#narya in game

[blanketorghost]

A taste of Something New (Pt. 3)

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

The new taste is heartbreak, actually <3

This third one was supposed to have the resolution included but I realized this chapter was already 3000 words, also the last part is written in both Azul and Yuu's perspectives so perchance it is best that its separate from this one. Anyways stay tuned for the fourth maybe fifth parts. I may take less than a whole six months this time to write it!

Summary: Against his better judgement, Yuu wants to bring Azul a meaningful souvenir from the scalding sands.

Pairing: Yuu Fujisaki x Azul Ashengrotto (one-sided?), Azul Ashengrotto x Jamil Viper (implied, one-sided)

Timeline: During/Post Al'ab Narya and Ch. 4. Pre Ch. 5

Notes: Azul may be OOC? Have never been good at writing him convincingly imho

—

With a pep in his step and a nervous smile, Yuu exited the light music club. He'd mulled over it in class, planned his speech during lunch, and agonized over the details after school. He didn't even play anything during club time, even after an eternity of Kalim whining and goading him to join in with the rest of the members.

The light music club was just right across the board game club, and even if he would've spent time in there anyway, today all he could do was anxiously look at the slightly ajar door a few steps away. Would it be too weird if he just came in and gave him the book?

Yeah... definitely.

Honestly, the best option here was to just hand it to him after club session's over. He just needed to casually greet him and give him the book as the guise of a souvenir. He could explain the details later.

But what if he came out with a friend? He didn't really trust on his guts enough to think he could give him the gift then, he'd have to brainstorm new possibilities for encounter.

He clutches the piece tightly against his chest, wrapping paper crinkling to his touch.

"Wat'cha looking at, Yuu-chan?"

Cater's voice takes him out of his trance, rudely interrupting that vicious cycle of what-ifs and but-thens he'd already crafted in his brain about optimal gift-giving times.

"Oh, uhm..." He hides the package under his blazer and looks at the ground, hoping to find a good excuse inside the cracks on the floor. "I needed to ask for Azul's help for something about the gourmet club. I was hoping if I gave him something in return, he might say yes more easily."

"Really? Well, good luck with that." Cater raises an eyebrow and crosses his arms. "I've heard around the grapevine that Azul-kun's been super stingy about creating his famous contracts now. It's a shame. I was totes hoping we could do some sponsorship deal where I advertised the lounge on Magicam for free meals..."

"Huh. I guess he really turned a whole new leaf with that whole..." Yuu trails off as he smiles in spite of himself. He wasn't very sure that that was the reason Azul had stopped, but he could at least pretend maybe he had caused a positive change. A bit of wishful thinking never hurts anybody. "Never mind, I mean- Thanks for the warning. But I think he would be really interested in what I have to offer." He waves Cater off.

"Well, I mean, if you wanna you can use the points I've been saving up at the lounge to get a meeting, I honestly get them mostly for the discounts on seasonal meals, but I don't min-"

"Oh, I already have enough points for a meeting." Yuu takes his loyalty card from his pocket. Usually, he used the points to get some tutoring sessions for Grim or get him a study guide. It was convenient, and Azul's teaching method was the only one that actually worked. Yet, he had decidedly started to save up for a private meeting right before the City of Silk trip. He knew Azul was busy and stingy with his time, but if all other attempts to talk to him failed, he had to at least hear him out If he used his points, right?

"Aw, you're all prepared and everything! Gotta give it to Yuu to always be one step ahead." Cater gives him a smile, then checks his phone and sighs, cheerful demeanor diminishing slightly. "Welp. I gotta go to my dorm now. It's my turn to feed the flamingos. Good luck with your Gourmet Club business stuff!"

"Yeah, thanks." Yuu waves at all the members of the light music club, and, one by one, the classroom was left empty.

It feels like an eternity before the classroom adjacent to him opens its door, and he waits and waits for the students inside to tidy up and put back everything in their shelves until finally, the members of the Board Game Club also say their goodbyes for the day.

He could hear someone ranting inside the classroom to seeminly no one in particular, some students groaning or shaking their heads as they left the room. Some time later, Azul's voice rises through the chatter to retort to that one ranting, most likely. He scans the crowd until he finally sees a white tuft of hair exit from the room, black gloved hand raising to say his goodbyes to the people that were still inside.

He was always so outwardly nice and polite, he really just had a way of charming people, really. If only he used that power of his for better purposes... still, he couldn't deny the fact that that scheming was also attractive. Very much so, in fact. There was a reason why Yuu ended up falling for him so fast, after all.

“Yuu-san?” Yuu doesn't even notice when Azul turns to see him, his eyebrows arching in surprise.

“Ah- Uh– Azul-” He can barely string out a coherent sentence as he scrambles to hide the package behind his back— wait, what was he doing?! “I just… wanted to say hi.”

“Well then, hi.” Azul flashes him a smile. “It's nice to see you. Perhaps we could talk more at length later, though. I have to get the lounge ready for openin-—”

“Wait!”

Oh dear, that came out louder than what he intended.

Yuu clears his throat, taking a second to look down at the floor to compose himself. “Can't you spare a couple of minutes? It won't take long.”

“I'm sorry, Yuu-san. But I need to help Floyd prep the ingredients for today's menu and make sure Jade doesn't tamper with any of them, I'm sure you understand.”

“I see…”

“If you want, though, I could maybe clear up some time later?”

“I was actually hoping we could meet today… If you have time.” It's like Yuu's body was working on its own, completely overriding the script he'd had so carefully prepared. He was supposed to just give him the gift. “I wanted to talk to you about something important.”

Oh dear sevens, now he was making things sound way more serious than needed. Just give him the gift already!

“Ah.” … Did Azul just blush right now? Maybe he was seeing things. “I think I am free, but I'll ask Jade to schedule you.” He purses his lips. “I'll… Send you a text with the details later this evening.”

