#interstellarshipwreck

[raayllum]

where the hell do i start learning about all this aaravos, child queen (??? the kid who locked him away? am i mistaking her for someone else?), elarion, deep tdp lore and timeline type stuff? it seems like there's so much and i have not kept track of any of it, and now im curious

So a lot of it has come from either 1) interviews over the years, 2) fans obsessively analyzing info from the show itself, and 3) Tales of Xadia (TDP's RRPG game) or the season novelizations (just one and two out now) providing extra information and lore hints. But here's the like, brief run-down?

Disclaimer: I may misremember some things and/or the show hasn't been Super clear on some of these things, exactly, on purpose, so the timeline (especially of very early events) is subject to change.

Startouch elves, humans, dragons, etc. all lived together in Xadia as one land. Humans weren't born with magic; the Startouch elves (also called First Elves, which seems distinct from Primal elves, although we don't know why) especially disapproved of the idea of giving them magic. A unicorn - one of the few creatures also connected to the Star arcanum - gave some humans primal stones and taught them draconic. It is implied that some people(s), although we don't know who, didn't like that very much.

We don't know why or when, precisely, but Aaravos was cast down to earth. He may have already been helping humans or 'overly sympathetic' to them, or perhaps working with the unicorns to help them. We don't know.

Presumably after all this, the human settlement of Elarion was growing as a city. We actually see it mentioned by name in the flashback from 3x01 between Sol Regem (king of the Dragons at the time, it seems) and Ziard, who appears to be the first real human dark mage (but that's just speculation). His staff is a gift from one of the Great Ones, another name for the Startouch elves, and we know this gift giver to be Aaravos.

We know that Aaravos is also entwined with Elarion further because of the poem revealed in 2x08, written in Arabic that fans translated back in like, 2019ish? TDP Official later fully released the translated poem, called The Midnight Star. It seems to recount some sort of exchange of Aaravos giving the city of Elarion - or a person - what seems to be dark magic, but the language is too poetic to be fully clear.

We know that dark magic is probably what made humans turn away from becoming primal mages (as Ezran confirms that Callum is the first primal human mage in centuries, not ever, in S4). It may have been Aaravos' influence or their own inclinations. We don't know.

Dark mages accordingly later hunted down basically all the unicorns; this is one of the reasons humans were exiled to the West and the continent was split in two. We also know, thanks to some promo art released in the lead-up to S4, that Ziard was very much a pawn to Aaravos, same as the other human mages he's used. Originally humans were going to be murdered, but a daughter of a Moonshadow leader argued for an exile; this was a 'Merciful Compromise' under the leadership of the Dragon Monarch at the time, Luna Tenebris, who took over after Sol Regem was blinded by Ziard or otherwise seen as unfit to rule. (We see her mentioned in the S4 flashbacks regarding the draconic succession crisis, so I won't go into too much there! We also just know very little about her.)

But finally, we're at the turning point for the narrative, marked definitively 1,000 years ago when Xadia was split in two and the Breach was formed. About 700 years later (or 300 before the start of the show) we get the Orphan Queen. She is Harrow and Ezran's ancestor and the start of their royal line. In the events that likely led to her becoming queen of Katolis, she travelled to Xadia and revealed Aaravos' schemes to the Arch-dragons.

She also kept Aaravos' rune cube, also known as the Key of Aaravos, safe and passed it down to her descendants (Harrow and now Callum) although information has been lost on what it precisely unlocks and how it works. We know the human she's depicted with in the flashback was also a mage known only as the Jailor.

Here's where it gets Messy:

Specifically: when did Aaravos' chest piece get taken, if it is a physical piece he lost and then had, rather than something that flickers in and out per magical usage? (After all, it glows fully when channelling magic through Viren in 2x09, but there is every implication that Star gems called Quasar Diamonds do come from Star touch elves directly thanks to past concept art. Diamonds in real life ancient mythological times were also often seen as Fallen stars and tears of the gods, which would also line up.)

In the textbook's depiction here, he doesn't have it, and this seems to predate the Fall of Elarion and exile, although that's still speculative. (After all, he could've been 'helping' humans in their eyes after the fall, and this is where the art comes from; if he was planning on letting humans strike a blow against Xadia, that'd easily constitute the treachery Zubeia describes in 4x04, in her eyes at least).

