#the faithless hawk

[neigetropicale]

I’m working on this fan art of Fie from The Merciful Crow

I’m currently reading The Faithless Hawk and it is so good I’m enjoying it so much !!

I never read such a creative fantasy concept before it’s so cool

[themelodyofspring]

JOMP Book Photo Challenge

July 12, 2023 - Cheers Me Up

New books, my plants flowering 💕

[fangirl-nadir]

I need more people to read The Merciful Crow and The Faithless Hawk just so I can talk about how much I want to smack Tavin in the second book

[book-worm132]

I finallyyyyy finished The Faithless Hawk by Margaret Owen (due to my inability to focus, the book was amazing). Loved it. Loved it. Loved it. I feel like the end was a tad rushed but thankful there was proper (and well done) resolution for all the loose threads. If you're into fantasy novels and looking to pick up something a little different, highly recommend the first book The Merciful Crow.

[ecrivainalene]

- The Merciful Crow by Margaret Owen (@what-eats-owls)

[lapseinrecs]

The Merciful Crow Duology

By Margaret Owen

Hook: A future chieftain. Fie abides by one rule: look after your own. Her Crow caste of undertakers and mercy-killers takes more abuse than coin, but when they’re called to collect royal dead, she’s hoping they’ll find the payout of a lifetime. A fugitive prince. When Crown Prince Jasimir turns out to have faked his death, Fie’s ready to cut her losses—and perhaps his throat. But he offers a wager that she can’t refuse: protect him from a ruthless queen, and he’ll protect the Crows when he reigns.A too-cunning bodyguard. Hawk warrior Tavin has always put Jas’s life before his, magically assuming the prince’s appearance and shadowing his every step. But what happens when Tavin begins to want something to call his own?

My thoughts: !!! This book was one of my favorites in high school ngl. I like the first book better than the second; I like the incomplete finality of the ending. There's just too much going on in the second book to really feel coherent. I thought the world building in the first book was a little bit more put together than in the second as well, but it's still a pretty solid book.

[slumbering-shadows]

tfh jas is so sassy im actually obsessed. why does this man always have his hands on his hips

[haaaaaaaaaaaave-you-met-ted]

The Faithless Hawk Cover Art (Spanish Edition) by Sebastian Giacobino

[lapseinart]

Honestly I was kinda scared to read the Faithless Hawk because I liked the uncertainty and ambiguity of the Merciful Crow’s ending, even if it left Queen Rhusana’s skinghasts a mystery. It wasn’t a necessarily happy ending but it was a pretty hopeful one, which I think is something that Fie struggled with (hope I mean) which was pretty satisfying for her development.

I feel like Owen didn’t fully plan out the series; as mentioned some of the themes in the second novel are absent from the first, which makes the transition to the “tear down the monarchy” to come somewhat out of left field.

The problem with occasionally shallow worldbuilding could’ve been improved by more characters from other castes I think, perhaps more interactions with the various servants in the castle; this could’ve made the “dissolve the monarchy” aspect of things more natural.

I do think that it would be far more interesting to wrestle with “how to make a monarchy work in the context of the world” than “no monarchy”

The memory aspect of the bones is a very clever way of showing a different point of view without actually shifting perspective and I appreciate that. I think having more of that could have deepened our understanding of the world in a way that Fie alone couldn’t because she and her band live outside of it.

Also I felt weird about some of the dead gods parts but I can’t remember why. Thought the idea of dead gods was super metal though, but some of the thing with reincarnation was weird

Especially the Phoenix Witches thing. Or multicaste Witches how does that work? I thought each god belonged to a certain caste and that’s why there were a set amount of Witches from each caste, but Tavin is both? Right? That’s why he had to teach himself how to allow himself to be burnt but can also to the Hawks’ blood thing. Correct me if I’m wrong it’s been a minute

Nonetheless I absolutely adore these books

Okay. Just finished Faithless Hawk by Margaret Owen. I am. I am. Borderline catatonic. Knocked flat. Consider my flabbers gasted. Absolutely fucking floored.

Hefty spoilers, probably.

