#hero//assassin story

[lola-theshowgrl]

World-Building #1 - Vadramia

Hello, and welcome to the very first of my world-building posts! I'm not sure how frequently I'll do these, but for now I'm thinking maybe once a month, or so? Today I'm going to give you an overall view of the main continent the foreseeable stories will be set in, Vadramia.

Vadramia is made up of nine countries, each ruled by various races, though there are many more mythical creatures who also make their homes there. Despite the fantasy setting, magic is extremely rare across the peoples of the land, and usually comes with some great burden of expectation whenever it manifests itself.

There is a single, widely followed religion, though this is split into two temples, which has often been the cause of conflict across the land. The Hallowkin Cloister follow the ways of the goddess Vitari, bringer of life, and the Hollowkith Cloister follow the goddess Mortis, bringer of death. They are both queen and consort to one another, their powers dependant on the other, and so unity is encouraged by both temples. The Protectorate are the religious soldiers who quell any disputes, and enforce the religious scripture of both temples, referred to as The Maxim. This is overseen by the high priests of each cloister, and the grand-high priest, who has supreme power over all religious matters across all nine countries of Vadramia.

The first country is Peregrine, in the south, and home to the humans, or "Peregri". Peregrine is a warm climate, rich in trade as their people can adapt to most weather or surroundings, and so can comfortably move between all realms of Vadramia.

To their west is Remni, home to the gnomes, and the smallest and only landlocked country in Vadramia. I've kept my gnomes fairly traditional, living as one with the land, and one of the only two small-statured races on the continent. They are easy to get along with, and often left to their own devices, which they prefer.

In the south-west is Anzude, a large, tropical forest nation, inhabited by wood elves, who are deemed to be the most vicious and dangerous of all the ruling races, and are largely given a very wide berth where possible. The wood elves of Anzude have an almost Roman influence, where feats of physical prowess and fortitude are prized, and lineage is everything.

The west coast is the realm of Isorna, home of the bovaur, a race of humanoid, horned people with hoof-like feet and cow ears. The bovaur people have one of the greatest educational systems in place on all of Vadramia, and many of the high nobility across the continent will be much more inclined to hire one of their people to tutor their children as a matter of course.

In the north-west is Runzod, a strange, cold, mountainous country that is essentially split into two. Upper Runzod is the home of the Dragai, or dragon shifters, who make their homes in the high peaks and vast valleys of the land. Lower Runzod is the home of the dwarves, whose kingdom lays far beneath the ground, cities and mines all the way to the borders. The two realms have a somewhat tumultuous relationship, but currently are at peace thanks to the two sitting monarchs.

To the central north of Vadramia lays Dizut, the home to the orcs. They aren't going to be what most of you will expect from the race, as while they are strong, proficient warriors, they are also a nomadic people. For the most part, the orc clans of Dizut are cattle-drivers, living in tents and moving from place to place with their families and their livestock. This said, there is a lot of infighting between the clans, and this is what often keeps the rest of Vadramia from worrying too much about the possibility of them turning their weapons outwards of their borders.

In the north-east is Tarve, home to the wulver, a shape-shifting race of wolf people. The wulver have a feudal culture, each Pack ruled by a single leader, and internal territories that are fought over regularly. There is an established pecking order within each Pack too, and often this means a great deal of politics, but the idea of betraying your own is abhorrent and therefore punished severely.

To the far east is Atraria, an almost entirely landlocked country, save for a strip of coast only around twenty miles wide. Atraria is the home to the sun elves, a peaceful race that value beauty above all things. They are widely known as skilled artisans, musicians, and dancers, and due to their long lifespans, will often dedicate their lives to following their artistic endeavours.

In the south-east is Toth, the realm of the marsh elves. The marsh elves are a race of lavender-skinned dark elves, and Toth is a humid land of wetlands, broads, swamps, waterways, fens, and, of course, marshes. They have a built in resistance to poisons due to the toxic surroundings, and trade often in alchemical supplies that can't easily be obtained, as well as rare animal hides that have exceptional protective qualities. Marsh elves tend to have a very dry wit that not everyone catches, and are often mistakenly labelled as very serious, with no sense of humour.

I hope you've enjoyed this little insight into my world. If there's anything in particular you'd like me to go into next time, whether it's an area I haven't yet addressed, or something I've mentioned that you want me to expand on, please let me know.

Thanks for reading!

[rachelillustrates]

@ockissweek day seven: Caught. 

