TIDE / ENDLESS

  𝐚 desert 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐬  /  𝐚 wilderness 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫  

[elcnar]

@thevictors​  asked  for  a  𝐋𝐘𝐑𝐈𝐂  𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑  (  accepting  ) ben  howard,  everything

«  every  kingdom  must  one  day  come  to  an  end.  »

[elcnar]

𝐄𝐔𝐑𝐎𝐍  :

IT IS A GAZE THAT BURNS RIGHT THROUGH EURON’S CORE; digs its way into his flesh, fills his veins with salt and his bones with iron. and still leaves him entirely bare. naked under the scrutiny of a creature more powerful than him           and it is the Crow’s Eye who averts his own eyes, smiling and evil alike. for the first time in his life, Euron Greyjoy relents, the head bowed, taking a step back. o, arrogance oozes through him, merrily mixing with the madness filling every pore, but he’s never been a stupid man. had he, he’d be long dead by now.

he knows. he’s seen. he has seen him closing his fingers around Robin’s throat when he’d been but a boy. had seen him pinching Harlon’s nose shut, watching while his half-brother had suffocated to death, his mouth sealed by greyscale. he’s heard him giving the order to have Balon killed while Silence comfortably swayed upon the waves, keeping her master safe. he’s seen him creeping into the tower at night, drunkenly staggering up the stairs; has heard the creaking of the hinges and has watched him drag them from their beds by their feet           

“our enemies?” Euron echoes the words, feels his rotten heart flutter in his chest. “our enemies is everybody. everywhere.” for everybody disrespects the Ironborn; stealing their glory, their birthrights, their values, even their children. the day Balon had fallen to his knees and watched as his flesh and blood had been dragged away, Euron had known his brother had to die. “you’re asking me to end the entire world, my lord.”

𝐇𝐄  𝐂𝐀𝐍  𝐀𝐋𝐌𝐎𝐒𝐓  𝐒𝐄𝐄  𝐈𝐓  :  a  flood  taking  over  every  piece  of  land,  soaking  it  wet  and  drowning  everyone  in  its  wake.  it  is  a  sight  that  pleases  him  greatly.  for  far  too  long  they  have  stayed  hidden,  emerging  from  their  rocks  only  to  go  on  a  few  raids,  scaring  nearby  villagers,  who  pay  their  price  in  blood  and  riches  almost  like  its  due,  like  it’s  something  they  resigned  themselves  about.  where  is  the  hunger  for  glory  ?  they  have  become  little  more  than  a  joke  and  it  is  too  much  for  him  to  bear,  to  accept  that  this  is  what  the  ironborns  have  become.  he  will  suffer  this  NO  MORE. the  ironborns  need  a  man  like  euron  greyjoy  to  help  them  find  their  way  again,  elenar  is  sure  he  has  what  it  takes  to  carry  out  this  task,  to  succeed  where  his  brother  failed.  he  will  do  as  asked  or  die  trying,  elenar  knows  this  to  be  true.

«  I  am  asking  you  to  end  those  who  dare  oppose  us,  to  show  them  no  mercy.  tell  me  ——  did  I  make  the  wrong  choice  ?  »

[elcnar]

𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐀𝐑  𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐎𝐌  𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐓  OO3  (  modern  )

[liquidlightandrunningtrees]

I burn, I freeze; I am never warm. I am rigid; I forgot softness because it did not serve me.

Catherynne M. Valente, Deathless (via liquidlightandrunningtrees)

[elcnar]

I  really  want  to  write  more  about  the  religious  lore,  but  for  now  I  will  say  that  I  view  the  relationship  ironborns  have  with  faith  much  similar  to  the  one  vikings  have.  and  I  believe  their  worshipping  also  involves  human  /  animal  sacrifices,  or  at  least  it  used to,  maybe  during  certain  events,  like  before  going  to  war. also  this  video  is  a  great  visual  inspiration  on  this  matter  for  me,  but  open  with  caution  since  it  contains  scenes  that  include  :  blood,  torture,  sacrifices  (  both  human  and  animal  ).  before  you  start  to  question  my  sanity..  it’s  a  tribute  to  the  show  vikings.

