#that bit when Roran is like.

[ace-and-ranty]

I wonder how faithful time keeping is in Alagaesia. And by that I mean, do Roran and Katrina know the exact day and month of their marriage. The exact day and month of Ismira's birth?

Is she gonna do the math one day and go. Wait a minute.

[tonhalszendvics]

As I was looking for a copy for myself in English, I came across this one. This is from Slovakia.

I wasn't able to find Brisingr, but here's the other three:

[massiveladycat]

OKAY. OKAY. SO. i was putting off reading brisinger for a bit because 750 pages?? HELL TO THE NO!! but then i reminded myself i finished hp so suck it up buttercup yk i also really missed eragon 1. starting off strong; saving katrina and sloan!! i really used to hate sloan but atleast i can understand him a little now 2. save me roran garrowsson save me 3. i missed saphira so much i LOVE HER!!! 4. zar'roc being owned by both sons of morzan is just so MESSED UP!! PAOLINI!! YOU GENIUS!! 5. not to mention the fact that zar'roc was the very sword that split murtagh's back practically open 6. speaking of murtagh my poor boy. he seemed kind of happy when he realized that if his true name changed then he'd be free, but he's not willing to give up his personality and who he is for it 7. thorn having the mind of a child dragon but his body being adult is so messed up just think about it. imagine being a toddler but your body is adult 8. parallels with elva maybe?? he has the mind of a toddler, brain of an adult. she's supposed to be a toddler, and shes literally just a baby, but she was forced to grow up so quickly 9. also YAY!!! SHE GOT HER CURSE HALF-REMOVED!!! 10. did not appreciate the eragon bitch slap scene as a eragon lover like he's doing his BEST leave him ALONE the language's COMPLICATED 11. seriously eragon n saphira have taken so so many oaths and i feel like it's gonna end up biting them in the ass at some point 12. roran and katrina's marriage was so cute it was like something i'd think was disney-esque 13. but noo katrina and roran and eragon had to go their separate ways WHAT THE FUCK DUDE!!! 14. also, still confused on the ox being able to hurt roran. how'd that happen?? 15. imagine just picking up a shiny stone so you can sell it for meat and like a year later YOURE IN A FUCKING WAR!!! THE EYE OF THE STORM!!!! pt.2 coming soon

[bymywill]

since murtagh is always trying to distract himself with writing poetry and thinking about magic, i really think he should take up knitting.

it starts with a replacement for the riding sweater that was ruined in bachel’s village, but it quickly turns out to be wayyyy too complicated for a first project, so one of thorn’s saddlebags is now stuffed full with a tangled nest of itchy yarn in a shape that could almost resemble a half-completed sweater. murtagh refuses to acknowledge it, think about it, or throw it out, because even if it’s shit, it was a lot of work. it remains there for years.

eragon gets socks for the winter holidays and is OVERJOYED. he wears them every day for a week until murtagh yells at him for being gross and not changing his clothes.

ismira gets baby socks! they are quick to make and katrina treasures them above everything in the world. she’s heartbroken when ismira eventually outgrows them.

roran gets heavy mittens for the cold carvahall winters, and he repairs them and repairs them until they’re almost unrecognisable, like a horrible theseus ship of yarn. (katrina gets matching mittens. it’s very cute).

nasuada is starting to wonder why she never gets any handmade gifts from murtagh and is secretly a bit peeved about it, but in reality it’s because murtagh views her as wayyyyy too beautiful and glamorous for his crude creations. after she finally mentions it, murtagh picks out a beautiful deep red silk/merino yarn and makes her a scarf. she wears it every winter and makes sure to create her winter outfits around it.

murtagh still doesn’t have a god damn riding sweater.

[rainwalker-dragonblade29]

Atra esterní Ono thelduin!

Dropping in to share a heartwrenching Eragon headcanon.... how Brom found ways to bond with his Son, and Eragon's early years in Carvahall.

Say, when eragon was a baby, Selena had just left Carvahall after telling brom about his son. Dear old Brom is so happy but sooo sad that he can't keep Eragon with himself, and it is bittersweet to know he will have to watch from afar because he can't ever tell Eragon the truth of his lineage...

