprint: face - phoebe tonkin. Name- Brandy

Quil's imprint: face - taissa farmigo. Name- Spencer

Leah's imprint- face- Deborah Woll. Name- Marabelle

Embry runs up behind you and dunks you into the water. You jump back up and take a deep breath in. "Embry! I told you I didn't want to get my hair wet today!" You wipe your eyes and then smack his arm. He laughs and grabs you, kissing your forehead. "Mmm, I forgot. Sorry, hot stuff." You roll your eyes. You feel a hand touch your back. You turn to see Quil's imprint, Spencer. "Girl, you won't believe what just happened." She has a goofy grin. You turn toward her, and Embry steps beside you. She looks at Embry. "Sorry, Em. Girl talk." She laughs. "AH! Okay, I see. I'm offended!" He puts a hand over his chest and then swims away. You pinch the bridge of your nose. "What am I going to do with him?" You chuckle. "Kill him." She jokes. "Thought about it!" You laugh. "Anyways, what is it?" She looks around and then whispers in your ear. "So, Marabelle and Brandy were sitting in Leah's truck, putting sunscreen on Marabelle's irish ass." She stops and laughs. You giggle, too. You guys love picking with her. But you always remind her she's stunning! "Brandy was trying to find chapstick but found a box with a ring in it! She quickly hid it." She turns back, looking around. Everyone is out of the water and hanging out on the beach towels. You and Spencer are the only ones in the water. "Marabelle doesn't know. Brandy asked Leah. Leah got upset that Brandy knew but got over it. Now she's telling every imprint. She sent me out here to tell you." She puts a hand over her mouth, bursting in giggles. "Oh my God, I'm so fucking excited." You squeal. "Shh! C'mon. Let's join them!" She grabs your hand, and you two make your way to the group. Embry is lying down on top of Jacob. "Dude, get the fuck off me." Jacob laughs. Renesmee is facepalming. "Embry, off your boyfriend." You snap. He jumps up and sits next to you. "Bossy." He sighs at you.

After the beach trip, you guys head over to Emily's place. Jacob took Renesmee back to the Cullens. "Dude, I actually do NOT want to go to school tomorrow." Amber groans. Collin puts his arm behind her and pulls her in. "AWE!" He playfully teases. "Shut up, Collin." She groans. "I remember when that was me. Trust me. It's over in the blink of an eye." You reply. Suddenly, screaming is heard outside. "What the hell?" You jump up. You all run outside and see Seth phased, fighting a vampire. Brady and Collin instantly phase. Leah, Sam, Embry, Jared, and Paul get ready, but the three wolves rip his head off. "God damn." You mutter.

The two packs go over to the Cullins to figure out what the hell that was about. The imprints stay behind. "Brandy, Sarah, Amber, I can take you guys home. You need sleep. School is tomorrow." You remind them. Kim checks her watch. "Where are your parents?" She giggles. Rachel finishes painting Emily's toenails. "I'll take them home, guys." Rachel offers. "How about you and me go! The girls can sit in the back. I'd feel more comfortable if both of us adults went. I'm not sure what's out there tonight." Your stomach turns at the thought.

After taking them home, you, Spencer, Kim, Marabelle, Rachel, and Emily are sleeping in the living room. You're on the floor next to Kim. The door opens, and you all wake up besides Rachel. The two packs step inside and start talking. You hit Rachel with a pillow to wake her up. "Guys, the two Russians that wanted to kill the volturi had made a clan. They're getting revenge on us." Sam says. You all look at each other. "How many are there?" Emily asks. "Don't know just yet." He replies. "Did you make sure my girl got home safely?" Collin asks. "Yes. All of them. We walked them to the doors and all." You reply. "This is going to end badly." Seth says sadly. "Don't say that. We've been going on strong." Emily says. Leah tears up and then sits on the couch next to Marabelle. Your gut starts to twist as you remember what she had planned.

Everyone slept huddled up at Emily's house.