However, in the flashback we get to the actual Exile, and in 1x01 no less, Aaravos has his crown (whose diamond pattern matches the ones often found on Katolis' clothing, including the princes) and his chest piece fully.

So like - which Is it?

We don't know.

So as you can see, there's a lot of lore, a lot we don't know, and a shit ton of speculation. Other places to start if you are interested:

Aaravos' short stories including: Birthday story, Patience, Ripples

Tales of Xadia tag

Deep Lore Dive tag

Orphan Queen tag

Elarion tag

Worldbuilding tag

Quasar Diamonds tag + more about the diamond pattern & repeated heraldry

Hope this helps & feel free to send in any more questions! <3 If you're really interested in all the lore and stuff I'd recommend Tales of Xadia for sure - the stuff about Star dragons is worth the price alone imo, they're so freaking cool (and one of them is even on S4's star chart map for the intros!)

[mononokehunters]

Lbr Kayo is the one taking video (she'll take her turn later but not against a pair of damn dance gods 🤣)

[mangomybeloved]

@ ur tags that you've already seen someone say daydreaming is problematic PLEASE explain this. i want to hear this rancid take

FJDJHFASJHFSJKH so it was related more to sexual daydreams/ fantasies, but i believe it was a person on twitter who said something along the lines of if you're fantasizing abt someone, or etc, you have to ask the person for consent first before you do, otherwise it's problematic, which i was,,,, flabbergasted by

[ginkashino]

The real ranking noda should’ve given us. by all means if you have any opinions tell me, i need to know (made along with @interstellarshipwreck)

[here-lies-golden-kamuy]

any thoughts or headcanons on sofia, wilk and kiro, and what it was like for them to be on the run after killing the czar? i have sooo many ideas i would love to share abt this, and even a backstory i wrote for sofia. so many fics to write, so little time,,

Hey there, @interstellarshipwreck! Thank you for your ask, love! I apologize for the delay in my response, I had to research a bit on the three and really think of their dynamic together. I especially love this one because they’re characters that aren’t so popular (at least, on my side of the fandom), I’m thankful and glad to be given the chance to write about them! ALSO “so many fics to write, so little time…” IS SUCH A MOOD. HANDSHAKE EMOJI WITH YOU RIGHT NOW, MY GOOD FELLOW

I would absolutely love to hear about your own thoughts and backstory (OMG A BACKSTORY PLEASE FEED IT TO ME) about this!!!! I would love to hear more 🤲🥺

Sofia, Kiroranke, and Wilk Ten Year Runaways

Okay, I’m gonna lay my main card down already: I hc that Kiroranke loved both Wilk and Sofia. His love for Sofia is canon. But honestly, Kiroranke’s devotion and love for Wilk during their revolutionary days were so deep and intimate, I can’t see it as just plain old war buddies type of love. He loved that man, hence it hurt so much to see the Wilk he loved since his teenage years grow into someone he didn’t know and couldn’t relate to anymore in the end. It was like betrayal. Maybe one day I should write more about that. But yes, sometimes I think the manga was framing the trio as some sort of love triangle, and it was, but it was Kiroranke loving the both of them. I argue that in that aspect, he was their emotional core. 

I think Kiroranke and Wilk had moments together — Kiroranke, a teenage boy in love with someone older than him, desperately kissing an injured Wilk after the assassination. He would be embarrassed about it, ashamed of his actions, but Wilk said nothing but thanks for his concern. Kiro looking deep into shining blue eyes crinkled in mirth underneath a layer of blood, you fucking bet he realized right then and there he would follow this man wherever he goes. I feel like in those ten years, they had some kind of tension between them that wasn’t platonic in nature. Kiro would be passionate and show his adoration for the older man in actions rather than words — being loyal to his leader, following orders without any complaints. Wilk was calculated and cautious, hence he wasn’t verbally affectionate, but he’d always had his hand on Kiro’s shoulder in greeting or leaning into his bigger bulk when resting… there was definitely some quiet affection shared between the two of them. 

Asirpa in the early parts of the manga tells Sugimoto that a lot of women fell in love with Wilk because of his fine motor skills, especially when crafting something from his own hands. I hc that Sofia wasn’t any different. In my mind, there was a point during their runaway days where Sofia asked Wilk to teach her how to hunt, and Wilk crafted her a simple knife Ainu-style while telling her stories about his childhood to pass the time (maybe she heard about the story of child Wilk and the wolf during this time). She started to fall for the man who was passionate about his heritage and was willing to do anything for the people he loved. When it was finished, Wilk brought her along to a two-man hunt. She wasn’t successful at hunting, despite Wilk’s instructions, but Wilk — who had caught their dinner for that night — encouraged her by telling her that she can practice hunting with him and Kiroranke if she wanted to. 