[elcnar]

𝐄𝐔𝐑𝐎𝐍  :

A CHILD. NOTHING BUT A YOUNG BOY, accompanied by the pitter-patter of bare feet upon the shore; a steady rhythm leading across wet stone and glistening algae while the sea softly cradles rock and sand. the wind carries his name, almost forces the Crow’s Eye to turn the head              to feel the curious eyes of the devil himself on one’s form has turned braver men to stone. not him. not a little boy. not one who must have something special about him; a feeling that sends a shiver up Euron’s spine, has his skin crawl with silent euphoria and everlasting anticipation. none of which he can quiet explain, but a madman embraces the feeling nontheless. mismatched eyes close at the sudden touch and he sees.

him. 

little boy, more powerful than all. and a pleased smile tugs at Euron’s lips, the deep black of his cursed eye glistening like a starless night above. many call Aeron a madman for his faith. too far gone, too delusional, too drunk on seawater. all that do lack the courage to look Euron in the eye and see what true madness is. grander and more dangerous than anything else. how else could he have caught the notice of a god? “good. it is your attention I wanted.” he’s tempted to reach out and touch Elenar, but doesn’t dare. there is only one deserving of the Crow’s Eye’s respect after all. “I almost feared you didn’t see me.”

𝐇𝐄  𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐋𝐃  𝐏𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐒𝐇  𝐇𝐈𝐌  𝐅𝐎𝐑  𝐇𝐈𝐒  𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐎𝐆𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄,  could  shatter  his  mind  and  leave  him  a  curled  up,  whimpering  heap  on  the  shore,  and  yet  the  sea  behind  him  remains  placid,  coming  up  to  embrace  his  bare  calves  as  sweet  as  a  lover’s  kiss,  no  storms  ahead.  elenar  needs  that  arrogance,  after  all,  needs  euron  to  believe  he  is  above  everyone  else  (  except  elenar  himself,  of  course,  that  he  would  never  tolerate  ),  needs  the  crow’s  eye  to  believe  it  is  his  right  to  push  enemies  under  his  heel.

«  I  see  everything  that  happens  on  these  islands.  »    gaze  much  sharper  than  his  voice,  a  reminder  he  knows  what  euron  has  done.    «  I  saw  you  as  you  came  into  this  world,  saw  you  harm  and  kill  your  own  blood.  now  I  want  to  see  you  bring  ironborns  to  glory.  I  want  you  to  bring  our  enemies  to  their  knees.  »

the  scar  on  his  side  throbs  faintly,  filling  his  ears  with  the  echo  of  splintered  wood  and  sinking  ships.  a  sound  he  will  never  forget.  a  failure  so  devastating  it  left  even  him  bleeding.

[txnkerbells]

❝ May I smoke? ❞

[elcnar]

𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓  𝐀𝐄𝐑𝐎𝐍  &  𝐄𝐔𝐑𝐎𝐍  𝐀𝐍𝐃  𝐖𝐇𝐘  𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐘  𝐀𝐑𝐄  𝐁𝐎𝐓𝐇  𝐈𝐌𝐏𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐓.

there  is  very  little  canon  to  back  me  up  here,  but  this  will  be  a  key  element  in  my  portrayal  and  my  interpretation  of  the  drowned  god,  regardless  of  what  will  be  stated  in  the  books. it  is  very  rare  for  elenar  to  show  his  real  nature  to  people  while  directly  communicating  with  them.  he  will  more  commonly  appear  in  dreams  and  mirages,  or  even  saltwater  induced  hallucinations,  but  never  with  a  clear,  distinguishable  form  if  he  wants  to  show  himself  as  a  god,  and  in  all  of  these  cases  no  words  are  ever  spoken  from  him.  there  are  two  notable  exceptions  :  aeron  and  euron  greyjoy.  two  different  men,  so  much  it  would  appear  foolish  to  choose  them  both  as  champions,  as  the  human  extensions  of  his  will.  and  yet  it  isn’t.  there  is  a  reason  behind  this  choice  and  it  doesn’t  come  out  from  personal  preference. 𝐀𝐄𝐑𝐎𝐍  :  in  aeron  he  sees  the  best  way  to  rekindle  the  faith  in  the  hearts  of  his  people.  the  shift  is  hardly  noticeable  to  the  human  eye,  but  ironborns  pray  less  than  they  used  to,  the  sacrifices  and  rituals  have  decreased  in  both  numbers  and  fervor  and  elenar  sees  it  all.  he  waited  until  he  deemed  him  ready,  then  blessed  him  with  purpose  and  the  right  abilities  to  make  people  turn  to  him  and  not  other  priests  (  he  canonically  manages  to  breathe  back  life  into  every  person  he  drowns,  after  all,  and  that  would  be  pretty  extraordinary,  not  to  mention  impossible,  even  in  modern  times  ).  he  is  to  be  his  messenger,  the  one  meant  to  spread  his  word. 𝐄𝐔𝐑𝐎𝐍  :  if  aeron  is  his  voice  euron  is  his  hand,  the  one  he  uses  to  bring  down  his  enemies  and  destroy  the  false  religions.  elenar  is  not  a  meak  or  peaceful  god,  after  all,  and  euron  is  the  perfect  symbol  of  his  wrath.  with  him  he  hopes  to  restore  the  ironborns  to  their  glory,  to  make  the  rest  of  westeros  pay  for  having  humiliated  and  belittled  them.   𝐖𝐇𝐘  𝐍𝐎𝐓  𝐀𝐒𝐇𝐀  :  for starters,  the  iron  islands  clearly  have  a  men  oriented  society,  so  it  would  be  much  harder  for  her  to  get  the  same  amount  of  power  that  euron  has.  so  right  now,  she  just  isn’t  the  best  option  to  get  what  he  wants.  who  knows,  maybe  one  day  his  favor  will  change,  I  can’t  rule  this  out,  nothing  is  set  in  stone  and  water  is  always  shifting.  men  are  temporary,  even  those  who  have  his  favor.

