#roran would

[dia-viller]

Can someone please lock them in the same cell?

[alagaesia-headcanons]

I love that Nasuada's major flaw is the same as one of Galbatorix's greatest flaws, and that it gets worse and more ingrained throughout the series. And it's so compelling because it's incredibly in character for her and there's every reason for the circumstances to perpetuate and exacerbate it, but that doesn't make her flaw any less egregious. The scene where Galbatorix compares the two of them is so fascinating because his intention is very manipulative and malicious, yet the statement itself isn't entirely untrue.

Because Nasuada treats people like tools. She considers a person's utility more important than anything else, including their personhood.

And it's such an engrossing flaw because of course Nasuada treats people like tools! She is proud and powerful and stubborn and noble and utterly committed to achieving what she has set out to do, by whatever means necessary. She will use whatever she has at her disposal to reach her goal, and that includes using the people around her. Of course, this doesn't make Nasuada inherently immoral; she cares deeply about justice and protecting her people. But her views on the individuals around her are impersonal and self serving.

And the goal she's trying to achieve is to win the war. Nasuada would never be pushed out of her ways by the circumstances because they work, the way she treats people accomplishes exactly what she intends. By its nature, the bloody act of war rewards using people like tools. It demands that, even; to a certain extent, it's an ugly necessity in war, but the thing is that Nasuada doesn't see it that way. She never struggles with or grieves over the need to consider people's individuality as secondary to their function. It comes naturally to her, and it lasts through the end of the books, when the war is already over.

Because I think the most flagrant example of this is at the very end, when Birgit intercepts Roran as he's leaving, presumably intending to kill him, and Nasuada says, "He has proved himself a fine and valuable warrior on more than one occasion, and I would be most displeased to lose him." It's such a wonderful, pointed line that perfectly sums up this aspect of her character. Because what a disgusting thing to say. Especially for the queen of all Alagaesia, perfectly positioned and empowered to stop this confrontation and declare it unjust if she cared to. But her words make no attempt at all to defend Roran as a person, only his value to her.

The way she uses others I find most evident in her treatment of Roran, Murtagh, and Elva. The way she tells Eragon that she thinks of giving Katrina a dowry as a "purchase" of Roran's goodwill and loyalty. In Uru'baen, only at great length, she makes the conscious choice to ignore Murtagh's past and only judge who he is in the present, but disregards any care for what that might say about him as a person, solely focused on if he could be useful as an ally. And when Eragon offers to revert Elva's curse, the one that condemned an infant to feel every piece of pain and suffering surrounding her, Nasuada is so fixated on Elva's utility and value to Nasuada's goals that she goes so far as to ask Eragon to fake his effort to cure her. She sees people as tools to such an extent that she can't recognize that relieving an innocent baby of unimaginable, cursed agony should come before her own priorities.

[modern-inheritance]

Okay, everyone? We need to have a serious talk.

There's a new rule.

Never, ever...Introduce Odysseus of Ithaca...to Roran Stronghammer. Alright? We good? We don't...we don't need a combination of that energy. We need them to understand they got back to their lady and...and that they did some great and terrible things...but we do not need them getting together at some point to talk about it.

Just...let them both take a nap.

[thearunadragon]

Elven senses must have been so overwhelming.

After the Agaetí Blödhren, Eragon possessed elven senses. I theorize (and headcannon) that this was immensely overwhelming. Suddenly, without warning, he could count every hair on a leaf with a brush of his skin.

By extension, he could probably sense every fiber of the tunics he wore, the dust in the air, and the smallest of things against his skin. Being sweaty or dirty probably felt 100x worse after that, almost unbearably.

The elves, who have lived with this their whole lives, can probably handle it very well, but Eragon has a difficult time adjusting. There is major sensory overload, especially in the beginning, and it never fully goes away. It’s just the way his brain works. He doesn’t like it.

And it’s not just touch. He can smell things incredibly well—good or bad, which probably made being in the caves of Helgrind fighting the Ra’zac something legitimately nauseating to handle. It would have smelled awful just to Roran, and Eragon gets super senses.

And he can hear immensely well also. We see multiple scenes where he’s forced to cover his ears due to his heightened senses hurting him, but I imagine certain sounds, especially high pitched ones, would have been physically painful to hear. He can probably hear a bat’s echolocation, or the peals of a bell long after it is inaudible to others—just the high-pitched ringing. This probably would also make tinnitus a hellish experience.

And what about taste? Certain things that might have been enjoyably strong in the past might be inedible. He would probably be able to detect poisons much more easily by taste though if he ever forgot to check with spells.

And then there’s sight. Though helpful in dark situations, a normal sunny day would be a lot more uncomfortable than before. It would probably leave him with headaches. I imagine he wove spells to help with the sun’s glare to help with this, but he still would have been very sensitive to it.