Sofia can’t cook for shit, Kiro can manage, but Wilk was the master at their, er, makeshift kitchen. I can see Sofia being the Sugimoto to Kiroranke and Wilk’s Asirpa, wherein the boys would cook something that is “exotic” to Sofia’s tastes. Initially, she subconsciously balks at the ingredients and cooking processes, but then later reminds herself that her culture and their culture were equal — they both deserve the same respect and reverance. She ends up liking the mixed cuisines a lot. Also, Wilk who came from both Polish minorities and Ainu people probably did a lot of fusion dishes for fun. 

I can see Sofia to be their spymaster. Sofia is a pretty woman, knows French and Russian, and isn’t wanted by the police. Hence, she’s the least suspicious out of the three. I bet that she was really good at her job because she’s a great actress. I’m willing to bet she used her aristocratic knowledge to steal from a fellow nobleman during their runaway years. The reason why she started slipping when it came to Hasegawa was because for the first time in ten years, she felt at peace (this was primarily because of the close presence of Olga, Hasegawa’s child). I can even extrapolate that she enjoyed holding Olga close to her because she would daydream of her own child with Wilk. 

Wilk knew that both Kiroranke and Sofia loved him, but didn’t do anything about it. He also knew that Kiroranke was in love with Sofia, and made hints to Kiro that he knew, but he was passive when it came to emotions like that. Maybe he saw that maintaining the emotions and reciprocating even a tiny bit was beneficial for him as a leader. Although, I can see him being more partial to Kiroranke because of their shared goal.

Wilk has a great singing voice, I can see him as a baritone. Which means that his voice is well-suited for lullabies and humming. Sometimes when Wilk was on the watch for their group, he would hum songs from his childhood. Both Kiroranke and Sofia would pretend that they were already asleep to hear him quietly and gently string notes that would form soft lullabies about Ainu proverbs and stories. More often than not, they both fall asleep into deep slumber whenever they hear Wilk. It’s a soothing rumble, a very nice sound to let go of consciousness and clutch dreams.

[ao3feed-tolkien]

i am so tired of DWARVES!

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/r8ZXRmj

by interstellarshipwreck

post-canon, the company of legolas greenleaf goes to erebor to discuss the allegiance of their realms both here and in the rebuilding of minas tirith. of course, his company is less than pleased to be trapped under stone. in a stolen moment, a mirkwood architect and an herbalist sent from rivendell get drunk and complain about how annoying dwarves are. written for a creative writing class - the closest to fic that i was allowed to get.

Words: 1257, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: TOLKIEN J. R. R. - Works & Related Fandoms, The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types

Rating: Not Rated

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Characters: random elven oc's, Legolas Greenleaf

Additional Tags: i wrote this for a creative writing class, couldn't explicitly write fic, so i got as close as i could

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/r8ZXRmj

[ginkashino]

I'm conflicted about Koito because I both feel like he doesn't drink because Tsurumi doesn't, and that he drinks a LOT without getting any side effects. The guy is from a family of sailors, there has to have been alcohol in the Koito household.

Usami gets lovey-dovey if Tsurumi is nearby. Last time he wasn't he beat someone up in the restroom, got them kicked out of the bar, and then proceeded to not be able to ride a horse back to HQ.

@interstellarshipwreck (o´▽`o) If you have any headcanons i'd love to hear them, i drew this half asleep lmaoo

[ao3feed-tolkien]

how to deal with the unquiet grave

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/RkFDwWj

by interstellarshipwreck

in the aftermath of mithrandir's death, legolas cannot sleep. he stumbles his way into advice.

Words: 2621, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien, TOLKIEN J. R. R. - Works & Related Fandoms

Rating: Not Rated

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Characters: Galadriel | Artanis, Legolas Greenleaf, Gimli (Son of Glóin), Gandalf | Mithrandir

Relationships: Gimli (Son of Glóin)/Legolas Greenleaf

Additional Tags: no beta we die like Boromir, galadriel being mom. momladriel, oh also the gigolas is bg. like its not super present

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/RkFDwWj