an unstrung bow is a stick

"you're an apprentice; you're not ready to think." I’m soph on the one riot server, avid_author_activist on ao3, and my main blog is @avid-author-activist

[stella-lesair]

Had an idea for a ranger superstition:

When the chain of the oakleaf necklace breaks, your next/current mission will end in disaster.

This disaster can be avoided by either giving the mission to another ranger or requesting backup. In other words, presenting the commandant or any other ranger with your broken chain and oakleaf is like a 100% solid argument for someone to either take over or join the mission.

[rangertessadarling]

so that's why Will's luck is so bad cuz he loses/breaks his oakleaf approximately every 3 months

[xell7yell7]

Good evening, I have more food

I love them sm I literally can't bsjdjdhejs

Enjoy some young Halt and baby Will trauma of expectations yayy

A bit cheesy but that's what we love

(dont ask abt the cloak pls its horrible)(I did this instead of sleeping)

[nightwingtheanimater]

Headcanon that Halt's legal name isn't Halt and that he was nicknamed Halt because every day he did something stupid/illegal/arson and someone had to yell 'HALT!'

Then Caitlyn started calling him Halt and Halt decided to go by Halt because his legal name is pretty rare and people might realise who he is if he told them his real name.

[iwanttobepersephone]

COMMISSIONS COMMISSIONS COMMISSIONS

I HAVE COMMISSIONS NOW!!!!!!

My cheapest commissions is $10, so they're very cheap and hopefully everybody who wants one can afford one! I do commissions through artistree! Here's the link ⬇️

persephonewannabe's Commission Form | Artistree

persephonewannabe's digital art commission form. On Artistree, human creators are fairly paid, organized, and environmentally conscious. Art

Reasons you should commission me:

1. I want money

2. School lunch is genuinely like air and I want food after school

3. Rangers apprentice people! You wanna meet me? If I manage to save 900$ in a year I can go to RA day next year! But I can only do that through commissions! So! Please!!! (If you have the money take care if yourself first)

4.

5. I want money

[thelittlebantamrooster]

I've been wanting to do this scene for a while, and @that-one-enby-ranger-2000 suggested I do this back in my word blog. Here it is. I'm back to my old background-hating ways, because there's so much more I could have included in the picture, but I didn't want to detract from Will and Halt in the infamous Boar Scene.

[araluen-arrows]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

FUCK ICE, FUCK THE US GOVERNMENT, FUCK THE AMERICAN EMPIRE

(we'll win. this fic is for escapism and those who need a little hope btw)

[araluen-arrows]

RA characters at protests

related ao3 fic

Alyss is a street medic. She was going to be a diplomat, but halfway through school, she realized how twisted the world was, and why would she want to represent a government that shoots its own people? Diplomacy is about peace, but Alyss has learned she'd rather heal the hurts happening right in front of her.

Halt has spent his life blending into crowds and staying inconspicuous. These skills serve him well when shit goes south, and he'll protect the people marching next to him or die trying. Good luck to the person who tries to arrest Halt. He's an old hand and knows every protest rule in the book: no biometrics, no phone, no logos. Has been known to moat an ICE agent or two.

Crowley is Halt's protest buddy. They've run from cops so many times that their rhythm is like a dance: distract, escape, rendezvous. Also, someone has to crack ironic jokes about the world going to hell in a handbasket, okay, and Halt's too serious for his own good.

Pauline leaves her cushy day job when the abductions start happening. She's supposed to project an image of institutional neutrality, but—fuck that. Neutrality is for when people aren't dying. Institutions need to be burned down. She picks up a flyer one day, shows up to her first one, and doesn't stop coming.

Cassandra is holding a megaphone and yelling her heart out. No justice, no peace. She's brought a drum to the ICE hotel, and these bastards aren't getting a wink of sleep if she has anything to say about it. Wherever the banner is, she's holding it. (Alyss became a street medic for a reason).

Tug was the one who bit off the guy's finger in Minneapolis, and he'd do it again, thanks very much.

[araluen-arrows]

Can you please continue the 'Will is Morgarath's son' AU? I recently read it and love it so much! You are an amazing author. Seriously.

ANON IM GOING TO CRY i discontinued that because it wasn’t getting notes but i am so ready to finish it tomorrow ahhh thank you!!