Prompts from the official prompt list – list and event coordinated by @artofmisi 💗

Jumping back out of Tockishness for this last day of the smooches to feature the amazing and lovely Nedra and Silas from my dear dear dear friend @lola-theshowgrl 's upcoming novel, "Star-Crossed Blades" 💘⚔💖 Which is a sunshine/grumpy hero/assassin romantasy!! She is sharing more of her progress and development process on her blog as she goes, so check it out here to find out more 🖤 I, for one, am stoked and cannot waaaaaaaiiit.

(And that's a full challenge!! 🙌 Not that anyone's required to do all the prompts, including me, BUT with winter always being so heavy for me, it meant a lot to me to prioritize doing all 7 days, despite the fact that/especially since I didn't get to prepare the pieces in advance this time. Take that, SAD!!)

(Back to regular posting schedule this week, that is, too. World Building Wednesday and Thank Gnome it's Friday, with Funguary scattered in as inspired/prioritized/able 🍄💕)

~

Bonus art and stories ~ Prints, comics and more!

[short-wooloo]

i forgot to post this a week ago...

Its 2025 now, which means this year these all turn 15!!

[acourtofquestions]

THRONE OF GLASS SERIES SPOILERS

While Aelin losing her powers is sad; primarily because she loved her powers and spent a long time without them, then fighting for them back, and accepting herself with it. And also they’re cool… but so is she (regardless :-)

It’s important to remember she never needed them. Not in this sense at least.

She carries the same power level of Heir of Fire, where she makes shields and daggers of flame, and can hold her own against Skin-walkers & terrors. Then in combination with Rowan as her Carranam she pushes past burn-out & wipes the Mistward slate clean of the Valg Generals; something she still maintains, only now imbued along with her own Cadre.

In the following book, these things remain, as Queen of Shadows sees her once again without magic, or fae form (meaning she’s more powerful now in a post-KoA world then she was than). It reminds us again, that she is more than capable of acting without them (and frankly kicking-ass; she takes out a lot of Valg with nothing but her wit & skill).

As she had for the prior three books: she got through all of those on her own, without fae strength, without firepower, she became “The Assassin of Adarlan” she won as the “King’s Champion” that alone was just her, without even a team or an army at her back. Or arguably one of the bigger strengths she gains; something worth fighting for.

And, as Kingdom of Ash takes time to show: she makes it through half the battles without her power at all. Anielle was greatly overpowered by her & the cadre, and not a lick of flame touched that battlefield. Only did it announce itself to save them from the dam (not from the fighting). Along with another demonstration/reminder that she began breaking out of the iron coffin without her power, that was pure fae strength alone (of which she maintains).

And in all of that she did keep the piece dearest to her: her mother’s magic, her droplet of water, of Mab, of healing. One that can grow over a thousand years, as Rowan said (albeit jokingly but truthfully). …And a gift of Mala, flame much like that of Essar… and now without the fear it once carried for her of “having no end”. Besides, her truest power always rested in Fireheart — a name not of power, but of her; her strength, her will, her intelligence. Herself. That was what mattered. And matters going forward.

Especially in this new world, where that plot was needed: without it, you would have an unchecked power-scale, in a reset world, with no villains to fight, no gods ruling, only her & Dorian with their powers at those levels without need; when the world desperately needed a reset so it didn’t collapse in a single battle between such sources. … And even more importantly you would miss the “Heroes Journey” of losing everything, of prices paid that are not all fixed (sad as it is; it is a price, no refunds). And more than anything, you would lose the arc; Aelin paid the price (and while I do not believe she had some debt due, that she owed Terrasen; because again SHE WAS EIGHT AND KIDNAPPED BY AN ASSASSIN… what was she supposed to do? But now any of those that were argued are gone… perhaps she needed that herself more than anyone else).

And while I know this led to frustration for some that “the hero” did not defeat “the villain” in the end… I’d beg to differ, and think it was important to the arc going forward: starting with the fact that Aelin had nothing to prove in it. Whether it be with her sword of flame & the assistance of her Carranam/Cadre (which did not make her weak or “dependent” on men; no this was strength in working together with her friends), or with her fists & nothing more, or with a gods’ arsenal of flame & power & starlight, the truth stays the same; we all knew her strength & capability. But her soul; her heart of fire (that we knew), had yet to live without that weight (of the world, of fate, of the power & sacrifice) all solely on her shoulders. To trust them in carrying that with her, for her, together. And to be fully be a part of the team that she assembled (somewhat accidentally) but threads pulled nonetheless. Aelin did not accomplish it alone, for she had never needed to. And for the first time that is shown. And she was not alone, never to be again. … Making it a huge breakthrough for all of them.