And because Eragon is so widdle right now Garrow or his wife Marian won't take him out of home until he is a bit older... Brom takes flowers to Eragon just with the excuse to see him. He told Garrow and Marian that he's new in town and he's been hearing everywhere that a beautiful new baby has been born in Garrow's family and he is a sentimental storyteller who felt tempted to come congratulate. And that day, just a few days after Eragon's birth, his father finally sees him. It makes him very emotional, because baby eragon is very cute. And all he can manage to say "he puts stars to shame with that face and a name made for glory!"

Garrow and Marian are astonished to see him cry and he has to make up an excuse that he lost his own son long ago.

"I don't know if this is how all storytellers are, but no man should be this lily livered" Garrow whispers.

"Oh, but he lost his own child, imagine how you'd feel if we lost our Roran..." Marian retorts.

The couple pity him for it, and Marian says, "you can visit him whenever you desire friend." Garrow doesn't have a very high opinion of the storyteller but he seems kind says he'll allow it on occasion. Brom thinks they will feel like he's intruding if he came anytime he wished to be with Eragon which was all the time and they might see him as a bothering fly, and be suspicious of him so accepts their favour knowing he can't exploit their allowance.

So mostly he would scry Eragon when he was alone, or take an occasional hike up the hill once a month with the reason of "keeping his old legs still working young" to come say hi to Eragon, but sparingly.

When harvest time usually came, before Selena left Eragon there, only Garrow would do the harvest, and Marian would care for lil Roran... but when harvest came sometime before eragon turned a year old, there was to be some wedding in the village and Marian had promised to help the other ladies prepare. So she had no option but to take Eragon and Roran with her, and she's finding the kids hard to manage as her attention is very much split between her work with the food and to whomever who is just a little free to watch the two boys for a few minutes, with eragon crying loudly and Roran running about nobody has peace.

Brom came amidst all this as the family of the bride to be married had asked him to marry them for he was fairly old and the reputation of a goodwilled man who came to their aid when they needed someone to read the vows. And he heard all the commotion happening in the back with Roran banging pots and pans and Eragon crying and he tells Marian he could take the kids to his little house and watch them till Marian is done. No one is sure how an old man could care for two children let alone a baby, but since everyone is tired of the clamor they are grateful that Brom takes them.

Roran finds two spoons in his house and he is again hitting them together and baby eragon cries so brom casts a spell so that only roran will hear the joyful noise of the spoons. He calms Eragon too with a soft glowing werelight that Eragon gets fascinated by and wants to hold the blue orb. And later that afternoon, he tells the boys stories till nightfall about Rider's city and dragons, with Eragon in his arms. Even roran listens to his exaggerated speeches.

When Marian comes to pick them up, Brom insists that she leave the kids with him every harvest time for he much enjoyed their company and even Roran behaved. That astonished her. And Eragon seemed happy too for he cried as soon as Marian took him from Brom's arms. So after that year she'd go leave them at his place during the harvest, or when the harvest was plentiful and Garrow needed a hand (much to hurt Garrow's pride for he was the "I can manage it alone" man) or she would tell Brom to come to their place to watch the kids. And some years went by in this fashion, when harvest time was the best month of the year.... and once Roran was 10 ish he'd help Garrow in the farm and Eragon was left at Brom's home and Eragon used to have much to tell Brom about Squirrels on the farm or curious things he looked at, and Brom would tell him more tales only to be met my half a dozen questions the moment he began. Once Eragon and Roran were old enough, he stopped using magic here and there around them.

He really cherished those early years, and it hurt to never tell Eragon the truth. And when eragon was 10 he was allowed to wander how he wished in town. Ever since forever Marian and Garrow would tell the kids never to go too far in the valley near the Spine and Eragon grew ever curious to what was so dangerous about them.

One day he wandered in there, trying to be brave and got lost in the Spine and nearly chased by a wolf. His family was worried sick, and Brom brought him homethat day to their relief. He had luckily scried him before and rushed to Eragon's aid as fast as he could.

Roran would tease him about it for some time. And Marian died sometime after that incident. But after that frightful experience, when Eragon was 13, he vowed to be braver and practiced archery and and before the winter he'd go hunt. Those who knew he ventured into the Spine were mostly afraid of the prospect. But Brom was proud of him. So very proud of his brave boy who grew up having his father and never knowing.