Ok so it’s two books: The Merciful Crow and The Faithless Hawk. Owen learned from Bardugo and kept her Russian-YA-fantasy series as a duology rather than a trilogy, which does wonders for the pacing, but that’s a whole other conversation. I have a couple things I wanna address front-and-center:

One, the way Tavin is written. I, as a guy, have never felt seen by male love interests. The books I’ve read that feature leading ladies with male love interests tend to paint them very, very flat; cardboard cutouts who are defined solely by their interactions with the protagonist. Yes. I know what you’re going to say. My pity for every girl and woman who’s had to grow up reading books in which they were treated that way is immeasurable. It really is. I truly feel so incredibly lucky to have grown up with a wide variety of easily accessible heroic protagonists of my gender.

But to move along, Tavin has this kind of softness to him that pierces a deeper layer of characterization than many male YA love interests reach. It’s really truly driven home near the beginning of Faithless Hawk when Fie touches his tooth and sees through his eyes from when he thought he’d found her body. That scene did more for well-written ManPain than anything else I’ve seen in recent memory. It gave him the full complement of ManPain Generators: a Fie-shaped hole in his heart, a distinct and clear goal to fill it, something that completely shreds all hope of doing so, and the ability to have a bone-rattling, gut-curdling sobbing cry about it. It was fucking good.

Two, the use of refrains. “When, not if” is the first really big one, but it’s far from the hardest-hitting. I love stories with refrains in them. Wheel of Time has its intro paragraph, Kingkiller has “a silence of three parts”, Red Rising has “live for more”, etc. etc. etc. This duology has a wonderful complement of refrains that do a good job of treading the line between “this is something a character would conceivably repeat to themselves” and “this absolutely fucks but nobody talks like that”.

Very specifically, the repeated mention of the Money Dance in all its forms. It culminates in that absolutely diaphragm-clenching final iteration at the gates of Dumosa, but every time it comes up it adds just a little depth to the world. Fie knows that a Money Dance isn’t always a dance and isn’t always about money, and that’s something I appreciate as a lover of incredibly strung-out metaphor.

Three, the unabashed badass factor. Owen isn’t afraid to dish out lines that just rip your ass to shreds and toss it down the storm drain to rot. Really, anything surrounding Tavin is so goddamn Zuko-brand emo in the best way and Owen smacks you with so many good fuckin lines. “The best thing he could do with his life was die” and shit like that. C’mon, Margaret. Man. Don’t do that to me.

And the fact that Fie being… uh… feisty… actually tracks. Those of you who read my long-winded rants know that I have a serious issue with a certain popular YA fantasy author’s approach to “wit”. Owen neatly circumvents that by having Fie’s feist come from something, rather than being a trait in and of itself. She does a consistently good job of building Fie up to outbursts; it never comes from zero. Fie can be collected when she’s calm, but the situation rarely calls for it, especially in the latter half of the second book, so it works well. Also, her scathing remarks are legitimately scathing and never feel like an authorial attempt to tickle my (the reader’s) sense of humor. There’s funny shit, for sure, but it’s entirely contained within the narrative and never asks the reader to step in and laugh with the characters; they’re already laughing themselves.

And also, can’t forget the whole “we’re here to carry you.” God damn you Sean Astin for making me read the words “carry you” in your voice.

Four, the names. Look. I’m a sucker for a good name. “The Eater of *literally anything that isn’t traditionally eaten and has some metaphorical weight*” is pretty much the best possible name ever. Little more need be said here.

Five, and this one’s more for me as a person rather than me as a shitty amateur internet critic, it makes me wiggle in my chair and go “Eeeeeeeee!!!!” a lot, it makes me laugh out loud in my stupid little strained giggle a lot, and it makes me cry a LOT.

Make no mistake, this book has its flaws. I’m sure. I bet it does. Probably. Somebody else could point them out to you.

No, I’m kidding. I can.

There’s something left to be desired with the philosophy behind the politics at the end; it’s a little uninspired. “Oh, yeah, we’ll abolish the monarchy and put up a ruling council” YEAH BUDDY NEVER HEARD THAT ONE. Not a big deal, all told, and kind of falls squarely outside the purview of the story’s main themes, but I do wish there was a little more complexity behind it. Felt like too neat a bow to wrap up with.