“Alright.” Yuu holds his breath as he hands Azul the card, who then rips it in half to signify it's been redeemed. “I’ll… Be waiting, then.”

With that, Azul flashes him another small smile and nods.”I’ll see you later, then.”

“Yeah… see you later.” 

Azul gives Yuu a small wave as he walks away, looking back just once to examine him before turning his heel towards the hallway at the left. And when Azul is out of view, he feels his nerves give out just a little bit…

just a little.

...

What... was he thinking?!

In his panic, he had used up what was supposed to be his hail mary. Sure, Azul was a busy guy and maybe he wouldn't be able to talk to him in a couple of days, but the recipe book could wait!

Giving the book to him after club activities was just a first option, he could've come up with others later. Save his points too!

Ugh, he really needed to learn not to blank when being alone with Azul.

~ 

It’s only 5:00 PM when Yuu receives that fabled message from Azul. 6:00 to 7:00 PM.

Huh, he thought meetings were only supposed to last 15 minutes. Perhaps Azul was feeling generous today. He wouldn’t be needing all that time, though.

Still, Yuu felt one hour to prepare was nearly not enough. Now that his initial courage waned after his first failed attempt, all he could feel was a growing pit in his stomach as he got ready. He didn’t want to keep Azul waiting, though. And before he knew it, he was already at the door of Mostro Lounge. Five minutes early, too.

“Good evening, Yuu. Here for your meeting?” Jade bows as he approaches, and Yuu reflexively bows to him as well. “I hope your conversation is productive.”

“Ah… yeah. Is Azul still in a meeting? I can wait if need be.”

“Oh, not really. Azul only accepted your request for today. You’re the only client he’ll be seeing.” Jade gives him a wide, closed-eyed smile. If his aim was to soothe him, it had the exact opposite effect on Yuu, getting a small jolt of adrenaline course through his body when he bares witness to that creepy grin of his. “In fact, you can go in now, if you’d like.”

“... Right.” Yuu slowly nods and starts walking towards the door, allowing Jade to open it for him. It’s not like the VIP lounge was an unfamiliar sight. In fact, he often found himself hanging out with Azul there, doing homework or chatting the afternoon away while Azul filled out some paperwork. It was a pleasant, quiet environment. Something Yuu severely lacked in his daily life.

As soon as the door opens, Azul looks up from his desk and smiles, lowering his right hand and placing his pen down. “Yuu-san. You’re early.” He states, then uses his left hand to gesture at the chair in front of him. “Take a seat. Do you mind if I continue working while we talk?”

“Hi…” Yuu gives his crush a sheepish smile as he walks over, Jade closing the door behind him. As he sits down, he can now feel a paradoxical heat irradiate from his chest. Wasn’t he just feeling chills before? “And no, of course not. Please continue.”

“Thank you. How was your weekend? Jade mentioned that you and some other students went to a festival.”

“Oh, yeah. Kalim-kun invited us to the firelit festival at his hometown. The Silk City at the Scalding Sands.” Yuu explains, trying to get more comfortable in the leather-bound chair. It usually felt so plush, but now he couldn’t seem to find a good, comfortable position. “Viper showed us around town.”

"So I trust you had a pleasant trip, then?" Azul lifts his head up from his papers and flashes another friendly smile.

It took Yuu weeks of careful observation and millions of failed attempts to discern a genuine smile from Azul Ashengrotto. But once he got that first laugh, that first smirk or chortle, he committed it to memory. It wasn't too different from his all-business one— he still crinkled his eyes and kept his mouth shut. But there was a way in which his lips curled outwards too much, and his brows furrowed ever so slightly when he would pretend.

He was glad Azul would naturally smile more around him.

"It was very fruitful," Yuu leaves the package on his lap, and leans forward. He rests his chin on the back of his palm as he glances at Azul's writing. "Can I ask what you're working on today?"

"You can, and I'm just taking some notes after receiving the most recent customer reviews." Azul keeps smiling as he resumes scribbling at the margins of what Yuu can now see are printed out screenshots of some website. "What brings you here today? If you're looking for a position, permanent or temporary, I unfortunately have no spots open right now."

"Pity." Yuu hums as he eyes some of the comments. The amount of hate had certainly decreased in the months after his overblots. "I could help with accounting if you'd like. I used to do that sometimes."

"I've got that covered. I actually quite enjoy doing the math myself." Azul's smile turns into a small smirk. Cute know-it-all pout included. "I really do mean it when I say I have no spots today. It's a shame, though. I do enjoy you being around the lounge."

Right there, Yuu's heart does a flip.

"Thank you. But actually, that's not the only reason I'm coming here today." He would've liked to. If anything, most of Yuu's time was spent thinking up excuses to come to the lounge more often and not become broke in the process, but today was more of a do-shit-and-dip kind of deal. "And I'll preface, I've used my loyalty points for this meeting. So you have to hear me out."

Azul's eyes widen slightly in surprise, and he looks up once again, placing his fishbone pen on its holder. "Ah, right. You did tell me you had something important to tell me.” He purses his lips, and a hint of pink appears on his cheeks once more. “I'm listening."

Yuu has to consciously stop himself from taking a deep breath and betraying his nervousness. Instead, he straightens up and moves his hands to hold the book. "Well, I've been told that you've been looking for ways to freshen up the menu for this coming month, and..."

"If Grim has somehow convinced you to try and pitch me a tuna-themed menu, tell him I'm still not interested." Azul’s expression tenses as he  speaks in a serious tone, but Yuu can't help but snort at the answer.

"No, no. It's not that." Yuu covers his mouth with a hand as he regains his composure. "Has he actually tried to do that? Or— wait, I'm getting off-topic. But it's not Grim nor tuna related, promise."