OH HOW I LOVE THIS SERIES!

[saphira-approves]

Ah! The OC I've had for literally ten years! She's changed quite a bit over the last decade, but her heritage has remained pretty consistent. Technically her mother was half elf, but her mother (OC's grandmother) was a human Rider, and old enough that her physiology was about where Eragon's had been speedrun up to at the Agaetí Blödhren, so my OC's mother ended up being very, very elf, with some human, while the OC herself is very, very human, with some elf. Again, this was ten years ago, Paolini hadn't really discussed half-elves anywhere I was online, so I was going by LOTR standards of mixed elven and human heritage with some wonky Rider mechanics thrown in.

Also, funny enough, my kind-of-half-elf OC also got really good at casting wordless magic. This was because she was a Rider and also a spy/assassin, so she kind of just... studied whenever her dragon did spontaneous magic and applied what she found, usually in combat, while still using the Ancient Language whenever she needed specificity in her spells. Recently, I've decided that she uses/has been given the moniker Nightjar, but she also is called the Varden's Black Hand because of the nature of her work. She's a teensy bit traumatized because she doesn't actually like murder all that much, and especially hates killing people bound to someone else's will, but she has A Goal and that goal Requires Murder Sometimes and it is frighteningly easy to turn her brain off and just start slicin' and dicin' when need demands it. This does not help the trauma. She has so many nightmares.

Also my pet OC. I just like to imagine an entourage of humans coming to Ellesmera on diplomatic business near a hundred years from now, and in that entourage is a talented baker picked from the palace's kitchens because she was eager to volunteer and learn the Ancient Language. And she is a bit Obsessed about her chosen craft, as Rhunön is, so they bond over many years of the baker's stay. BUT NOTHING CAN COME OF IT.... different lifespans, very tragic, yadda yadda, sexual tension. Then it's the Agaetí Blödhren again. And Paolini didn't spell this out entirely, but let's be real. We got the vibes. Agaetí Blödhren Makes Elves Horny. They must go to each other and consummate their love. On the leaves. And on account of they have consummated their love on the night of the Literal Fertility Festival, BOOM, pregnant human. And then the baby grows up and eventually meets Eragon, because Eragon is the closest thing she'll ever meet to another half-Elf. (How can Rhunön sire a child, one might ask. Because trans rights.)

Oh this is excellent, I love them! Have you considered… baker wife bakes in the mornings, in the cool forges, before Rhunön takes over and cranks the heat up to Proper Forging Temperatures

And smol half-elven child snacks on fresh bread while Rhunön very seriously teaches them the use and technique of each tool. Should small half-elven child BE in the forge? Probably not. Is anyone going to challenge Rhunön on it if she’s allowing it? Also probably not.

[sparklepirate]

Alright, final thoughts on Brisingr.

You know what half the book was dwarven politics but I ate that shit up.

The more I read these again the more I appreciate the nuance of Eragon's character. It's super rare for me to like a main protagonist as much as I like him, but he has so many things going on. He's heroic, but in a deeply existentialist way, which leads him to be a bit cruel/callous towards his brother. He is smart and a quick learner, both academically and on his feet, but he does and thinks some of the stupidest things sometimes. He was forced to grow up so fast, so while he often comes across as mature and self-assured, internally he is still just a kid, or perhaps a very, very young man, and that kid part of him still shines through sometimes. He does and will do what he has to do to help the world, but he is constantly surprised to find new avenues of guilt when confronted with various consequences of his actions, but he still presses on. He is still learning his place in life not only as a dragon rider and a hero, but just as a person in general, and I think that's so cool and interesting to read! And he's also dealing with the trauma of the everything that's happening to him, but doesn't quite yet seem to realize that he isn't alone in his feelings. He is a dork, and I love him, and I want to be his friend, and I want him to accrue a whole squad of older sibling figures to help him through his stuff.

Along the lines of trauma, I hope he and Roran get to talk about this stuff. They both have moments of berating themselves over being weak for having strong feelings about killing and participating in a war, and I wish they would talk to each other and realize they were not alone. ... Murtagh too but that's just wishful thinking. I'll just have to write that myself I suppose.