The book is far more about character than world. You really don’t see shit about the world except through Fie’s eyes and her secondhand stories from others. It leaves a world with a lot of mystery and a lot of untold stories. This would be totally fine, but for some reason I got the feeling that these stories were just a little too faint to make the world actually feel bigger than this story. Throughout the two books, I never had a moment where I felt like I wanted to know what someone else was doing. This could be to Owens’ credit–her characters are too interesting to care about anything else–but it does make the world feel a little smaller. Like I said, the bow that tied off the story was a little too neat. 

Tavin can feel a bit cardboardy at times. Maybe a lot of times. He’s very much cut from the “hot strong warrior boy with a sordid life who just can’t love you” mold and it’s kinda silly. It’s played fairly straight and it works just fine; serviceable if nothing else. He’s not particularly 3D–more like 2.5D, think Paper Mario–but his contours are defined by the way he bounces off Fie so it works out okay.

Honestly that’s kinda it for criticisms? I just liked the books a lot.

Unexpectedly pretty solid and casual gay and bi representation, as well as at least two characters, one named, who use they/them pronouns. Not something that makes the series any more worth reading than it already is, but worth noting and kinda nice.

Actually, to go back to the thing about the worldbuilding: weirdly enough, it reminds me of John Wick. Just the first one, really. You see the surface of this placid pond of a world, but there’s a chill that runs through your bones that tells you it’s deeper than it looks. You see the character move through it and you realize they know every single little tooth of every single little gear that moves this machine. To be negative, the ending of the series feels a little bit like if John Wick had ended with him just walking in and killing the whole council and then went home happily to his dog where nobody would ever bother him again and he’d take naps on rainbows and sip on sunshine.

I understand and appreciate a happy ending. I loved that it was an unambiguously happy ending. It made me happy, if you can believe that. But there can be happiness in complexity. Some threads can be left loose, some problems can remain to be solved, without making the ending tragic or sad. Could’ve been nice.

But yeah you should read these books. They’re very good and prove my point that YA isn’t an indicator of quality, but rather of audience. If you, like me, are in your 20s, just let yourself automatically age everyone up by 10 years and you’re chillin.

[heykaya]

Ivory Wraith lines about Love Interests

Extracted from the game’s code (17th October 2024)

Sydney's one is pretty long, so it's on a separate post (here).

Robin:

Little nothing.

The wing-clipped are better smothered.

How far would you go? How far can you run?

You've built your cage, songbird. Lie in it.

(If Robin’s trauma is more than 20)

I'm sorry that you put your trust in him/her*.

*(referring to the player)

(If Robin has fully crossdressed)

New skin. Same sin.

Whitney:

Tormentor.

Drown in smoke. Drown in flame.

A suit of armour made of bodies. They're not here now

(If you have rescued Whitney from being dismissed)

Betrayed by your worst enemy. Do you love him/her*?

*(referring to the player)

Eden:

Eden...

So much left unsaid.

If you could take me with you...

You never should have stopped running.

Like a long lost friend you never knew.

You'll never be far enough. It never leaves.

(If player has Stockholm Syndrome: Eden)

You found a home, in collar and chains.

Avery:

Not all stains wash out.

Money. Material. Meaningless noise.

You still wouldn't be able to afford it.

(If High Rage Avery)

Wine mixes with blood, shed from the glass shattered.

Alex:

You would be nothing.

One of thirteen. Indistinguishable.

Water down your mind, until you destroy all you love.

(If Remy’s Encroachment is more than 60)

The locusts will have a new feast.

Kylar:

Child of monsters.

You've seen it, too.

A shadow, just as faithless.

Were your grip a little stronger.

Blistering emerald green, blinding the world. Such is your envy.

(If Ivory Wraith’s offspring is dead or sold)

You failed them. You failed us.

(If player has Stockholm Syndrome: Kylar)

Longing, belonging.

Black Wolf:

Wait your turn.

The howl, too, drips with red.

Dare to hunt. Be made to heel.

(If player becomes the leader of the wolf pack)

Bite the hand that feeds.

Great Hawk:

Wise to fear your reflection.

An untended egg never hatches.

Fly to the sun or sink in the mud.

The song never stopped. Did it ever begin?

(If Player can fly from the Harpy Transformation)

Count the feathers. Uncountable feathers.

Degrees of Lewdity - Text Based Masterpost

[the-pea-braned-warlock]

Do you like Setra's title?