“He may have once or twice.” He says nonchalantly as he places the papers aside, and, upon hearing Yuu's response, Azul's placid smile returns, and his posture relaxes a bit, crossing his arms. "I'm all ears, then.”

"Well, during my trip to Silk City, I had the opportunity to sample some of the popular dishes," Yuu starts. He'd created this pitch before he even got to writing the recipes down themselves. He knew that, with Azul, he needed to make his offer to actually look alluring— appetizing, even, if he were to even entertain the possibility of a novice cook gifting recipes to him. "And I've found some interesting recipes you might like." Azul opens his mouth to speak, but Yuu quickly starts again. "And before you tell me that I am in no position to pitch you any possible dishes, or that you've already stocked up on Scalding Sands recipe books, I'd like you to take a look at what I've brought first."

He slowly takes the wrapped book from his lap and hands it to Azul with both his hands. It takes Yuu all his self-control to keep his hands from shaking as Azul, now perplexed, and perhaps curious, takes the package and examines it. 

Their hands touch.

Please, for everything that's sacred, please don't let him blush.

Azul stares at it blankly for a few seconds before he takes off the tape that holds the bottom fold of the package together and slides the notebook from its wraps. And as soon as he does, the aroma of various spices strike both their nostrils. Cumin, Saffron, Paprika— all generously donated by the Asim's cooks.

It also strikes Yuu for the first time just how humble the notebook looks compared to the luxurious office. It looked out of place, foreign, and Yuu couldn't help but purse his lips in slight embarrassment. "I... Um..." God, this wasn't the time to start stammering!

"I... Interviewed the staff from Kalim's kitchens... and gathered as many recipes I could find." As Yuu steadies his voice, Azul starts turning the pages. Expression completely unreadable. "Most of these, they told me, were passed down through generations of trial and error, and I- well, I also documented each dish as best as I could."

"The Asims were kind enough to also allow me to sample their spices. Each is paired with a dish, but I made sure to gather enough for you to experiment if you wish to." Yuu's eyes leave Azul's face and look down at the pages, goodness knows he needed to take a break from trying to figure him out if he didn't want to just faint right then and there, and he was already feeling that annoying lump in his throat that threatened another mistake in his speech. "I know it'd be futile to just buy you a recipe book, since you'd probably have many, so I tried my best to gather as many recipes as possible from a variety of sources.... I, um..."

“I can't accept this. I'm sorry."

Yuu's eyes widen as he gains that same blank expression. His words hit him like a truck, and nothing could've softened that punch to his got nor the sense daze he was struck by. "... Huh?"

“I appreciate the effort you put into this, but… if you were strapped for money, you didn't need to get me anything.” A sharp, stinging pang pierces right through his chest, and Yuu feels mouth go dry. His body is somehow tense yet limp, and he just now notices how cold the VIP room is. "Jade probably mustn't have told you. But it's a personal policy of mine not to accept any gifts." Azul's brows furrow, whether it were with pity or sternness Yuu couldn't care to figure out. "Leaves too many loose ends for me to follow, you see."

"... I..." Yuu's left speechless as Azul puts the wrapping paper over the book and nudges it towards him, sliding it over the dark wood desk. "... I don't want anything for it, really." Yuu's voice is drained of any confidence as he meekly whispers, still in shock. "You can even make me sign a contract if you want."

"And as kind as your offer is, I can't make any exceptions." Azul shrugs, and Yuu's heart sinks. His tone isn't even laced with a sense of remorse or pity. It's... completely and utterly calm as he rejects Yuu's work. “Besides, as you've mentioned, I most likely already have the recipes somewhere in my library. Though having them all compiled in one is certainly convenient, I'd rather do so myself.”

"I still want you to have it." He glances down and leaves the book on the desk, untouched, then takes a step back.

“Yuu… It really isn’t─”

"If you don't want it as a gift, then take it... t-then take it as trash or-..." he breathes in, "Anyway. What matters is that it's yours. Throw it away, sell it, I don't care. But it's yours." He tries to act nonchalant, but he can already feel the lump in his throat becoming larger, cutting any air from getting to his lungs.

Why did he even say that?!

Anyways, before Azul can say or do anything else, Yuu simply walks out the VIP Lounge and out of Octavinelle. He pushes out a smiling Jade and ignores a greeting from Floyd. The atmosphere was just so heavy, suffocating. And all in all, Yuu was sure this was the most pathetic he'd acted in front of Azul ever.

And all he could hear was the sound of Floyd's annoyed whine to his brother just as he crossed the mirror portal door.

"Heeeeyyyy~~ what is up with Shrimpy today~??”

[sweetpyxels]

Royal Save - Glimmergrove - Royal Palace

The Royal Palace of Glimmergrove announces the birth of Princess Kiala, the second child of Crown Princess Herah and Prince Ilya, the little sister of Princess Narya. The birth was announced late as she is 1 Year in these pictures. Kiala had some health and heart problems and spend almost her first year in the Hospital. (she might be the cutest toddler ever to be born in my game)

[silphine]

ESCAFLOWNE Voice meme (3/5)

[ Escaflowne voice meme made by @drkstars-art ]

PART 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5

------------------   

3. Which side are you on ? What do you think happens Post-Hitomi when she leaves? Who do you think will be the next opposing power?

 Why necessary choosing a side ? (Funny, I never asked myself this question...) Well... As the series focuses/develops way more "good" side than Zaibach’s side and its characters, it's easier for me to empathize and lean more towards main protagonists. But deep inside, I’m a neutral observer. Because each side has its own set of we can label "good" or "bad" moral aspects. - I really love Folken, Narya and Eriya. - I don't see Dornkirk as pure evil despite I don't appreciate him... I would had loved to dive more in Zaibach generals (specially Adelphos), Sorcerers and Dilandau's soldiers psychology. But I don't think staff had planned to explore or develop these points... (Too bad because I love nuances in stories !) I digress but that's why I love Mononoké Hime (Miyazaki) that much or enjoy a big part of Game of Thrones for example.