Saphira is also so good queen of my heart and my soul she is beauty she is grace if she were a human she would rip apart a rat with her bare hands and teeth and do a kegstand immediately afterwards with the blood still dripping down her face but her makeup would be FLAWLESS while she did it ❤️

This felt like the first book that really drove the point home of how close the two of them are, because this is the first time they had to be truly separated from each other. Every time they reunited and they were just so filled with joy and love I just 🥺

As always- Murtagh deserves better!!! He and Thorn!!! He is in this position because he was too compassionate for Eragon (being led to the Varden), and then Thorn (swearing fealty to save him), and no one really cares about him but he still hopes and he still loves!!! Obviously, like, being on opposite sides of the conflict no one is going to not try to kill him, they kind of don't have a choice, but... Damn. I won't say too much more about him until after Inheritance but like. Damn. Justice for my husband.

On that note, the absolute betrayal he must have felt upon finding out that Oromis and Glaedr existed. Granted, by him becoming a dragon rider it was already too late for them to help him, but still. It's just kind of a tragic circumstance that everyone was so powerless in this situation, and like... Being literally possessed by Galbatorix for a bit there was. Hmm. Bad. I'm sure we'll be dissecting THAT in the new book.

It makes me wonder how much of this situation could have been prevented if the elves and the dwarves weren't so consistently self-serving. I think that's what makes Nasuada such an effective leader in comparison to them. She will get shit done, and she will set aside pride whenever she needs to to achieve the best results. Now, she has her flaws, which I know are explored more in Inheritance, but I can understand her constant frustration with the other kingdoms refusal to help or share important secrets that could have helped them sooner/prevented bloodshed.

And as far as secrets go... I don't know. It's hard to gauge "should have" or "shouldn't have" with most of the things Oromis and Glaedr neglected to tell Eragon and Saphira (or anyone), but the eldunarí feels like the most cut and dry. I guess they weren't anticipating Thron hatching but like. If that's the source of Galbatorix's power... It might have been useful for literally anyone to know about that before now. Arya didn't even know, for god's sake.

Speaking of Arya, I like her way way more this read through!!! And I do not ship her and Eragon literally at all sorry I'm a hater ❤️

RIP Oromis though sucks that you died.

Onto Inheritance!

[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.

[eliza-makepeace]

so i have some Thoughts™ about eragon turning into an elf-looking guy and they're not pretty.

to me it all seems like "elves are cool everyone else is not cool" and it clearly stems from paolini himself thinking that, but also *in story* i think it's worse.

first off, a big part of who eragon is, and what his struggle has come from, is being human. I don't like how it differentiates him from the rest of his family, from roran and garrow, from selena, and even from murtagh! it's like he rejects his whole history for something he thinks it's better. in eldest he says "this is what he was always intended to look like" and i'm like "how about no?".

he gets bullied by the elves (looking at u, vanir) bc he doesn't look like them and how could the first rider since the fall be a human and not an elf?!? the offence, the horror! the minute eragon resembles them is the minute vanir suddenly is all like "i like you now lol". and they do it without asking eragon whether or not he wants to look like them! he just wakes up the next morning and is like "oh, look at this.......i look great :)"

and tbh even if he likes it, it's a no no from me. like, part of the reason he wants to look like this is bc he thinks arya will like him better this way! (and then proceeds to keep asking arya about it even when she says no...like, my son, it's not your appearance that is the problem. stop fucking insisting. you're starting to look like a bit of a jerk)

and then there's the whole thing about the scar. he could've had it healed, he was the one who didn't want it healed in the first place! and then he goes to the oath celebration, they change his appearance and they erase his scar and he's fine about it? like. he *could have healed it* if he'd wanted to. and not even entirely btw, he could've done what murtagh did to essie's scar, reduce it and make it not hurt but keep it as remembrance of past pain. (btw i also think it's a really low shot when eragon says to murtagh at the burning plains "i'm not like u, i don't have the scar anymore" .......like, bro. this is not the "win" you think it is)

[holyguardian]

Glenn did not like their current situation one bit. ShinRa was forcing their hands. With Veld showing up and telling Ifalna all this... he had pondered their options.