[araluen-arrows]

hey anon this ask is from july 2020 and it is now 2026 but let the record show I DID FINALLY FINISH IT HERE

[araluen-arrows]

will is morgarath's son (part 3)

previous parts

There’s no hiding Will’s heritage after that. Halt was supposed to have more time, but Will has seen monsters now. He sits down on the porch with a cup of coffee, and when Will asks to try some, he doesn’t say no. He suppresses a smile as the boy takes a big mouthful and spits it back out down his front. “You’ll learn,” he says. 

Then he begins to tell Will a story about the old Baron of Gorlan. This Baron was a very powerful man who wanted to take over the country. There was a war fought between two great armies, but the King eventually drove the other side away. 

Will stares at him, enraptured, like this is a bedtime tale in the Ward. Halt chews his next words over and wonders if that childlike gaze is about to be shattered. “But the Baron will come back,” he says, “because he left something important in Araluen. He left you, Will. You are his son.”

Will is very quiet for a long time before he says, “My father is a bad person?” 

Then, even more quietly: “Is that why he didn’t want me?”

Halt has no good response to that. It’s too soon. He was supposed to have more time. He mumbles out a response for Will that children are not their parents and that, sometimes, even parents trying to do right by their child will make mistakes. 

Is this the right thing to say? If he’d come up with something better, if he’d told the truth, could he have stopped what was to come?

For now, Will only nods, his chin up, and Halt wishes that bravery wasn’t a prerequisite for surviving childhood, as it so often seems to be.

+

The fewer people who know about Will’s parentage, the better, so he remains Will No-Name. Will protests once to Horace that his father was a powerful Baron, but he is only met with scornful jeering. It’s a lonely life, being a No-Name, and lonelier still when you cannot explain where you come from. 

Afternoons with Halt in the woods are the brightest parts of Will’s life. He is eight years old and can already hit a target at fifty paces. Will is a natural: he is quiet, inquisitive, and feels at home in the forest like nowhere else. The timeline might just work out, Halt thinks. Gilan is set to graduate in two years, and Will could start an early, extended apprenticeship. He could become one of the greatest Rangers there ever was. 

Then Morgarath does something unexpected. One rainy morning, a messenger arrives in Redmont bearing an argument. 

The letter is written in jagged black script. The Ward was created to watch over parentless children, Morgarath argues, but in the event that a parent is alive, legal guardianship should revert. Redmont should return Will to his rightful place. 

 A man who’s trying to overthrow the government has no business invoking the laws of that state. Halt snorts and derisively sets the letter on fire. 

Two months later, in the dead of winter, Morgarath’s Wargal army bursts out of Three Step Pass and begins to advance on Redmont. 

Continue reading (ao3)

[rangergaynger]

It was Berrigan.

Okay so hear me out, this passage makes it sound like a bunch of the rangers had a fucking meeting to determine wills name??? Which is great, and it’s definitely our favorite renegade rangers. You can’t tell me they would be thrilled at this opportunity, for a couple of different reasons.

1. It’s Halts apprentice, and guys let’s give him the absolute worst surname we can think of.

2. This is such a unique situation, you cannot tell me that this has happened more than two times. Like it says it’s because he’s an orphan, but logically most orphans still know their surnames. And there has to be other rangers with the same first name, or else they wouldn’t give them a new surname. Which means so many things have to align to give the corps this unique opportunity.

Other notable names the were suggested were:

Will Power (“come on Halt it’s good!”)

Will Burn (“NO.” “But halt think about it we could say Will Burn, will burn ____ next. It’s genius!” “It could make a great song” “NO”

Dulacy is suggested by Crowley, and very nearly accepted, but if Halt makes Will his son then it should be with his real surname.

Will Treason? (Samdash barely avoids Halts backhand. Crowley very quickly turns it down saying that’s more Halts thing, and hey maybe we should give Halt a surname. Halt Treason? “Only if you want an arrow through your leg”)

Will Sandstorm (“that’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard”)

Will Sea (“what has that got to do with anything he’s accomplished?” “I don’t know, I guess we ‘will see’ if anything comes up” “I could assign him to Seacliff, then it would fit perfect!” “You’re NOT helping”

Will O’ War

[thelittlebantamrooster]

Consider this my Christmas gift from me to you all lovely RA fanatics.

Not exactly how I envision Halt's front lawn, but I've never liked backgrounds, so I threw one down and called it good. While listening to the RoG audio book again, I was slapped again with one of Flanagan's clear visual pictures in my mind's eye and decided to draw it before the image faded.

You are now the recipients of my brain image slapping. 🙂👍

[foxbirdy]

every winter solstice I am consumed with thoughts of Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost...

[foxbirdy]

[caffeineinducedbeing]

A Small Detour

Will hadn’t expected to become a father. Not in any real or metaphorical sense.