Because this was not a story of a singular hero… or even villain. It was rather complex in the latter to begin with. So this was crucial, especially for her character to have grown; to have asked for help, to allow it. And even the contrast to have The Assassin not be the one to deal the final blows; because that is not all she is, (will be, or has ever been). Nor was this her fight, not anymore. It had been so many people’s fights both before and after it was hers… from Elena’s, to the elder King Dorian’s, Marion’s, Josefin’s, even Sam’s… because they & that fight had led them all here. Them; the original trio of Chaol (his new-found wife), Dorian (his power another catalyst & hero), and Aelin (fully embraced in her name and story. And to the many they found through themselves; Yrene (as aforementioned), Manon, Lysandra, Elide, etc.

And because Erawan was not her death to take — if anything, it was Dorian’s. He needed it. It belonged to the threads & the lost children of it: it was Elide’s for her mother who died by the Assassin of Erawan to save Aelin to bring them here, it was Yrene’s for her mother Josefin who died to save her daughter from a fate Erawan set into motion & sent Yrene running into to unwittingly stop him, it was a team; Lysandra, Nesryn, all of them. From old to new. Those who came before. And those who will follow after (including the child Yrene is fighting for in these moments, just as their mothers had). Teams that can build a better world going forward (beyond this war), and set them up to bring the many broken countries together (now the leaders of Adarlan, Rifthold, Anielle, the Ferian Gap, Terrasen, Orynth, Perranth, the Wastes, the Southern Continent (all the way down to the Healers of the Torre & connections to Ellywe & the Far of Doranelle). — And one that they paid for together… They all carried a price too: Dorian whose power also got downgraded in check for the same reason as Aelin’s (though not to the same extent), Yrene who broke her oath to never take a life to save the lives of many others (& while the Valg King debatably didn’t break an oath as “life” within the Valg is very messy to begin with) she still gave an awful lot for it (& did it with help once again), Elide who faced it brave as her mother. As I said, this was theirs. — Dorian whose father was not the true villain yet would be remembered & forgotten as such, Dorian who needed to know, Dorian the King his country needed & his father had fought for, his father who was as forgotten & twisted & fallen as that very place. Yrene, who had been led here, who had followed the sound of where she was needed and braved it over & over, just as the Towers women had for centuries; it was their closure. Elide… who in combination with the latter represented the love that fought from day one, that did not yield, that gave their lives to spare their children all in hopes for a better world (knowing they would not live to see it; they paid that price). And in doing so, it repeated, every player on the board; another mother giving it all to build a better world for her child’s future, a son of King Dorian; of Gavin & Elena, who remembered their names, a daughter who was brave & unafraid as Aelin and mother that had taught them both that (Marion). The first children of the fallen, and the last to fall.

And when it came to Maeve; it was equal. It was Rowans, for Lyria, for his child, for all she had done to them; to Aelin, to his brothers, to him. Lorcan, for every dark, twisted misery he endured for her. Fenrys… the one Aelin offered the final blows too because after centuries of not knowing freedom, of losing everyone (much like herself) she knew he had felt it just as much as she had. And of course, Aelin, for Rowan, for Fenrys, for her Cadre, for the Lion, for Aedion, for her mother, for herself. And with their help, all together, even without power, they could do it; together only the arc does not end there, no, it is met with mercy within her end, facing it & rising above it.

In consensus: Aelin is still incredibly powerful. As is her court. This is a new world, a reset to the scale. This is a book with consequences, and those will always ache. But there is more than just that ache. Because this arc is beyond a hero and villain; it is a story of love, of friends, of family, of mercy, of kindness, of fighting & living & going on. And that will always hold magic. Regardless of if she is a firebringer, or human… regardless of who beat who in the end… they did; together; as who they are.

& For me, while hard to process in some pieces & sad, I actually think this was the only way to do it properly. Not some “epic failure of the hero not defeating” the “main villain”, but an inevitable arc of character growth that could not come without that teamwork & passing of things to fully flesh out the storyline. And as one that is true to the fact, it is full of many heroes.