But a move seemed the smartest first step for now, that was true.

Yet there was another vital information. ShinRa had no clue about Roran still. They didn't know he was Ifalna's son, another halfblood Cetra like Aerith. If they knew, they'd want him in their clutches just as bad. That was the only sliver of light in all this.

And they had to keep it that way.

That was why Glenn approached Ifalna. His hands taking hers gently, smoothing over her delicate fingers before he lifted one of her hand sup to leave a small kiss against her knuckles.

"Ifalna... we have to talk."

A talk never meant anything good and Glenn's expression told just as much. But the strategist in him called for measurements like this.

"They don't know about Roran... and while I will use my life to protect Aerith in the worst case, I only have one life to give. So, if we can keep his identity under wraps, we should. We should ask Veld and his Turks... maybe that Freya could work... if they are trustable, we should ask them to claim Roran as their own. Just in ShinRa's face. Just in the very worst case... so he is safe and I can work to keep you and Aerith the same."

Glenn looked like he was a wreck waiting to happen. Hand on chest, his usual bravado had been knocked off kilter and it was even showing as small hints in his appearance. The dark circles under his eyes that spoke of sleepless nights staring up at the ceiling, coupled with the crease of his brow, a tell-tale sign that he was deep in his thoughts.

Not that Ifalna blamed him. She felt similarly, given their current predicament. The logistics of moving their family unit in complete secrecy in an unplanned uprooting of their lives was a lot to handle. It was messy, and as the adults, as mum and dad, they had to be the strong ones.

Though when he approached and stole up her hands with a soft kiss and uttered those dreaded words, her hopeful little smile evaporated.

She had been braced for news that they had to abandon their few belongings, or that they had to change plans on the fly and leave, now, for another long-haul transport. But her stomach dropped at what came out of Glenn's mouth.

"Absolutely not." she answered quickly. "Over my dead body, no." There were only rare little moments when Ifalna had reacted so fiercely. "We're not going to abandon either of our children to chance. Because that's what that is, a gamble. Veld and those who work with him can use smoke, mirrors and shadows better than most and while I respect their skill, that all falls to pieces when confronted with undeniable fact. Shinra could run one simple test at the whim of Professor Hojo, who is a vile man but sadly a brilliant one, and confirm Roran is my son in record time. They probably have everything on record to confirm he's your son too, and then what, we hope they don't use him as a bargaining tool? I'm sorry Glenn, no. We do this together." End of discussion.

[tonhalszendvics]

Inheritance Cycle height headcanon time!

We have height descriptions like "tall", "an inch or so taller", "slightly shorter", let me ruin your day~

Roran: He was slightly taller than Eragon, when they parted, Eragon caught up, they are the same height now. He has no opinion about his appearance – until it's good enough for Katrina, he's content with it.

Eragon: Average height. He was still growing when he left Palancar valley, but because of his hard time on the road – injuries, not enough food, straining himself – he stopped growing and by the time he was about to get a growth spurt, Agaetí Brödhren happened. Physically he didn't changed after that. Later he was a bit mad at Umaroth for ditching that small height he had stored in, and doesn't care about the dragons "but it would've thrown you off-balance!" excuse.

Murtagh: If Eragon is Literal Average at their first meeting, then he's an inch or two taller than that. That's five centimetres, it's mostly unnoticeable. However, the height difference between him and Eragon stayed the same even though he was around twenty in the end of the series and finished growing – the spell that made Thorn grow faster, leaked through their bond and gave him some height, too. Just enough to keep that difference between him and Eragon, just enough to make him re-learn all of his moves. All of his clothes and his armour had to be remade as well. (The king was more careful with his magic after that.)

Arya: Eragon says, she's tall. She's not, by elf-standards, she's just taller than Eragon. By looking at her, you'd think she is tall, and most people are surprised when standing next to her, they notice that she is, in fact, not. Still deadly, though.

Nasuada: One long queen, please. Her people are tall, she had a healthy upbringing, she's tall, no questions asked.

Katrina: One short queen, please. She's small, but not petite. Also, don't let her height fool you; she will fight you.

Brom: Only slightly taller than Eragon; our boy would be on his level if that thing didn't happen. Brom would be relieved that he remains taller, as he was always shorter than any of his long-time acquaintances, except for the dwarves.