    [ About Post-Hitomi ]

Well... I have more questions than ideas or answers on that matter... - Post-Zaibach is a big enigma in my mind :

Who can rule or give a strong and desirable direction after Dornkirk's reign ?

What could be Zaibach people's opinion on Great War events ?

What would they want to do next ?

  As Hitomi says in Ep 18 : " I wonder if Zaibach people are really happy... "

Personally, if many Sorcerers survive, I like to imagine high tensions with Adelphos.

We don't know lot of things about the General, but I noticed that :

He doesn't seem to appreciate or trust Sorcerers

He sees Dilandau as a demon.

He doesn't seem to blindly trust Dornkirk neither.

When he saw Celena in the garden scene, he felt clearly unconfortable. He even said : " I wonder what Zaibach has become (or what's going on in Zaibach)... "

He almost died in Basram's "energist" attack. But didn't go further in the war, unlike Alliance countries - betraying each other right away.

I tend to think he has a moral code and could play a good partition in "Peace" on Gaea. - Globally, it's quite difficult for me to imagine what Post-War Gaea could be because the end of the series doesn't take time to properly explain political, energy and technological context with other countries (like with Basram for example).

I would be definitely interested in translated informations on that subject !

My inner feeling is that true Peace is an utopia because each country has its own point of view, interests, history, concerns, culture and beliefs... so it necessarily leads to tensions with other countries.

But nations have to do their best to aim for this ideal in the interest of the greatest number, respecting everyone’s differences, thanks to a true and permanent diplomacy.

When you know humanity's complexity, it's a huge challenge...

  [ On a more character level ]

I am not quite confident in Allen and Celena's future...

I can not imagine she definitely recovered from all she's gone through in Zaibach.

And I think Allen would be (quite understandably) an overprotective brother... (this attitude never brings anything good in a relationship, even a brotherly one.)

Not that I don't wish the best for them. But I simply don't buy it...  (or at least, not without a huge and very long psychological work for Celena...)    

My opinion on Millerna and Dryden is way more positive.

I really think they would form a great and supportive couple. But they both need a lot of time.

However, I won't be surprised if Millerna relied once again on Allen for a while before going back to Dryden and sincerely falling for him (she is still lost at the end of the series...)

I can imagine her being the new Queen of Asturia, just as Eries      

About Van and Hitomi...

It's funny because I can just as easily imagine them never seeing each other again as they will definitely meet one way or another, whatever the form. (single or already married, with or without children from another partner, or even with different ages...) I would bet more on the idea they will meet again. It's how I feel and always felt since my first viewing. But it can also never happen. [ NOTE : If I am not mistaken : Kazuki Akane (director) said in an interview in "Roman Album" Artbook that Hitomi would surely meet Van again. But as they shared a "youth love", they need to grow up and mature before truly going back to one another. ( Please take this information with a grain of salt because I lost the translation many years ago... )  ] Some elements make me question a lot on their non or hypothetical reunion :

Their last dialogue (based on subtitles of Japanese dub)

Time Flow (which doesn't seem to be the same on Gaea and Earth...)

Van’s royal status.

    ( Their last dialogue ) H - I want to see this world with you, Van. But can I stay ? I love Gaea and Fanelia... V - If you want it, so do it.      As long we would share the same feelings, we can see each other again. ( Hitomi cries and gives him her pendant, telling him ) " I will never forget you, even when I will be a grandma. I will never forget you. " (I never get why she gives him her pendant before leaving Gaea...) I'm maybe wrong but I always felt that Hitomi thinks she will never meet Van again, or if : only with a big age difference between them. What does she mean by "grandma" ? That she will go on with her life, probably marry another man, have children, become a grandmother ? Or just an old lady ? It keeps remind me about Hitomi's grandmother and Leon’s story... ( Time Flow )

Too many questions run through my head on this part...

I wonder if we can even define a temporal correspondence between Gaea and Earth. (the more I try, the more I think this story element doesn't follow a strict rule... ) If we stick to chronological events : > it seems Leon met Hitomi's grandma 2 times : 1)  A first one (picture above) - Hitomi’s grandma is around 15. - About Leon : No precise idea... Except he is an adult. No direct mention of his wife and his children. 2)  A second (Leon’s search for Mystic Valley and meeting with  Isaac / Dornkirk)   - We know at that point - for sure - Leon is married to Encia and already has Allen. [ In his discussions with Allen, Leon never mentions Celena. " I get married and became father by obligation. I tried to live denying who I was. But men always wish to escape from destiny others impose on them. When I saw this young woman the second time... I realized I loved Encia... and you too, Allen..." ] I guess Leon died 15 (gaean) years before the events of the story. - Leon meets Hitomi’s grandma just before his death and is surprised to see her " like in the past ". He concludes : " I see... Here is the secret of Atlantis... The Power of Wishes..." He gives the pendant to Hitomi’s grandma, telling her : " Wishes become reality. No matter the distance, they transcend time and space." It seems to imply that time has passed for him but Hitomi’s grandma (still 15) is the materialization of his desire to see her, as he knew her. (Not her real appearance on Earth, on that moment.) I tend to think Grandma was not 15 when she received the pendant.   Another fact which makes me lean towards this hypothesis : > If Grandma really received the pendant at 15 and told her daughter about her experience when she was still a little girl, then : why did she give the pendant to Hitomi and not to her own daughter ? A part of me wonders if she received the pendant when she was already a grandmother and gave it right away to Hitomi. (But it's just my own hypothesis...) This part of the story leaves me with many questions :

How old was Leon when he met Hitomi’s grandma the first time ? Was he already married to Encia ?

How old was he on the second meeting ?