[elcnar]

𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐀𝐑  𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐎𝐌  𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐓  OO2  (  modern  )

[elcnar]

@tymptir​  didn’t  ask  for  it  but  gets  a  starter  (  euron  )

«  𝐄𝐔𝐑𝐎𝐍  𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐘𝐉𝐎𝐘.  »    name  spoken  like  a  sentence,  voice  as  cold  as  the  sea  wet  stones  the  god  is  balancing  his  human  legs  on.  look  too  piercing  for  such  a  young  face,  his  usual  boyish  grin  gone  and  so  is  the  mirth  dancing  in  his  eyes.

«  you  have  caught  everyone’s  attention.  even  mine.  »

he  doesn‘t  play  games,  not  with  him,  there  are  no  challenges  to  climb  higher  and  higher,  there  is  no  hiding  behind  a  facade.  something  in  the  man’s  eyes  tells  elenar  he  would  believe  him,  if  he  simply  told  him,  still  he  moves  slow  steps  in  his  direction,  bare  feet  never  losing  their  footing.  then,  quick  like  the  tide,  slightly  damp  fingers  touch  euron’s  forehead,  just  so,  a  brush  of  his  thumbs  ——  it  is  enough  to  confirm  his  identity,  a  wordless  reveal  few  ironborns  are  blessed  with.  only  a  small  number  of  them  are  chosen  to  bear  a  stronger  bond  than  most  and  euron  greyjoy  is,  undoubtedly,  one  of  them.

[elcnar]

@jernhjerte  asked  for  a  𝐋𝐘𝐑𝐈𝐂  𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑  (  accepting  )

«  everything  is  temporary,  everything  will  slide.  »

[elcnar]

   𝐋𝐘𝐑𝐈𝐂 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐋  !    hit  the  heart  and  I  will  write  you  a  starter  based  on  the  lyrics  of  a  song,  might  be  one  liners,  might  not  be,  who  knows.  they  should  be  short,  anyway.  no  cap  for  now.

[elcnar]

𝐓𝐎  𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐒𝐄  𝐕𝐄𝐇𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓  ,  𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐓𝐒  𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌  𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐓  .  //  @jernhjerte​  (  accepting  )

𝐁𝐀𝐋𝐎𝐍'𝐒  𝐃𝐀𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐄𝐑  𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐒  𝐁𝐄𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄  𝐇𝐈𝐌,  fierce  and  proud,  the  steel  in  her  gaze  as  sharp  as  her  battle  axe,  strapped  to  her  belt.  he  expects  nothing  less  from  asha  greyjoy,  a  warrior  at  her  core  and  he  knows,  right  there,  right  now,  that  she  could  do  much  better  than  balon  could  have  ever  hoped  for.  this  should  not  matter,  however,  elenar  should  not  (  must  not  )  take  sides  and  yet  he  cannot  help  the  wisp  of  pride  that  takes  over  his  heart  whenever  she  is  victorious. «  of  course  not.  the  past  should  not  define  you,  not  even  your  father’s.  »    go,  be  better  than  him,  do  not  fail  me  ——  he  keeps  this  locked  in  the  tight  set  of  his  jaw,  in  eyes  so  blue  they  seem  to  hold  the  entire  ocean  inside  them.  she  doesn’t  have  to  know  the  truth  about  him,  not  now,  maybe  not  ever.