Selena: She can see eye to eye with Brom, which is tall for a woman. She's around Arya's height, but doesn't have her "i am lean and tall" aura. (She's a hair taller than Brom, but he pretends she's not. She lets it slide.)

Jeod: 2/3 of his body are his legs. He's as tall as Ajihad, except when he sits down, then he's just as tall as Brom.

Galbatorix: average for his time, slightly short for the present. He's built like a barrel.

Morzan: You bet he does door frame quality control with his forehead. He's just Freaking Tall. Galbatorix made sure that whenever they had to be present at the same time, he stood on the dais or on the top of the stairs whenever Morzan was around him. Everyone knew his general was taller than him, but no-one wanted to mention it, obviously. Morzan was very pleased, though.

[kunselxsoldier]

"Oh, Kunsel." Ifalna half-greeted the teenager with a tired smile. It was early afternoon but if anyone asked her the time she would claim it must nearly be bedtime. The Lodbrok household had been through a rough week, when a seasonal flu trickled through, little Roran was first, then Glenn and finally Aerith.

Her poor little man had been hit the hardest. Roran had never been sick like that before, but being six-years-old this was his first year of proper school, and oh how children loved to share the good and the bad.

"I'd offer you a cup of tea, but I think I'm down to bowls. If you're visiting Aerith I'd appreciate a mug-rescue if you could grab a few, she has a drink and leaves the mug where it lands." Oh, but where were her manners? She was so tired, she forgot a proper welcome, her arms opened for a non-negotiable hug. She wasn't infected, and she hoped his treatment as a SOLDIER meant he would be alright for a quick visit.

There was always chores that needed to be done, even when there were no missions in progress; firewood for the hearth, laundry taken down from the line when dry, food to be foraged or prepared, chocobo stables to be mucked out. The list went on and on and he liked that; it was good to have a list of jobs that he could focus on and tick off.

Dropping the chopped wood into the big basket by the fire, the teenager offered a smile to Ifalna as she hugged him and made her plea for a kitchenware rescue; the kind woman had been run ragged all week. "Course I'll grab them, and Lucia said she'll bring over a pot of stew later, so you don't have to worry about cooking."

Poor little Roran was asleep on the small couch, all bad-humoured and fed up of being sick. Up the narrow stairs and he found two mugs on the window sill that overlooked the wooden lift in Cosmo Canyon, another plate on the table in the hallway and two glasses on the floor outside her room. Stacking those things together, Kunsel gave a knock on the door of Aerith's room and waited for her permission to come in.

"Hey stranger, just checking to see if you've skipped town." It was a tease, but a lighthearted one; he hadn't seen her on almost a week now and he missed his partner in crime. Aerith stuck her tongue out in retaliation and Kunsel chuckled as he dutifully went around the room and gathered the mugs and cups from the places of abandonment.

"I swung by the market earlier, thought you could use some cheering up." The teenager handed over two candy bars, a book he had seen her eying last week and a pink ribbon that Aerith had dallied over for a bit too. He had been so sure of the gift, but now that he handed it over, Kunsel felt his stomach drag down in doubt and went about gathering the last mug behind the flower vase, trying to hide the embarrassed colour in his cheeks. "- if you don't like it, I can get a different colour?"

@holyguardian

[silvercap]

A variation on #1: three whump moments (in any media, made by anyone) that shaped who you are as a whump enjoyer / creator / consumer / community member

Ooooh, good question!!

Let's see... The chapters in Les Misérables where Jean Valjean drags unconscious and bleeding Marius through the sewers gave me massive whump feelings the first time I read it, and the bit where he's unconscious in the carriage dripping blood from his hair when it bumps over something will stick with me forever. And then of course when they lay him out on the couch and start tearing up the linens for bandaging, and also the 6 months or whatever he spends feverish and recovering <3333 Such a good section of the book haha and it never fails to hit the spot. I really love the bloody details (literally) and all the little things about him barely breathing etc. Agh. So good.