Such as The Thirteen, who broke the curse, (and our hearts)… and while I wish they had not or at least Asterin had survived; even Manon said it earlier, the Matron was Asterin’s, for her, for all of them, for every Witchling that came before and would come after. The Thirteen (who were meant to save Manon) & to save the world; who defied every rule by how they loved, and lived… and who died as one. In a way, that was a well-written story, not a “cry points” death of senseless heartbreak (overwhelming, yes, but not a last-minute script change of insanity), nor was it one to (unfortunately) receive a reversal; because it was such a powerful moment to lead to the better end of broken curses & saved worlds… and I don’t know how the story would’ve gone otherwise… None of these moments were solely their own. Nor were they simple. This is how you do it in a story, one with many points of view and plots, and where “yes”: Aelin is “the hero” but she is not the entire story. … Or at least it’s what I’m pondering right now, lol.

[avvail]

prompt #68

The assassin’s blade ghosts along the skin of the civilian, whispering a deadly threat along the collumn of their neck. The civilian trembles pathetically, their glossy eyes staring up at them in a silent please.

“I like you,” the assassin hums, and almost smiles at the way their breath hitches as the tip of the blade lightly taps against their exposed throat. “I think I’m going to keep you.”

[frostburn-shoto]

Sooo.... what should I start with lol

[seafoam-icecream]

“Don’t worry Hero, as long as you’re up in the air, you’ll be safe in this helicopter.”

“Thanks, Reporter.”

“Would you like to share how it feels like to be relentlessly pursued by an assassin with super speed?”

“I don’t want to be rude, but I’m really tired. Is it okay if I just take a nap?”

“Of course, go right ahead…so, while you’re resting, what are your thoughts on all of this? What’s your plan to stop the assassin? And, most importantly, who are you wearing?”

*sigh* “I think I’d rather take my chances with the assassin.”

[crimsonwolf715]

Hey guys 👋 I want to lessen what’s on my bio, so I thought I would do a little “about me” post so you guys can react or ask questions if you want to.

I’m CrimsonWolf715, but feel free to call me Crimson. I’m an Ao3 author that’s been posting since early 2023. I’ve been writing for about 7ish years and I really enjoy it, it’s my passion. I’m an avid fandom enjoyer and do enjoy recommendations (even though it may take a while to get to it). I’m trying to get into art so I may post some pictures on here if they don’t suck.

I tagged most of my fandoms (even if I’m not as into them anymore), so feel free to ask me anything about those or if I’m in a fandom that’s not listed since you can only have 30 tags. I do ship so feel free to ask me what I ship or if I ship a specific ship.

[ussenterpeen]

DENOUEMENT'S MOST WANTED

Denouement is an interdimensional hub world which pulls people in from all parts of the multiverse -- via rifts, inter-dimensional tears which will open in mid-air, suck your character through them, and drop them off in a random region.

Denouement is an 18+ pan/multifandom RP set in a unique world, with both site-wide and member run plots as well as seasonal world changes. We offer forum-based thread writing, Discord thread and Tupperbox-based chat RP, and real-time ICC (in character chat) via Discord channels and Cboxes.

Given that we are a mfrp allowing for characters from almost any media, we have a very diverse active fandom and characters list. Our most wanted fandoms include:

The Adventure Zone AFK Assassin’s Creed American Horror Story Arcane/League of Legends Baldur’s Gate Black Sails Borderlands The Boys Castlevania Chainsaw Man Code Geass DC Dead Boy Detectives Destiny Doctor Who Dungeon Meshi Final Fantasy Fire Emblem Genshin Impact Interview with the Vampire Jujutsu Kaisen Marvel Mortal Kombat The Murderbot Diaries My Hero Academia Naruto One Piece Overwatch Persona Red Dead Redemption Resident Evil RWBY Silent Hill Soul Eater Star Trek Star Wars Stranger Things Supernatural Ted Lasso The Vampire Diaries The World Ends With You Yu-Gi-Oh Yuppie Psycho

Come say hi on Discord! http://discord.gg/bWmwFr2

[lola-theshowgrl]

Week: 11 Stage: First draft Word Count: 32,594 Currently Listening To: "Ordinary" by Alex Warren Beverage: Pomegranate juice Mood: Sad Well! Been a weird old week, I won't lie! My mood took a pretty severe downturn on Monday, and honestly while I've been kiiiind of at war with my brain since December (maybe longer??) I'm doing my best to keep going. Just how I'm wired really, I have ups and downs fairly frequently, so I'm good at knowing what I need when I have a dip.

For that reason I've set myself the target of only 500 words a day, and I took 2 days off this week rather than my usual 1. I still hit my bottom-line target of 2k, and I still feel like I achieved something, so that's good! I also broke 30k this week, which was extra nice!