[inkmagician]

“HOW TO LOVE A GOD: i. be prepared to burn. there is no way this will not spell tragedy, and you know this singsong melody of warning bells: your father’s gentle words, the restless-reckless humming beneath your skin. if you want to love a god, learn to ignore it. ii. throw yourself off cliffs to teach yourself how to fly. throw yourself off cliffs to teach yourself how to fall. iii. hollow out your body, divest yourself of these useless mortal organs. fill yourself with longing instead. iv. know that there are only a handful of gods but a world of mortals. you will not be the first glint of metal to catch the light of the sun, and no matter what you weave into your heart at night, you will not be the last. v. never forget that you will burn.”

— ICARUS’ GUIDE TO LOVING APOLLO | mythology reimagined #5 | paperharbors

[elcnar]

𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐀𝐑  𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐎𝐌  𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐓  OO1 

jump  this  ship  and  crash  into  the  waves break  my  back  on  jagged  rocks  again hold  my  ears  to  deafen  out  the  sound ignore  these  voices  that  will  drag  me  down when  the  sirens  call  my  name

[elcnar]

𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐘𝐏𝐒𝐎  :

lips part  &  curl,  teeth shown to convey her pleasure at his keen observation.  to be  known  again,  after so long of her true self being cloaked in mortal skin.   &  the humans never truly saw her,  not really.    but  of course  he would know her without needing to be told  –  they immortals learn to sense each other,  to recognize the certain  stillness  of those who had an eternity to fulfill their plans.    ❝  i am what the humans made of me,  ❞   she responds,  humor cloaking her bitterness    for now.     no defenses sensed,  she takes another curious step toward him,  a tide gradually approaching an unfamiliar shore.

❝  i can  see, ❞   she says then,  her dark eyes finding his  –  shockingly blue,  as vivid as any she had ever seen in all her time.    ❝  your eyes ‘ave no end in ‘dem.  ❞   staring as she is,  so open  &  entirely unabashed,   she half expects him to look away.   but his curiosity seems to match hers,  their gaze locked together as she approaches him.    ❝  a woman could  drown  in eyes like  ‘dem.  ❞

𝐈𝐓  𝐈𝐒  𝐍𝐎𝐓  𝐎𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐍  𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓  𝐇𝐄  𝐋𝐄𝐓𝐒  𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒  𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐍,  that  he  lets  himself  be  seen  in  such  manners,  bearing  his  true  nature  for  her.  what  he  is  shows  plainly,  like  brightly  painted  sails,  or  bloodied  knuckles  on  fair  skin  ——  not  having  to  trick  her  into  believing  he  is  something  less  as  sweet  as  the  first  gulp  of  fresh  water  for  a  thirsty  man.  they  are  divine  beings  walking  among  humans,  they  shine  brighter  than  those  around  them,  but  while  his  concealed  nature  is  a  choice,  hers  has  been  forced.  the  thought  makes  his  lips  curl  into  a  snarl,  disdain  a  stark  change  in  his  expression  ——  no  one  should  have  the  right,  humans  least  of  all. «  it  pains  me  to  hear.  no  one  should  ever  trap  us.  »    honesty  rushes  out  of  him  like  a  river  down  a  mountain  and  outrage  gives  his  eyes  a  fierce  look.  a  storm  brewing  on  the  horizon,  dark  clouds  gathering  and  no  place  to  strike. «  I  have  been  called  in  many  ways,  but  you  can  call  me  elenar.  »

[elcnar]

𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐘𝐉𝐎𝐘  𝐑𝐄𝐁𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐎𝐍  :  the  failed  attempt  at  independence  left  his  mark  on  him  as  well,  not  just  on  the  people  of  the  iron  islands.  elenar  is  forever  intertwined  with  them,  so  it  is  only  natural  that  he  should  share  their  misery  and  pain.  many  men  entered  the  halls  under  the  sea  during  those  months,  and  each  of  them  has  been  welcomed  with  great  honor.  it’s  not  their  loss,  however,  that  caused  him  suffering.  no,  the  hardest  blow  was  the  iron  fleet  left  in  pieces,  nothing  more  than  scattered  wood  in  the  water,  proud  and  strong  ships  broken.  even  a  god  tasted  blood  on  his  tongue  that  day  and  since  then  his  left  side  has  been  covered  by  a  scar  ——  it  will  never  fade  to  an  even  white,  he  wasn’t  granted  that  mercy,  instead  it  will  remain  harshly  painted  in  red  and  purple  and  blue.  a  faint  ache  to  remind  him  of  the  searing  agony  he  endured.  the  fleet  was  a  symbol  of  their  pride,  their  strongest  weapon.  on  the water  they  should  have  been  unchallenged,  yet  they  were  defeated  for  all  the  world  to  see  and  mock.