2 days later:

Your mouth is taped, and you're tied up on the same pole as Amber. There's a singular lamp in the basement. There are other poles around the room. Brandy and Emily, Spencer by herself, Kim and Rachel, Marabelle and Sarah. You look around and see everyone panicking. You guys were taken by a group of Russian vampires. This is actually insane. There's one vampire standing in the corner of the room. "Girls, you are fine! We aren't going to kill you. Not just yet, anyway!" He walks around everyone. His legs walk in front of you and all around the poles, watching you girls. You roll your eyes at how cheesy this is. He rips the tape off of Sarah's mouth. She screams and kicks her legs. Emily starts screaming, but it's muffled. He rips her tape off. "She's just a kid! Leave her alone!" Emily screams. "God, I don't care if all of you were kids. We hold you hostage to bring the wolves here, and then we kill them and kill you! Easy." He tapes her mouth back up. Sarah starts wailing. "Shut up! I can already tell you're my least favorite." He tapes her mouth.

After a few hours, you're rubbing Amber's hand that's tied with yours. You're trying to let her know it's going to be okay. The basement door bursts open, and the Russian vampire hisses. In walks, Rosalie and Alice. "Let them go." Rosalie spits. "No." He simply says. They start to fight. You're so focused on making sure that no bodies start flying and hitting one of the kids. Spencer is by herself and closest to them fighting. You're getting anxious. Somehow, Amber gets the tape off her mouth. "Where's everyone?" She calls out. Alice stopped while Rose had the guy held down. "Batteling." She says and rips his head off of his body. "Come on. We have to light his body." Alice starts untying all of you. Rosalie is ripping off his limbs. "Is he the only one here?!" You ask. "Yes! We are going to run upstairs." Alice says. Once everyone is untied, you grab Sarah, who is having a mental breakdown. You hold onto her. "Y/n, is everything going to be okay?" She cries. "Yes." You kiss the top of her head.

Rosalie and Alice go back to the battle after bringing you girls to their house. Renesmee and Bella are there to protect you. "Alice showed me. It's going to be okay." Bella hugs Amber. Everyone is worried about their wolves. You are sipping on your glass of water. Renesmee shared some of her snacks.

Bella stands up and smiles. "Everyone is here." She says. You all stand up and run outside. You catch Embry's eyes and jump into his arms. "Baby, oh my baby. I was so scared. I'm so fucking sorry." He holds you so tight. "We had to send Alice and Rosalie. I wish I could explain the pain I felt. I still feel it." He starts sniffling. "Embry, please take me home." You softly sob.

You lay on top of Embry's chest. He's playing with your hair and rubbing your arm. "I love you." He whispers. "I love you too, Embry." You look up and kiss his lips. His hands grab your face and pull you up so you're sitting on his waist. You pull away and kiss his neck, leaving wet kisses there. He sighs and leans his head back for you. You kiss lower to his collarbone. His hands make their way to your ass. You bite down, and he moans. You slowly make your way down his stomach, a trail of shiny spots of where your tongue has been. He looks down at you and raises his eyebrow. You start to pull his shorts off.

YUP THE QUEEN WENT TO QUEENING

As a celebration of winning, Emily threw a party. The youngsters are playing in the water. Sam and Paul are cooking on the grill in the sand. You and Embry are sharing a towel, laying down next to each other. You lock your fingers with his and smile. "You're my everything, hot stuff." He smirks. You kiss his cheek and then his temple. "You're mine."

"Guys! I have an announcement to make!" Leah calls out. You and Embry stand up and walk over to Leah. You know exactly what this is about. Marabelle is sitting on the towel, smiling up at her. Everyone stands around them. "I love Marabelle. We all do." She turns to Marabelle and lifts her off the ground, holding both of her hands. "Baby," she gets on one knee and pulls out a box from her bag. Marabelle gasps and covers her mouth. Spencer, who's standing beside you, grabs your arm. "It's happening!" Quil leans into her and whispers, "What's happening?" You and Spencer look at him like, really? "Marabelle, will you marry me?" She asks. "Yes! Fuck! Yes!!!!" She screams. Everyone starts cheering. You scream and then hug Embry. Quil hugs Spencer and looks at her with a certain look. Oh gosh, her turn! You can't help but lift your hand and look at the ring on your finger. Embry whispers in your ear, "What're you thinking about, Mrs. Call?" He chuckles. "Our wedding day." You smile.