I imagine Arya would have caught on to his discomfort at some point, perhaps grabbing his arm or something and realizing he reacted more than he ought to, and would have questioned it, but I am not sure if she would have been able to supply a way to help. His senses would be extremely helpful in battle and for his own safety, so numbing them wouldn’t be an option. His discomfort would concern her though. Nasuada would try to be conscious of it, and Orik does his best—though he can be a little forgetful—not to be too loud when he gets riled up or anything. Roran would constantly forget, but would be good-natured and nice about it. He does tease him though for being “sensitive.”

But imagine how overwhelming that would have been. Just waking up and suddenly being able to feel every single individual thread of your blanket, hear the bugs inside the trees, smell the tea three treehouses away, and be blinding by nothing more than a lantern. He probably would have been terrified at first, or at least once his mind cleared up and he realized this wasn’t just a temporary side effect of his unconsciousness.

[dark-elf-writes]

My friend have you ever thought of a HP x inheritance Cycle ?

well I'm definitely thinking about it now.

Trying to decide when would be the funniest time for Harry to show up tbh because imagining Eragon and Murtagh trying to keep an entire child AND a half dead elf alive while they run for their lives for the Varden is very funny, but a post war Murtagh being so convinced that he is evil and nonredeemable and everyone hates him only to be all but handed a tiny child that thinks he is the coolest person alive is also very funny and opens up the idea of poor Roran having to deal with a half delirious Murtagh (ant Thorn tbh) the very first time Harry has any issue because he is the only person Murtagh knows with a child who might know what to do

[fertbutt]

I know ive said in the past that murtagh would listen to mitski but that's just because I like him. if I'm being completely truthful in a modern setting he would listen to linkin park or perchance nirvana. eragon would listen to weezer and green day. ARYA is the only one who would actually listen to mitski.

[abhorrenttester]

I would love to see Gregor and Eragon meet at some point after the end of their respective series. Eragon and Saphira would absolutely understand the loss of Ares in a way no other would, and Gregor would understand how it felt for Eragon to lose Brom. They are both battle-scarred, and their lives have been permanently changed due to war.

Also I like the idea of a crossover between these two because Roran is absolutely a rager and you cannot convince me otherwise.

[concha-de-mar]

Since Thorn hatched, that means the other little guy is gonna hatch and I think his rider is either gonna be Arya or someone on the King’s side

[saphira-approves]

SOOOOO HAPPY but also so so sad because nasuada is mortal 😭😭😭

Listen. LISTEN. IT’S OKAY. IT DOESN’T MATTER. WHAT MATTERS IS THAT THE LOVE IS THERE OKAY. LIFE MAY BE FLEETING BUT LOVE IS ETERNAL AND MURTAGH IS LOVED BY SO MANY OF THE DEAD ALREADY WHAT’S ONE MORE.

[alagaesia-headcanons]

A few times I've expressed how I feel like the later parts of the series really screw over Orrin and treat his character poorly. And I've seen some other people say similar things. But for a long while know, I've been conflicted about how exactly the books disservices him. Because, since writing this character analysis of him, I found that I don't disagree with the actual things he says and does. Like I mentioned there, I think the way his composure crumbles and how he becomes more aggressive and unreasonable makes a lot of sense in the context of what he's going through. He's lost everyone and he turns to drinking as anger and fear eat away at him. I think it works as a character arc, albeit a very sad one. And yet, I still get the feeling of the books doing wrong by Orrin and I've been trying to wrap my mind around why.

I was rereading the scene where Orrin wants to send an envoy to Uru'baen and Roran demands that he doesn't. Initially, I felt like this was one of the few moments where it does feel out of character for him, simply for the story to paint him in an exaggeratedly bad light. But I tried to reason out in what way it maybe could be in character (because I live for that). And it clicked into place. Orrin says it right there! "'But they can see us,' protested Orrin. 'We're camped right outside their walls. It would be... rude not to send an envoy to state our position. You are both commoners; I would not expect you to understand. Royalty demands certain courtesies, even if we are at war.'"

The issue at hand here is that Roran is arguing that sending an envoy to Galbatorix might provoke him to attack them. What Orrin is saying is that, as opposed to Roran and Jormundur, he knows what a king would expect to deal with when under attack, which includes envoys. If it would be perceived as rude and disrespectful to not send one, that insult could just as well be provoke Galbatorix into attacking. It makes perfect sense that, if Orrin sees this as a courtesy a king would feel entitled to, he believes it would be dangerous to risk slighting Galbatorix by failing to do it. Roran tells him, "'I won't let you endanger the rest of us just to satisfy your royal... pride.'" But it seems infinitely more likely that Orrin is attempting to satisfy Galbatorix's royal pride. I do think that not sending an envoy is a bit more sensible because, as Roran says, Galbatorix was born a commoner and likely has his own expectations (though what he goes on to say has flaws), but Orrin is still raising a very fair point by arguing that they should send one. And honestly, given what we see of Galbatorix, I don't think there was any danger of an envoy provoking him either.