How old really was Hitomi’s grandma on the second meeting ?

Whatever the answer, it seems time passes quicker on Earth than on Gaea.

But this topic remains an enigma for me...         (Van’s royal status)

Moreover, "Hitomi living by Van's side" means sharing her life with a royal figure (and huge responsabilities) of a land she doesn't really know by the way... She, who just wanted to live a simple life... What a pressure for her... Van felt the same at the beginning of the series : he never wanted to be King and always clearly aspired to a simple life. I think he would truly understand her need for time to adapt. But it's clearly a situation that requires lot of compromises... There are plenty of possibilities ! [ > PART 4 ]

[undercat-overdog]

Ok, thoughts on the first two episodes, and just the first two - it was late the night I saw them and my cowatcher and I were not up for the third. And now fourth ig, haven't watched that either.

I didn't think it sucked and it was noticeably improved from last season. The dialogue is now full of bland platitudes instead of shit like rocks sinking and that is a huge improvement! Overall, it wasn't bad but I wouldn't watch it were it not tied to An Interest of mine (in fairness, I'm not hugely into television as a medium, so getting me to watch something is a high bar to begin with).

I thought it was interesting how much of a break they tried to make between this season and the last. Guess Amazon Studios wasn't happy with the response and ratings.

Things I liked:

The Sauron intro. I do have some mild complaints (I was confused about how much time passed and think it could have been indicated by directing. I also would have thought it cool had he gone off to become the ruler and ruling line of the Southern Kingdom or whatever, which fits his general style) but I quite liked it. Halbrand really grew on me. Like delightful ooze, which leads to what I genuinely adore:

Slimeron!!! Oily worm Sauron is calculated exactly to my interests and specific specifications, zero complaints, excellent, perfect.

Sauron made friends with a doggo! I appreciate him being tortured too, always nice.

Nice Cirdan. Still not the ideal, which is Steve Toussaint as Corlys in HotD and if I ever write Cirdan he's going to have a seahorse insignia or something, but nice. I liked him a lot. I appreciate that they remembered he bore Narya.

I am not immune to pretty green clothing

I like giving the dwarves singing as a thing. Overall, I think the Dwarf storyline is my favorite? We'll see what I think when Numenor rolls around, hopefully less CW this season.

Soundtrack is good! I thought the sound mixing was better than last season too, music appropriately placed in the mix.

Overall I didn't mind watching it.

Things I didn't:

the hobbit plotline remains The Worst. I guess now they're cribbing from the Sand People in Star Wars instead of PJ? (Credit to Aipilosse for that comparison.) I liked the evil istar but everything else makes me want to gouge my eyes out.

Why did Saubrand remained clothed during torture? This show manages to be even less horny than the books themselves, which says a lot.

The "Light of the Eldar" being a fucking glowing tree is so stupid. I said last season that the whole fading plot reminded me of a video game quest (derogatory) and I stand by that (fetch an item for an npc and the elves will join your cause! Guess "knife-ears" wasn't the only thing they took from dragonage). I did like that they had Gil-galad sing though, appropriately elfy and the actor has a good voice.

yeah i still fucking hate this portrayal of Celebrimbor.

they are so Wrong about the Three. In every single way. It's not what makes me actively not want to watch (Hobbits and Gandalf in a desert and wtf how is that biome a short walk from the woodlands they were in before?), but I hate it. Might go into detail in a later post.

the character they are calling Galadriel is not Galadriel. She's fine as a character, but not that character. I forget whether it was Visitor or Aipi who first said that she should have been Celebrian, which would have been so much better: I'd have been a huge fan of that.

this is a me thing, but I really hate Adar. That type of character might be catnip to some, but I'm allergic. Otoh, he now has nice hair, approve.

Too much blush.

Things I can't complain about yet but am not looking forward to:

Tom Bombadil. Why are his clothes so drab and muted? And teaching we're nott-saying-he's-Gandalf-but-he-is magic? That's not how Tom works! Do I know how Tom works? No I don't, but I do know it's not like that.

Things they better have more of:

Slimeron

Dogs

Do you plan to watch the second season of Rings of Power?

Probably! It's not must see TV for me, but I'll likely watch at least the first episode. Curiosity, mostly.

[cupcakegnome]

And She saved the world from Corypheus  I am so very proud of her ♥

[capeshifters]

few screens of Narya :)

[arofili]

For the prompt meme - 43 + Caranthir?

43. “Are you drunk?” Haleth demanded.

Caranthir glared at her, which would have been more intimidating if he hadn’t just banged his head on her rafters and was leaning against a wall for support. “No,” he growled.

Her eyes widened, and a delighted grin spread across her face. “You are!”

“I am not,” he said, with great difficulty as his words kept trying to slur together, “drunk.”

“I didn’t know you elves could get drunk!” Haleth exclaimed. She wrapped an arm around his waist—he was far too tall for her to reach his shoulder—and helped him stumble into a chair across the room.

“You should meet my cousin Finrod,” Caranthir muttered. “Back in Valinor he would do this—this thing—I forget what he called it. Stood upside down on a barrel of mead and...drank as much as he could while his brothers held him by the feet—”

Haleth laughed so hard she collapsed on top of him, her head resting on his chest. “Finrod? King Finrod who spoke to Thingol on our behalf?”

“He was not always a king!” Caranthir insisted, gesticulating wildly and almost hitting her in the face. “The fucker was—so annoying—still is, I can’t believe you like him so much—”

Haleth stared at him fondly, overcome suddenly with how much she liked this prickly, waspish elf. Thingol was ethereal and haughty; no matter his kindness, Finrod, it seemed, had a dozen different faces, each more unsettling than the last; but Caranthir—he was real. He picked fights, he got drunk, he told embarrassing stories about his relatives. He was a good man; a good friend. Maybe a good something else, too, if she could convince him to hang around in Brethil a little longer.