So when he woke to the soft whimpers and squirming sounds coming from the corner of the cabin, it took him longer than it probably should have, as a fully graduated ranger, to register what exactly had transpired overnight.

“Ebony,” he said aloud, blinking at her and the... masses around her.

His sleek black dog, usually so composed and aloof, lay curled in the corner in a nest of pieces of old cloaks, stray fabric, and straw, a makeshift bed that Will had put together for her years ago, which was now surrounded by six damp, squeaky, blinking creatures.

Puppies.

Her puppies.

Will stared, sleep-mussed and slack-jawed, at the wriggling litter. One attempted to climb over its sibling and promptly rolled onto its back. Another yawned, a soft little squeak of a sound that made Will’s heart physically lurch.

He knelt beside Ebony, who raised her head as if to say, Well?

“I didn’t even know you were seeing anyone,” he murmured, hand hovering over the small creatures. “You’ve kept this quiet.”

Ebony blinked slowly, then lay her head back down as her master gave her a rewarding scratch behind her ears, the way he knew she liked.

Alyss’s voice floated in through the bedroom door behind him. “You’re talking to her like she’s a person again.”

“She’s a mother,” Will whispered, as if anything louder might startle the puppies. “She’s earned it.”

Alyss stepped inside, arching an eyebrow at the sight. “I go on assignment for three weeks, and you’ve let our dog become a matron.”

“I didn’t let her do anything,” Will said, slightly defensive. “She’s her own woman.”

“She’s a dog, dear.”

Will glanced at her, then at the pups, then at Ebony again. His face softened into something almost awestruck. “Look at them.”

Alyss sighed, crouching down beside him and resting her hand on her husband's back. “I am looking.”

He picked one up with ridiculous care, like it might melt if handled too roughly. “They’re so... little.”

The puppy yawned again and licked his thumb.

Alyss watched him with a faint smile, equal parts fondness and exasperation. “You’re going to try to keep all of them, aren’t you?”

Will said nothing. But the sparkle in his eyes betrayed him.

Life in the cabin changed overnight as the puppies quickly gained control of their newly discovered limbs.

They took over every surface they could reach. Ebony tolerated them with noble patience, though Will suspected she longed for her solitary life to resume. He, on the other hand, was completely and utterly enchanted. He fed them, cleaned them, named and renamed them

“That one’s Hobnob. No, wait, Clive. Or maybe Thistle… *a gasp* Alyss, what about Larry? Oh God, that's perfect, he looks just like a--”,

He even let them fall asleep in his lap while he tried to write reports.

Alyss remained skeptical to say the least.

“You can’t seriously be thinking of keeping six dogs,” she said one morning, when Will was on his hands and knees trying to retrieve one pup from beneath the hearth bench.

Will made a vague noise of protest, muffled by the fact that his head was currently under a chair. “They’re not ready to leave yet, they can't exactly be on their own.”

“They’re chewing on your quiver.”

“I can train them,” as he ripped the quiver from the snarling dog's mouth, pursing his lips as he examined the shredded state of it.

“One of them just threw up in your boot.”

He looked over at his boots in the corner and sure enough...

“That could’ve happened to anyone.”

Alyss rolled her eyes but didn’t say more. She wasn’t trying to be cruel, just realistic. Someone had to be after all. And--though she didn’t admit it aloud--she liked the pups, and what's more, she admired the gentleness with which Will handled the pups. The way he cooed at them when he thought no one was listening. The way he let the smallest one fall asleep tucked beneath his chin, curled into the crook of his collar.

That smallest one--still unnamed, still awkward with her movements--was quiet where the others were rowdy. Her fur was soft and dark like smoke, and her eyes… one was deep brown, the other a striking, milky blue. A birth defect, perhaps, or just a strange twist of nature.

“She’s not like the others,” Alyss had said quietly one evening as the pup nestled into Will’s arm.

He looked down at her. “No. She’s not.”

“She’s got spunk, though. I watched her steal a piece of meat from Larry yesterday.”

Will chuckled. “She’s certainly resourceful.”

They sat in silence for a moment. Then Alyss said, gently, “You can’t keep all of them. But maybe you keep one.”

Will hesitated.

Then nodded.

The next morning, he loaded a cart with care, laying down straw and soft cloth, placing each pup gently inside. Alyss stood beside him, arms folded.

“You said you were taking them to the farms.”

“I am,” Will said, straightening.

“But you’re going to the ward first.”

“Just a small detour.”