Great King

the Imperishable

Khemrikhara

The Great King of Nehekhara

King of Kings

Opener of the Way

Wielder of the Divine Flame

Punisher of Nomads

The Great Unifier

Commander of the Golden Legion

Sacred of Appearance

Bringer of Light

Father of Hawks

Builder of Cities

Protector of the Two Worlds

Keeper of the Hours

Chosen of Ptra

High Steward of the Horizon

Sailor of the Great Vitae

Sentinel of the Two Realms

The Undisputed

Begetter of the Begat

Scourge of the Faithless

Carrion-feeder

First of the Charnel Valley

Rider of the Sacred Chariot

Vanquisher of Vermin

Champion of the Death Arena

Mighty Lion of the Infinite Desert

Emperor of the Shifting Sands

He Who Holds The Sceptre

Great Hawk Of The Heavens

Arch-Sultan of Atalan

Waker of the Hierotitan

Monarch of the Sky

Majestic Emperor of the Shifting Sands

Champion of the Desert Gods

Breaker of the Ogre Clans

Builder of the Great Pyramid

Terror of the Living

Master of the Never-Ending Horizon

Master of the Necropolises

Taker of Souls

Tyrant to the Foolish

Bearer of Ptra's Holy Blade

Scion of Usirian

Scion of Nehek

The Great

Chaser of Nightmares

Keeper of the Royal Herat

Founder of the Mortuary Cult

Banisher of the Grand Hierophant

High Lord Admiral of the Deathfleets

Guardian of the Charnal Pass

Tamer of the Liche King

Unliving Jackal Lord

Dismisser of the Warrior Queen

Charioteer of the Gods

He Who Does Not Serve

Slayer off Reddittras

Scarab Purger

Favoured of Usirian

Player of the Great Game

Liberator of Life

Lord Sand

Wrangler of Scorpions

Emperor of the Dunes

Eternal Sovereign of Khemri's Legions

Seneschal of the Great Sandy Desert

Curserer of the Living

Regent of the Eastern Mountains

Warden of the Eternal Necropolis

Herald of all Heralds

Caller of the Bitter Wind

God-Tamer

Master of the Mortis River

Guardian of the Dead

Great Keeper of the Obelisks

Deacon of the Ash River

Belated of Wakers

General of the Mighty Frame

Summoner of Sandstorms

Master of all Necrotects

Prince of Dust

Tyrant of Araby

Purger of the Greenskin Breathers

Killer of the False God's Champions

Tyrant of the Gold Dunes

Golden Bone Lord

Avenger of the Dead

Carrion Master

Eternal Warden of Nehek's Lands

Breaker of Djaf's Bonds

Which one :)

[themelodyofspring]

JOMP Book Photo Challenge

August 07, 2023 - OTP 💕

Fie🐦‍⬛ and Tavin🦅

[northirish]

Hey Mike you should drink some water today! Big font! 💧

I, Settra, the Great King, the Imperishable, Khemrikhara, The Great King of Nehekhara, King of Kings, Opener of the Way, Wielder of the Divine Flame, Punisher of Nomads, The Great Unifier, Commander of the Golden Legion, Sacred of Appearance, Bringer of Light, Father of Hawks, Builder of Cities, Protector of the Two Worlds, Keeper of the Hours, Chosen of Ptra, High Steward of the Horizon, Sailor of the Great Vitae, Sentinel of the Two Realms, The Undisputed, Begetter of the Begat, Scourge of the Faithless, Carrion-feeder, First of the Charnel Valley, Rider of the Sacred Chariot, Vanquisher of Vermin, Champion of the Death Arena, Mighty Lion of the Infinite Desert, Emperor of the Shifting Sands, He Who Holds The Sceptre, Great Hawk Of The Heavens, Arch-Sultan of Atalan, Waker of the Hierotitan, Monarch of the Sky, Majestic Emperor of the Shifting Sands, Champion of the Desert Gods, Breaker of the Ogre Clans, Builder of the Great Pyramid, Terror of the Living, Master of the Never-Ending Horizon, Master of the Necropolises, Taker of Souls, Tyrant to the Foolish, Bearer of Ptra's Holy Blade, Scion of Usirian, Scion of Nehek, The Great, Chaser of Nightmares, Keeper of the Royal Herat, Founder of the Mortuary Cult, Banisher of the Grand Hierophant, High Lord Admiral of the Deathfleets, Guardian of the Charnal Pass, Tamer of the Liche King, Unliving Jackal Lord, Dismisser of the Warrior Queen, Charioteer of the Gods, He Who Does Not Serve, Slayer off Reddittras, Scarab Purger, Favoured of Usirian, Player of the Great Game, Liberator of Life, Lord Sand, Wrangler of Scorpions, Emperor of the Dunes, Eternal Sovereign of Khemri's Legions, Seneschal of the Great Sandy Desert, Curserer of the Living, Regent of the Eastern Mountains, Warden of the Eternal Necropolis, Herald of all Heralds, Caller of the Bitter Wind, God-Tamer, Master of the Mortis River, Guardian of the Dead, Great Keeper of the Obelisks, Deacon of the Ash River, Belated of Wakers, General of the Mighty Frame, Summoner of Sandstorms, Master of all Necrotects, Prince of Dust, Tyrant of Araby, Purger of the Greenskin Breathers, Killer of the False God's Champions, Tyrant of the Gold Dunes, Golden Bone Lord, Avenger of the Dead, Carrion Master, Eternal Warden of Nehek's Lands, Breaker of Djaf's Bonds… and many, many more titles… Do not need water, I look great.