“You don’t seem very drunk,” he informed her, eyes narrowing.

She smirked. “Oh, I am,” she teased. “You should hear my thoughts.”

“Mm?” he asked, twisting a strand of her hair around his long, elegant fingers. “Care to share?”

Haleth considered. Well, what did she have to lose?

“I must be very drunk if I’m considering kissing you, is all,” she said, looking him directly in the eye.

He once had mentioned that his name meant something about blushing. If that was true, he lived up that name now.

“Oh?” he croaked. “You are?”

“Mhm,” Haleth said, trying to sound more confident than she felt. He once had mentioned he admired that about her. If that was true, she didn’t want to disappoint him, not now.

“What if I was too?” he asked in a strained whisper.

“Then,” she said, hoping he wouldn’t mind that her breath smelled like beer, though his probably did too, “I think we should maybe do a little more than considering.”

“Mm,” he agreed, and finally—finally—kissed her.

[ulavellan]

Narya Lavellan // The Inquisitor 

[ibrithir-was-here]

I would love to know more about mairon’s relationship with the ring babies. Especially post Sauron reveal. And I’m unsure if you answered this already, but when did Telpe get that fun bit of info and how did he react?

Hello! Sorry for the wait!

So I see Mairon as being closest to Narya, as he was ultimately meant to be his bearer in ring form; Narya is a lot like what Mairon was like as a young Maia before his seduction by Melkor. Excited to learn, eager to test out and find ways to improve everything, prone to some anxiety over perfectionism that Mairon and Tyelpe help him work through. But ultimately he loves and cares about all the Babies.

Things between Nenya and Mairon can be a little tense sometimes when they disagree, but they still love and respect eachother even if they see things differently. They do bond over games of strategy and political gossip..

Vilya is the most calm and chill out of all the ring babies and gets along very well with his father even if they don't share a lot of interests, though Mairon will often help him out if Vilya has questions about state craft.

Per the reveal, I actually did a layout of all the different ways it could go down in the post just previous to this, but basically I see Tyelpe as having long suspected there's more to Annatar then he let's on, and less truth to his story then he'd like Tyelpe to know, but Tyelpe also hopes that, seeing how Annatar helps improve the city and the lives of the people in it, that he's genuinely trying to reform. If Mairon /is/ wiling to reform and comes clean then Tyelpe accepts him as Mairon, and they work thru things. If he doesn't reform, and the reveal happens after his betrayal of Eregion and Tyelpe, then Tyelpe puts his children snd friends first and does all he can to stop Sauron, no matter how he might feel about him.

[tolkienrsb]

Happy Friday, Tolkien Fans!

March is galloping by, which means the mods are hard at work on 2021's TRSB.  Check out our new banner, made by the lovely @hauntedsiriel, who is new to our mod team this year.

The updated FAQs will be ready for your perusal very soon, and the suggestions form opens on April 1st – that's just under two weeks away!

Narya, what the heck are you talking about?

TRSB stands for the Tolkien Reverse Summer Bang.  Signed up artists create fan art, which is posted anonymously for authors to view and claim. The authors then spend the summer writing a piece of long-ish fiction (min. 5k words) based on the art they chose.

We are open to all characters, genres, ships and ratings, and all canons that fall under the Tolkien fandom umbrella. This includes movieverse (i.e. the LOTR and Hobbit trilogies), lesser known works by Tolkien (such as The Father Christmas Letters), and/or other works with a clear link to his life or creative output (for example, Tolkien's translations and academic texts, the 2019 Tolkien biopic, fan-made films like Born of Hope, and game canons such as Lord of the Rings Online). Crossovers between two or more Tolkien canons are permitted.

For more info, check out our blog page, or contact one of the mod team - @naryaflame​, @joyfullynervouscreator​, @lathalea​, @hauntedsiriel​ or @ettelene​.

What's the suggestions form?

This form gives potential authors (and anyone else who wants to play!) the opportunity to suggest characters, places and scenarios they would like to see in the submitted art. The answers will feed into a publicly available spreadsheet listing the ideas submitted; artists can peruse this to get inspired!  

Last year's spreadsheet contained some great ideas – here is the link, if you'd like to use it to feed your muses.  

We can't wait to see what you come up with this time!

[sweetpyxels]

OC question of the day!

If you could make a character real, which of your OCs would be:

your bestie

your spouse/partner

your secret lover!

your friendly rival

your enemy!

BONUS: do this for other people’s OCs too!

Pass the game along (anonymously or not)

thank you @akitasimblr ♥

your bestie - Narya

your spouse/partner - Hampus or Lilo

your secret lover! - mayhaps Aleksej

your friendly rival - Nedra

your enemy! - Hannah

[annatarlordofgifts]

My collection is growing. 

[quendis]

(writing this as its own post and tagging @ibrithir-was-here instead of sending an ask because this got way too long)

I’m supposed to be studying for finals right now, which naturally means that the Numenor version of the Ring Babies AU is all I can think about. More specifically, I keep thinking about how the fall of Numenor would’ve happened in this universe. So I accidentally outlined a fic?

Annatar still has no particular love for the Valar in this ‘verse, but neither does he particularly want to get back on their bad side. Still, when weighing the pros and cons of manipulating Ar Pharazon into attacking Valinor… he probably still does it. It’s not like he’d be successful, after all. Pharazon attacks Valinor, the Valar squash him and his fleet like a bug, and suddenly the Numenorian problem is solved. Easy peasy.

...At least until, in the later stages of Annatar’s pitch and Ar Pharazon’s preparations for war, the king of Numenor states his intention to bring Narya with him on the flagship. As an honored guest, of course. (He’s not completely stupid, after all.)