The entire first season (well, maybe first half of the season) of Prodigal Son was also revolutionary to me when I first watched it, but the episodes that really stand out are EP 2 where Malcolm is bitten by a venomous snake and passes out and then wakes up screaming in the hospital begging to know what they're drugging him with, and then later stumbling around because he drank alcohol that interacted with said drugs; and EP 12 where he goes and gets shock therapy to see if the bad guy is working there sjdjsjs. 10 and 11 get honorable mentions because they're like. The prime whump episodes of the show, but anyway!!! This show changed me and I was never the same in terms of whump consumption

As for the third... well, there's a lot of things that could work, but this little fic (Just a Cold by tirsynni) has just... seeped into my brain entirely ajsjdjs. I regularly catch myself leaning on similar tropes/moments and I just really really enjoy the sort of hazy POV + 'caretakers talking around the sick character' vibe that's going on <3

Honorable mentions include the scene in Library of Souls (Random Riggs) where Jacob gets beaten half to death; the Inheritance trilogy (?) for the Roran WHIPPING SCENE that's burned into my brain forever and ever + the bit in Eragon where Eragon gets put in prison in Gilead; and the scene in Clockwork Princess I think it is where Will gets poisoned and then is all drugged up lying on the couch because they were all incredibly formative to me as a child and teenager haha

Thanks for the ask!!

[wcrstarter]

“People aren’t so bad, really, It’s what the world does to them.”

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐀𝐃 𝐎𝐅 𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐆𝐁𝐈𝐑𝐃𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐒𝐍𝐀𝐊𝐄𝐒 // @ithring

Roran and Katrina had invited them to join them for supper a fortnight ago, when the huntress had passed through Carvahall to engage in her usual trade for the furs and meat she had gathered and readied on her most recent hunts. It was slow going, the relationship between Murtagh and his cousin, but with time they'd begun to overcome the perceptions leftover from the war.

Roran's daughter Ismira, had helped massively with that. Sonja was in the kitchen, helping Katrina prepare the venison she'd brought for them to have for supper together. Every so often she'd look over to watch Murtagh interact with his niece, her sharp ears could hear every words but to see the little girl sitting on her uncle's lap, basking in his attention and clearly hanging onto his every word, it brought a smile to her face.

Katrina glanced over the same as her, and whenever she was caught specifically looking at Murtagh the other woman would give her a look, earning a dramatic eye roll from Sonja herself or she reached over with a sprig of herbs to swat at the other's hands and hush her to be quiet.

Sonja's ears perked up at Ismira's question, she raised her head again from the dough she'd begun to work, curious how Murtagh would answer the girl's question on why some people were forced to do bad things. The firelight from the hearth put shadows on Murtagh's face, even though she noted, he'd adopted a bit of a mask. Roran was watching intently, though she didn't blame him for being curious of his answer.

"People aren't so bad really, it's what the world does to them."

Aptly said. She knew, and now so did Roran and his wife, that Murtagh and Thorn had been forced to do all they had lest they watch each other suffer. She knew how terribly Thorn had suffered, and it made her angry that Galbatorix had treated a dragon so.

Ismira seemed somewhat satisfied by his answer, Sonja nearly laughed at the sage-like nod the girl did in response. She didn't expect the question that came next, directed at her as well.

"Is that why you and Sonja live in the woods? Because the world was mean to you?" Ismira's question was innocent, but still made her wince for a moment. Children were unintentionally brutal with their questions at times.

She wiped her hands on a rag to clean them of flour, then strode over to settle on a stool by the fire. She reached out and tucked an errant curl behind the girl's ear before she answered.

"I come from a land very far from here. I lived in a place, where many around me had a tendency to be very cruel to those around them. My own father was no exception. Not everyone is lucky to have parents that love and cherish them like you do, cherub." She added, glancing at Murtagh then to Roran. She would answer as honestly as she could, and in an appropriate manner for the girl's age. "I prefer to live in the woods and away from people, because I like the quiet and the privacy it affords me. The world was very mean to me once, the same as it was for your Uncle. I like it here more than my homeland, home is where you make it and are loved--not a place. Sometimes, it's a person."

Sonja glanced up at Murtagh then, then quickly looked away. Her cheeks were warmed, something she hoped the firelight would hide. She knew how easy it would be for the adults in the room to guess how she might have meant it, from the look on Katrina's face, one of them already had.