[skunts-own-truth]

The Tyranid Hive Mind has attempted many alterations to its usual array of bioforms designed for war. Not everything can end up advancing the Tyranid body towards the ideal killing machine, in fact, there are many failed strains of Tyranids that have been unleashed on the Imperium of Man in attempt to gain the upper hand against the resistant human biosource.

The lesser known Hive Fleet Cetus, to name one example, developed a rather interesting quirk in its strain of Tyranid bioforms. All variations of the foul Xenos monstrosities from Cetus had unmistakable, remarkably shaped humanoid lips. Full, kissable… some may even say “juicy,” these Xenos monsters took to the field smacking and puckering those lips together. Inquisitor Tarvus Gnull of the Ordo Orallius theorizes that these devastatingly succulent smackers were designed to lure human prey into a deep, and seemingly loving kiss. Once lip locked, the Xenos would then reveal its more monstrous nature, slaying or devouring the faithless dog who dared abandon their post to smooch a nightmare.

Truly terrible.

By chance, or perhaps by the divine machinations of the God-Emperor, Light of Terra, the world Hive Fleet Cetus invaded happened to be a recruiting world of the enigmatic Emerald Kiss-Hawks chapter of Astartes, known for their ability to kiss with the best of them. The world was saved, and the Hive Mind learned that kissing was not an evolutionary requirement to devouring all of mankind.

[sometipsygnostalgic]

Settra, known by many titles such as Settra the Imperishable, the King of Kings, High King of Nehekhara, the Khemrikara, Lord of the Earth, Monarch of the Sky, Ruler of the Four Horizons, Mighty Lion of the Infinite Desert, Great Hawk of the Heavens, Majestic Emperor of the Shifting Sands, Eternal Sovereign of Khemri's Legions, Opener of the Way, Wielder of the Divine Flame, Punisher of Nomads The Great Unifier, Commander of the Golden Legion, Sacred of Appearance, Bringer of Light, Father of Hawks, Builder of Cities, Protector of the Two Worlds, Keeper of the Hours, Chosen of Ptra, High Steward of the Horizon, Sailor of the Great Vitae, Sentinel of the Two Realms, The Undisputed, Begetter of the Begat, Scourge of the Faithless, Carrion-feeder, First of the Charnel Valley, Rider of the Sacred Chariot, Vanquisher of Vermin, Champion of the Death Arena, He Who Holds The Sceptre, Arch-sultan of Atalan, Waker of the Hierotitan, Monarch of the Sky, Champion of the Desert Gods, Breaker of the Ogre Clans, Builder of the Great Pyramid, Terror of the Living, Master of the Never-Ending Horizon, Master of the Necropolises, Taker of Souls, Tyrant to the Foolish, Bearer of Ptra's Holy Blade, Scion of Usirian, Scion of Nehek, Settra the Great, Chaser of Nightmares, Keeper of the Royal Heart, Founder of the Mortuary Cult, Banisher of the Grand Hierophant, High Lord Admiral of the Deathfleets, Guardian of the Charnal Pass, Tamer of the Liche King, Unliving Jackal Lord, Dismisser of the Warrior Queen, Charioteer of the Gods, He Who Does Not Serve, Slayer of Redditras, Scarab Purger, Favoured of Usirian, Player of the Great Game, Liberator of Life, Lord Sand, Wrangler of Scorpions, Emperor of the Dunes, Seneschal of the Great Sandy Desert, Curserer of the Living, Regent of the Eastern Mountains, Warden of the Eternal Necropolis, Herald of All Heralds, Caller of the Bitter Wind, God-Tamer, Master of the Mortis River, Guardian of the Dead, Great Keeper of the Obelisks, Deacon of the Ash River, Belated of Wakers, General of the Mighty Frame, Summoner of Sandstorms, Master of All Necrotects, Prince of Dust. Tyrant of Araby, Purger of the Greenskin Breathers, Killer of the False Gods' Champions, Tyrant of the Gold Dunes, Golden Bone Lord, Avenger of the Dead, Carrion Master, Eternal Warden of Nehek's Lands, Breaker of Djaf's Bonds and many more...