Mairon panics. In all his machinations, somehow he hadn’t planned for this. He dissembles, at first — argues that Narya is neither warrior nor sailor, that he would be of far more use to the king if left on the island to aid in the forging of weapons and the administration of the war effort. Ar Pharazon is unswayed.

So what’s a Maia to do?

He breaks character, for the first time since his capture. This is an alternate version of the scenario in this post, where Mairon goes apeshit is pushed over the line and reveals himself as Sauron, revealing in the process that the idea of storming Valinor was entirely a plot to get Ar Pharazon killed. Even though he expected some amount of treachery, Ar Pharazon is livid. He gives Mairon an ultimatum: either surrender the true secret to eternal life, or watch as Ar Pharazon sends a war party to Valinor anyway — with Narya on board — to die.

Mairon doesn’t have the secret to eternal life. During his time as Morgoth’s lieutenant he learned how to extend life, and how to distort it, but to truly take away the Gift of Men is beyond his power. Still, there’s an idea that sparked in the back of his mind, back when they first began creating the Rings, back before he had wholly thrown his lot in with Tyelpe…

He tells Ar Pharazon of nine rings (non-sentient, unlike the later Three) designed for Men, and distributed as gifts among them. He tells him of how they might be altered, to extend the lives of their bearers near the point of eternity. He vows to collect them, and to make them into fountains of youth for Ar Pharazon and his most loyal followers.

(There are a few things he doesn’t mention. He doesn’t mention that, in order to create this facsimile of eternal life, he would bind the bearers of the rings to his will. He doesn’t mention that, although some of the rings are on the mainland as he mentioned, three are already on this island. And he doesn’t mention that one, a plain, unassuming steel band, rests even now on the finger of Tar Miriel, the rightful successor of that ring’s initial recipient.)

And so Annatar is sent beyond the blockade to find and steal the rings for Pharazon’s use, accompanied by a guard of several of the king’s strongest warriors, and with Narya left behind on Numenor, still, as an “honored guest.” He supposes it would’ve been too much to hope for that Narya would be sent with him, and that they could find some way to escape together. All he can do now is stall for time while he tries to think of a better way to escape — with Narya — upon his return to the island. And how to explain his past to his son, who he was never given a chance to speak with after that final confrontation.

Meanwhile on the Isle of Numenor, Narya is conflicted, to say the least. But he also doesn’t have much time to think about his father’s identity, since between “audiences” with the king and his generals, he and Miriel have found themselves roped into the Faithful’s rebellion. With dwindling power in court and no military force to match Pharazon’s, I think it’s at this point in the AU that they start preparing to “abandon ship”, as it were: gathering provisions and any refugees they can reach, building or stealing boats to ferry them to the mainland, and saving any relics of the kingdom they can get their hands on — including stealing Nimloth’s fruit, which is how Narya first meets Isildur and starts spying for the Faithful.

Annatar, at this point, is playing out the world’s shittiest heist movie — sent from kingdom to kingdom among the mainland’s realms of men, disguised and collecting in secret the rings that he and his husband had given as gifts not so long ago, and all the while watched by Ar Pharazon’s men with the threat of harm to Narya looming over his shoulder should they catch him trying any more tricks. Narya, who he feels he failed. Who he almost got killed, who could be killed in truth if Pharazon discovers this plot-

He tries not to think about it. But he also keeps an eye out for any friendly faces on the road. He’s in survival mode right now, and survival mode for Mairon usually coincides with the hard-learned lesson of relying on himself, and himself alone. But he isn’t just Mairon anymore; he’s Annatar, and Annatar has friends, a family, and a loving husband who he would trust with more than his life. Maybe if he can get a message out to Tyelpe in secret, he might be able to do something.

Tyelpe is not able to do something. Or rather, he doesn’t know what to do. Since Annatar and Narya were captured — nearly half a century ago at this point — he, Vilya, and Nenya have been trying in vain to find a way through the Numenorian blockade to rescue their family. And between comforting his remaining children don’t phrase it like that, he still has three children, Narya has to be alive and he will not consider any alternatives, his own stress at losing his husband and son, and trying to both run and defend the city on his own, Tyelpe is… not doing especially well.

After he hears word of the sinking of Numenor, he’s doing even worse.

See, Ar Pharazon is willing to wait and see how Annatar’s new proposal pans out, but he also doesn’t intend to leave all of his eggs in one basket. He starts trying other methods. Maybe he sends scouts towards Valinor anyway. Maybe he begins making human sacrifices, as in canon. Either way, he manages to piss Eru off magnificently. And as in canon, Eru changes the shape of the world, and Numenor is drowned, Pharazon along with it.

What Tyelpe doesn’t know is that Annatar is already on the mainland. What neither of them know is that Narya, along with his new friends Miriel and Isildur, had boarded one of the last ships to escape the island, and is currently safe on the coast of what will one day be known as Gondor.

Annatar kills his Numenorian watchers. With Narya dead, there’s no point in playing Pharazon’s games any longer. He can’t bear the thought of returning to Ost-in-Edhil and facing his husband and children, after he killed his son failed. He starts to wander, and for the first time in his very long life, wishes he were an elf. At least an elf can fade.

Tyelpe had always heard that elves would feel something, when their marriage bond broke, when their partner died. That the sundering of a love strong enough to bond souls would take part of the survivor with it. He doesn’t know what it means, that he feels nothing. Maybe it’s some quirk of the unique bond between elf and maia. Maybe it’s his punishment, for not loving Annatar enough to drop everything and ride out of Ost-in-Edhil in a glorious charge (and a less glorious boat ride, he supposes) to save him. It’s what Fingon did. It’s what Luthien did. Why couldn’t he?

Tyelpe can’t save his husband, and he can’t save his son. But there are already reports of bodies washing ashore, and if he can’t save them, he can at least grant them rest. He gathers his other children, leaves the city in the care of one of his most trusted advisors (what he should have done, he thinks, half a century ago), and rides out to bury his husband and son.