But the more important thing about that realization that struck me is that I read that section at least 6 times before it occurred to me. I read it over and over while thinking "Orrin's argument doesn't make any sense, I don't know why he's saying this" before realizing it actually makes perfect sense. And it's because I believe that the true way that the series disservices Orrin's character is through the bias of the other characters and their narrations. This exchange is written in Roran's POV and it's riddled with his derision towards Orrin, his insistence that he's wrong, that he'll get them killed, and his overall very low opinion of him which colors how he sees all of Orrin's acts. And Jormundur shares his distaste and expresses his own.

Out of curiosity, I cut everything but the dialogue (sans 2 irrelevant lines) to see how it would read. It's very different; it shows how Orrin is reasonable at the start and how unwarranted Roran's combative and brazenly insulting response is. It really changes this scene from "Roran heroically saving everyone from the fallout of Orrin's stupid, careless choice," and reveals that it's just an argument- unhelpful and devolving where they both end up making inappropriate mistakes, one after the other.

Of course, there are real issues with Orrin's actions, in this case namely that his very wound up fear and frustration make him intensely volatile, enough that he tries to attack Roran here. That is egregious. But then that's compounded upon by all these other "flaws" perceived by the other characters in such an exaggerated way to the point of being fabricated. Roran sees him as dangerously stupid and vainglorious for wanting to send an envoy, despite putting absolutely no effort into learning his reason. It's just real rich that Roran then thinks, "Orrin was like a yearling mule: stubborn, overconfident, and all too willing to kick you in the gut if you gave him the opportunity." Lmao! Bitch look in the mirror, that's literally you!!!

This kind of depiction epitomizes Orrin's presence through the entire series. Every single POV characters has reason to be against him, starting with Nasuada. As a result of both of their respective positions, she sees him as a potential threat and obstacle to her goals. Through his connection to her, Eragon sees him the same way and Saphira follows suit. And Roran adopts the opinion of his cousin and his commander. So all of the POV characters are adverse to Orrin, but also, so is every single background character.

There is no one to offer or even contemplate a differing opinion in the face of the main characters' unilateral distaste. Once, literally once do we see Orrin talking to another Surdan. He gets a single line in the scene where Nasuada is appointed leader of their combined forces. Never again. We never see him interact with anyone not predisposed against him. None of his advisors, his soldiers, his friends. Every moment of Orrin's life involving the people who'd have a basis to get along with, or even like him go unseen by the entire story. And on the other side, that also means we never get to see how Orrin would interact with anyone without an incentive to work against him. So the narrative's bias against Orrin goes completely uninterrupted and unchallenged. It shows itself virtually every time he's present.

That is why the series feels so unfair towards Orrin, because in order to understand his actual intentions, it demands that the reader consider a perspective that the story refuses to ever provide. It requires ignoring perspectives that narrate everything and then giving a great deal of focus to Orrin's actions in isolation. It sets him up to be misunderstood and disliked because the easiest way to read his story is to follow along with the misunderstanding and dislike all the other characters express. The books actively obscure the true nature of Orrin's character.

[axolotl-anemonoides]

Christopher Paolini - the king of creating complicated (relation)ships.

I mean...

Murtagh x Nasuada AKA excelent ship that has amazing dynamics but during the books they couldn't work because they were on the other sides of the war. And would work only if either Nasuada wasn't a queen or Murtagh wasn't an outcast/wanderer, hated by many people, especialy general public - so it would not be publicly accepted if these two were officially in a relationship.

And Eragon x Arya AKA also a powerful and lovable ship that a lot of fans (and especially Eragon himself XD) wanted to happen, but during the books it wasn't possible because first of all Eragon was really too immature for Arya and she didn't reciprocate his feelings and second of all they were in the middle of a freaking war.... and after the books it wasn't possible because Eragon had to leave Alagaesia forever and Arya, the new Elven queen had to leave in the exact opposite direction... and who knows when they will see each other again...

Like why are you doing this Mr. Paolini-ebrithil? If it was a few ships that can't work out as opposed to many that can... but in your book there's exactly six ships: and one of them worked out while the other five didn't.... why??

[microfeelings]

Roran is already a fucking beast by himself... What if he had also become a Dragon Rider?

[boymilf]

oouhgh my god christopher paolini posting just a photo of the book 2 cover which is a drawing of THORN .. SOON BEFORE HES ANNOUNCING TITLE AND COVER OF BOOK 5… not to mention the ending of the fork.. WELL i think book five will be about murtagh and thorn (spins around really fast)

[gangseyboi]

Unfortunately i do feel the exact same as i did in high school and that is that i do not care what roran is dealing with in his battle in urubaen i care about the magic battle!!!

[concha-de-mar]

Y’all have no idea how excited I am to read this

[aprill-99]

The funniest thing about the dynamic between Roran, Eragon, and Murtagh spending any amount of time together is that anyone of them at any given moment would be entirely justified in looking around and thinking:

“Oh fuck, now there are two of them-”