I won't lie guys, I could do with some cheering on right now, but either way I'll just keep going and hopefully get myself out of this pit of... well. Whatever the cheff this mood is all about, lol. ~Lola xx

[thedragonagelesbian]

yknow what we should think more about?

merrill & zevran’s potential friendship

[magnetic-rose]

NYT has been discouraging reporters from sharing photos of luigi mangione - not due to concerns for his safety but to dissuade sympathy - and refuses to post his alleged manifesto in full. and today, they published an opinion by bret stephens about how brian thompson is the "real working class hero" of this story.

reddit deleted luigi's account, which was completely innocuous and consisted mostly of him giving out advice in health subreddits. they're also deleting any post that includes his alleged manifesto and banning users for sharing it.

luigi yelled that this was "an insult to the intelligence of the american people" while he was being dragged by police and news pundits are framing it as a deranged and violent outburst. news media are picking apart details of his life to paint him as a cold-blooded and mentally ill individual. even something as innocent as playing "among us" with friends is being framed as some insidious look into an assassin's disturbed psyche, ffs.

news media are also capitalizing on luigi's supposed "bizarre and impossible to understand" politics as an obvious way to paint him as a scary individual when the guy is... a centrist, at most. whose views are similar to those of your average college-educated white guy.

multiple news media also keep harping on about how luigi comes from a rich family. an obvious attempt to break the class solidarity that's been formed around this case by continuously trying to tell us "oh he's not like you guys" while ignoring the now pretty well-documented accounts of his multiple health struggles throughout the years.

and all this, and he hasn't even been found guilty of the crime he's allegedly committed. luigi is, as of right now, still innocent until proven guilty. and the news are trying to tear him apart because they obviously fear the symbol he's becoming for low and middle class america.

[doctorcanon]

Some of y'all really need to watch less shonen and more well...anything else.

so like. obviously it's an immensely tragic route to take but sometimes it's just so satisfying for a story to go "there's no happy ending this time. resistance is futile in this scenario. the 'good guys' can't win. this is a pointless last stand. so for their final act, our beloved characters are going to rock the antagonist's shit so fucking hard it makes you stare at a wall struggling to process what just happened and how you feel about it for hours afterwards."

[potterpasta]

i think one of the major problems when it comes to hypothetical offspring for my ocs is the ones whom it would be most interesting for them to have kids are also the ones who under no circumstances could ever possibly be a parent, much less a good one

[a-lil-rat]

I don't want to be a conspiracy theorist on main but all the memes about Luigi Mangione kind of piss me off bc I am 90% sure he is not the assassin.

I know I've joked in the past that all white men look alike but Luigi Mangione litterally does not look like any of the shooter pics.

The shooter has a long face and a sharp chin, Mangione has a more square face and rounder chin, and THE EYEBROWS!! You're gonna tell me he groomed his eyebrows before commiting a murder and they just grew back completely in less than a week? Nah

Not to mention, police claimed he was wearing the same jacket and backpack from the day of the shooting. You know, the same jacket and backpack the NYPD found discarded in Central Park?

And they're saying his fingerprints match the crimescene even though security footage clearly shows the shooter wearing GLOVES!!

Not to mention, after every meticulous step taken to get away with the shooting, why would the perpatrator still be carrying the murder weapon and a manifesto??

I genuinely believe the cops are using Luigi Mangione as a fall guy. They found a centrist Ivy League kid who kind of matched the description in order to shift the narrative from class war back to a less threatening "left vs right" culture war.

His politics are messy enough that people will spend more time debating over what side of the spectrum he is on than the actual issue at hand. THIS IS A DISTRACTION!

Also the story is all over the place. Was it a McDonalds employee or patron that reported him? The story keeps changing but either way it sends the message that the working class will turn on itself during an unprecedented moment of class unity and solidarity in the United States.

Also I think pinning this on an Ivy League kid was done in an attempt to shift the narrative from the assassin being a working class hero to just another trust fund kid. That being said, even if it WAS him, an Ivy League trust fund kid has more in common with you than you have with the 1%.

So people in the US, please think critically about the distraction tactics being pushed onto you and don't forget who the real enemy is.

Keep solidarity.

Deny

Defend

Depose

Edit: I have since been informed that Italians grow eyebrows at a very fast pace.

[seafoam-icecream]

“All these months, and we’ve never had the chance to really talk. So, um, how are you?”

“Let’s get one thing straight. I don’t like you. I don’t trust you. You may not remember that you tried to kill Hero once, but I’ll never forget that.”