Since this AU wasn’t dramatic enough already, naturally all three parties (Narya and the Faithful; Celebrimbor, Vilya, and Nenya; and Annatar on his own) meet at the same time. I’m sure there’s a lot of questions, a lot of shouting, a lot of crying. There are probably some difficult conversations, as Annatar and Narya address their fraught parting, and as Annatar comes clean to his children about his past. But that can all wait for another time, and another tale. Right now the Ringmakers and the Rings are together again and holding each other for the first time in fifty-seven years, and for a moment, at least, that’s all that matters.

[spiced-wine-fic]

Fic Writer Review

Tagged by@effervescentdragon Thank you, that’s so sweet 😘

How many works do you have on AO3? 39

What’s your total AO3 word count?

2576954

How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

I’m monofandom. Tolkien only.

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

1) A Far, Fierce Sky, which is a sequel to A Light in The East and unfinished!

2) Magnificat of the Damned III.

3) Fragments of Fate and Fire (Basically art, kudos to the artists!)

4)Dark Prince

5) Magnificat of the Damned IV.

Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

In the last couple of weeks I’ve turned them of for several reasons, (not to do with hate comments).

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

Magnificat of the Damned IV: Anvil. Dagor Dagorath and the end of the universe.

Do you write crossovers? If so what is the craziest one you’ve written?

No.

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

No, oddly considering what I write. When I began on LORFF.com and then Faerie most people seemed far more interested in just reading and writing and willing to give the stories a chance. (No filters!) There was a sock on Fragments last year. Fairly certain it is a sock as the person I believe it to be has a long, long history of sock puppets and his writing and terminology were the same.

Do you write smut? If so what kind?

I write sex scenes if the story calls for it. M/M or multi. Not really into PWP for the sake of it. I need a bit of a run-up 😂

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Someone’s translated Dark Prince into German on Wattpad and used some art I commissioned for the cover, cheeky bastard 😂 I have given permission to some people to translate fics but they all sent me the link to the site’s the fics are uploaded onto (Which in itself is funny as I couldn’t possibly understand anything, and might have been reading War and Peace in Chinese or something!) But they are all sites hosted in those countries. Wattpad is not one.

I’ve had ‘in ‘verse’ specific (as in they make no sense outside my ‘verse) ideas claimed by someone else, except that it’s so obviously a lie (as the ideas were posted years before I was unlucky enough to know this person). But apart from the Wattpad one, I’m not aware of it.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes, Russian, German, Romanian, I think, and Chinese.

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I wrote Dark Lands and part of Dark Blood with Anwyn. She was lovely to write with. @naryaflame and I do write in a shared multiverse but that is case of checking things with each other rather than co-writing.

What’s your all time favorite ship?

Fëanor/Fingolfin.

What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

I don’t want to finish a Far Fierce Sky but I feel I ought to. It almost is finished really, but it and the prequel were a gift fic based on Anestel by Esteliel and I tried to write Legolas like her own vision of him. The trouble is I can’t stand timid, shy characters. I enjoy reading them but I get so bored writing them. That’s a whole other ball game. (Elgalad (an OC) comes across like that in my fic, although not as intensely, but I could write that as I know Elgalad’s not really like that). ‘Sky’ has the most kudos of anything I’ve written just because it has Legolas in it, (typical) which irks me as I’m not that interested in him as a character 🤷 So I really doubt I’ll finish it. Still, I enjoyed writing in Khand in that fic exploring a little of their culture, and the young Variags who became Khadakhir, I loved writing Sauron. It was the first fic I really delved into his relationship with Vanimörë, which is exceedingly complex. Also that was the first story my OC Bainlaph appeared in. He’s a sub minx and I do like writing him. So the fic wasn’t a waste, or not to me.

What are your writing strengths?

Perseverance, I think. Although there are a couple of fics that are incomplete and abandoned, I mostly do finish.

What are your writing weaknesses?

I dwell far too much on the gorgeous flowing hair, the beautiful eyes, the tall bodies…okay stop 😅 I just enjoy imagining that, and not in a lustful way, not at my age! It’s more like the way I appreciate art, or Michaelangelo’s ‘David’ or ‘The Charioteer’ of Delphi.

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I’ve done that once in a fic I took down, which was just bits of French, I asked Narya to check it as she speaks French, which she kindly did. Usually, I don’t write dialogue in another language because I’m only monolingual and aware that Google Translate is hilarious. One curse word might be fine, try a sentence and people who do speak the language will laugh.

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Tolkien.

What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

Summerland, which was a gift for @naryaflame an AU crossover of her wonderful The Ways of Paradox and my ‘verse.

It was 2018 and a gorgeous long, hot summer and I was absolutely in the ‘zone’ when I wrote it; it just flowed. It was set on the Devon coast and I could just smell the air, see the characters as if I was watching them and every scene built itself. It felt effortless. That doesn’t usually happen — or only for certain chapters. Most fic is work (to a greater or lesser degree). Tagging: @keiliss, @lucifers-cuvette @awesome-bluehair-universe @naryaflame @lumeriel-666, @skyeventide @cycas @thisshadowprevails @idrilsscribe @nuredhel @formerlyknownasredacted @thisshadowprevails @melkors-4th-silmaril If anyone has a separate name for their AO3 or SWG account and wants to do this, please do, the name differences just confuse me sometimes and I’m not sure who’s an author and who isn’t.

[cupcakegnome]

i didn’t know if you have high approval with Varric he gives the Inquisitor an estate and land from Kirkwall, and also the City’s Key : D  His assistant didn’t like that : D

[capeshifters]

Very random captions of Narya...didn’t get new screens since she just went around doing remaining side quests, but tomorrow I will play Deep Roads so bit new at least then.