Alyss narrowed her eyes. “Will Treaty, what are you up to?”

He swung up into the driver’s seat and grinned nefariously. “I just .... have an idea.”

The Redmont Ward was quiet when he arrived.

Too quiet, Will thought. Unnaturally quiet for midafternoon. The children must have been in lessons or chores. He parked the cart in the courtyard and hopped down.

A few heads peeked out of windows. A small boy holding a broom stared, wide-eyed.

Will didn’t say a word.

He just unlatched the cart.

And opened it.

There was a beat of silence.

Then chaos.

The puppies exploded out of the cart like a cannon shot of fur and high-pitched yaps. They raced across the courtyard, tails wagging, ears flapping, pouncing on startled children who shrieked with delight. One climbed halfway up the laundry line. Another made a daring venture into the kitchen, chased by a furious cook waving a ladle.

Will leaned against the cart and crossed his arms, utterly satisfied.

Alyss stepped beside him, face blank. Startling her usually observant husband, who hadn't noticed her following him.

“You did this on purpose.”

Will didn’t look at her. “If something like this had happened when I was in the ward, it would’ve been the greatest day of my life.”

She tried to look stern. She failed and ended up smiling. “You’re such a menace.”

He grinned. “But it's such fun.”

“Unfortunately,” she muttered.

Within a week, most of the puppies had found homes.

Two were adopted by local farmers who promised to train them as herders. One was taken by the wardmistress herself--“to teach responsibility,” she claimed, though Will suspected it had more to do with the way the pup had curled up in her lap.

Another had become a permanent fixture in the stables, much to the stablehand’s initial horror and eventual surrender. One had even gone home with Sir Rodney, who declared he needed a companion on patrol and didn’t seem remotely embarrassed about it.

Only the runt remained.

She padded along behind Will as he walked through the trees one morning, her tiny paws soft against the forest floor. He glanced down at her.

“You sticking around, then?”

She looked up at him, mismatched eyes shining, and sneezed.

He crouched to pick her up.

Alyss emerged from the cabin behind him. “Still no takers for her?”

“Nope,” Will said. “Guess we’re stuck with each other.”

Alyss crossed her arms. “What are you going to call her?”

He blinked. “I figured you’d want to name her.”

She thought for a moment, then smiled. “Sable.”

Will repeated it softly. “Sable.” He looked at the pup. “Yeah. That fits.”

[nineteen-rats]

Are you still doing reqs? I'd love some more Crowley art

This request was sent way back in April (sorry)! Anon, if you’re still around, here’s some uncle Crowley :]

[chimeowrical]

First of all, your Halt and Cralt (Crowley/Halt) art is amazing! I really love the soft vibes it gives!

As for a request, I was wondering if you wanted to draw Maddie and/or Will? Perhaps Will training Maddie? I love them both a lot

I ALSO love Maddie and Will!!! I only read the first few Royal Ranger books but I love their dynamic so much I want to read the rest!!

[solarishashernoseinabook]

Headcanon that Will comes back from Skandia with a slight accent that never quite goes away

[araluen-arrows]

something something you may have made it back to the homeland but you will never be the same person again

[rangertessadarling]

ya know, every once in a while the notion comes back to me that halt literally got himself BANISHED.

because he found himself to be completely out of options. and he was so desperate to find his apprentice that he literally risked his life and his reputation to go after him.

like that whole plot is so underappreciated.

[vilewile]

It's not even that he risked his life and reputation, that's actually the smaller part of the deal. The real tragedy is that he sacrificed his home, which he found after losing the only one he'd ever had before, and his family, the one that accepted him after he had to run away from his own to save his life. He never expected Duncan to come up with that one-year banishment, he was certain that in the best case he'd have to forfeit everything he cared for, and not even in exchange for Will's life - who at that point might have been dead or resold as a slave so many times that finding him would take years, if it even was possible. No, he was ready to give it all up for an off chance that he'd be able to save his boy, and if that's not the most beautiful thing I've ever seen, then I don't know what is.

[solarishashernoseinabook]

And then. And then. He did this on the assumption that after saving Will, he'd still never see him again.

Because Will wanted to be a ranger. Will would have been a great ranger. Halt knew how much he loved the work. He wasn't going to take that away from him.

So he decides to get himself banished. He assumes this is the end of his career and his life in Araluen. He assumes he'll never be welcome there again. But he plans on getting Will, and bringing him back, and leaving him there. Maybe Gilan would take him on as an apprentice. But Halt's plan was to save his son, then never see him again