I REGRET ASKING

[kharak-the-skeleton]

Nagash is a bitch who gets fucked over by The Skaven (my beloved). There is one true leader of the undead!

I of course speaks of The Mighty Settra! Great King, The Imperishable, Khemrikhara, The Great King of Nehekhara, King of Kings, Opener of The Way, Wielder of The Divine Flame, Punisher of Nomads, The Great Unifier, Commander of The Golden Legion, Sacred of Appearance, Bringer of Light, Father of Hawks, Builder of Cities, Protector of The Two Worlds, Keeper of The Hours, Chosen of Ptra, High Steward of the Horizon, Sailor of the Great Vitae, Sentinel of The Two Realms, The Undisputed, Begetter of The Begat, Scourge of The Faithless, Carrion-Feeder, First of The Charnel Valley, Rider of The Sacred Chariot, Vanquisher of Vermin, Champion of The Death Arena, Mighty Lion of The Infinite Desert, Emperor of The Shifting Sands, He Who Holds The Sceptre, Great Hawk Of The Heavens, Arch-Sultan of Atalan, Waker of The Hierotitan, Monarch of The Sky, Majestic Emperor of The Shifting Sands, Champion of The Desert Gods, Breaker of The Ogre Clans, Builder of The Great Pyramid, Terror of The Living, Master of The Never-Ending Horizon, Master of The Necropolises, Taker of Souls, Tyrant to The Foolish, Bearer of Ptra's Holy Blade, Scion of Usirian, Scion of Nehek, The Great, Chaser of Nightmares, Keeper of The Royal Herat, Founder of The Mortuary Cult, Banisher of the Grand Hierophant, High Lord Admiral of The Deathfleets, Guardian of The Charnal Pass, Tamer of The Liche King, Unliving Jackal Lord, Dismisser of The Warrior Queen, Charioteer of The Gods, He Who Does Not Serve, Slayer of Reddittras, Scarab Purger, Favoured of Usirian, Player of The Great Game, Liberator of Life, Lord Sand, Wrangler of Scorpions, Emperor of The Dunes, Eternal Sovereign of Khemri's Legions, Seneschal of The Great Sandy Desert, Curserer of The Living, Regent of The Eastern Mountains, Warden of The Eternal Necropolis, Herald of All Heralds, Caller of The Bitter Wind, God-Tamer, Master of The Mortis River, Guardian of The Dead, Great Keeper of The Obelisks, Deacon of The Ash River, Belated of Wakers, General of The Mighty Frame, Summoner of Sandstorms, Master of all Necrotects, Prince of Dust, Tyrant of Araby, Purger of the Greenskin Breathers, Killer of The False God's Champions, Tyrant of the Gold Dunes, Golden Bone Lord, Avenger of The Dead, Carrion Master, Eternal Warden of Nehek's Lands, Breaker of Djaf's Bonds, and many, many more

SETTRA IS A BITCH WHO COULDN’T MAKE IT THROUGH VERMINTIDE.

ALL HAIL THE LICH KING.

(Also skaven are cool)