[alagaesia-headcanons]

do you have favorite inheritance fics? i’ve been struggling to find them

Yeah! I have a handful! Tbh, I also struggle a bit to find IC fics that I like, though that's largely because I don't like either of the 2 main ships. (IC has a lot of oc and crossover fics too, which aren't my personal preference either.) Also, there was a several year stretch when I wasn't keeping up with the fandom, so some of my recs are quite old and no doubt I've missed some more recent stories. Maybe I'll update this list if I find some more favorites!

Katrina and Roran and Carn by LordGrimwing

This is a series of three fics exploring an AU where Carn lives and eventually comes to live with Roran and Katrina in Carvahall. I like the premise a lot and the fics are very sweet!

You, Me, And The Wardens Across The Hall by Chapeau_42

A modern AU where the new generation of Riders are all college roomates together. I go back to this fic on the regular. It's simple but very enjoyable fun and the characterization feels excellent.

First Day in the New Hometown by Chapeau_42

This one is unfinished, but still worth while in my opinion. Again, I love the characterization. Murtagh is invited to stay in Carvahall to protect the village while Roran is away. The premise is engaging and it establishes some interesting interactions!

Shackled By Blood by purplehairedwonder

This one is also unfinished and is rather old. It's a bit harder to write a rec for because I read it during my IC phase some years ago so I don't remember it perfectly. But it always stuck in my mind for having especially good narration and story. It's an AU focused on Murtagh that diverges after the end of Brisingr. The unfinished end is a bit of a cliffhanger, so don't read if you can't deal with that, but I at least found the concepts compelling enough to be well worth it, despite being incomplete.

Fireplace, Murtagh and Tornac by purplefizzgirl

Speaking of old! This one's on deviantart of all places. But I remembered these fics so vividly and fondly that I unearthed them for myself the other day, so I think I'd be remiss not to rec them. This author wrote a fair few fics, a lot of them focused on Murtagh growing up with Tornac. This one is my personal favorite where Murtagh is very young and still getting used to Tornac, very sweet.

No doubt I'm forgetting some good ones of the myriad IC fics I read years ago, but alas I have an awful memory lol. I may update with more eventually!

(Also. At the risk of sounding vain, I want to rec a couple of my fics. I think they're worth while! My Love is a relationship study of Murtagh and Thorn and the bond they formed during their struggles in Uru'baen. It's older, but I still find it strong. The Half Dead is my most recent fic, involving my post canon story line. Murtagh and King Orrin stumble into a chance encounter and find an unexpected understanding while trying to mitigate any danger they've ended up in.)

[stagecouch]

i feel like roran absolutely did have to get good at things but then it’s like. how. he just suddenly decided to be good at everything one day and everyone was like wow roran you’re so cool and his whole story is just him being impossibly good and everyone saying wow you’re impossibly good

it feels very mary sue-ish especially his interactions with nasuada and other people from eragon’s storyline where there’s an unnecessary emphasis on his skill and importance where he just all of a sudden developed this madman esque level of ability

i think that your points on eragon’s luck make sense bc a lot of eragon’s story is him being a little bit of a reed in the wind and his story did originate in luck but roran’s story later on relies so heavily on luck it’s a little crazy. i understand the point of his pov is to be a camera for the people of carvahall and then later a camera for the war on the front line and also to act as a bit of a foil for eragon and to show that even normal people can do the incredible with magic!!!! but when doing the incredible without magic is just an insane amount of unreasonable luck it gets old very quickly

eragon to me was far more relatable because throughout the story he is just a stupid kid with a lot of power he doesn’t understand. he’s immature and uneducated and impatient like any kid. he grows into himself but his flaws are still apparent right to the end. he gets by due to his own luck as well, but it feels more deserved and satisfying narratively because we see him work for it both mentally and physically way more.

i just didn’t really like roran as a character. i didn’t really understand why he needed to be such a prominent pov.

I forgot how much of an absolute UNIT Roran is, even at the start of Carvahall’s issues. My man just casually caught his spear a soldier had taken and thrown at him, and then used it to Pierce the man’s Armour and kill him. Like?? I’m sorry military training who??

Roran says he was as surprised as the soldier but like, come on man who drops their primary weapon to pull a stunt like that?