The Shadestriders

Raern Shadestrider - Blood Elf Banshee Rellinth Shadestrider - San'layn Death Knight

[raerns]

Hrm... Thinking heavily about starting up a RP blog again (not sure if WoW rpc is even still active, and I'm not interested in getting caught up on lore anyway)

But BG3 has my brain... Specifically Gortash... I see there's already at least two active Gortash's... I wonder if there's room for a third?

I could also try Ketheric, or a few others... I dunno, what's the BG3 rpc in need of?

[sword-hearted]

“I have survived, but I have not been spared.”

— Deathless, Catherynne M. Valente

[haybalemaze]

Prodigal Son 1.09 pied-à-terre

[shadestriders]

Mass Effect Verse tag dump

[wishbzne-deactivated20210526]

the black art, anne sexton

[felonous]

Say Anything Saturday!

~* Confess something on anon *~ ~* Whisper something into their ear *~ ~* Write an (non)anonymous letter *~ ~* Say something to cheer them up or even piss them off *~ ~* Tell them something dirty to get a reaction *~

Say anything!

Anon is on!

[edenmemes]

the witcher (show) starters

❝ victimhood is not your colour. ❞

❝ you can’t outrun destiny just because you’re terrified of it. ❞

❝ your job is to control chaos, not to succumb to it. ❞

❝ you don’t deserve the air you breathe. ❞

❝ not a single person alive looks in the mirror and doesn’t see some form of deformity. ❞

❝ you lie, you keep secrets. you succumb to emotion and weakness. ❞

❝ not answering questions is part of your brooding pillar of charm. ❞

❝ you’re just mad because you lost your chance to be beautiful. ❞

❝ you smell of death and destiny, heroics and heartbreak. ❞

❝ there’s no power in puppeting fools. ❞

❝ i’ll leave that for someone who gives a shit. ❞

❝ i need to get back to my horse. ❞

❝ your will to live is strong. ❞

❝ i’m still not enough. even for you. ❞

❝ need a hand? i’ve got two. ❞

❝ my men will kill you. ❞

❝ i’m here to drink alone. ❞

❝ go. on your own or at the end of a rope, your choice. ❞

❝ do you know how many people wouldn’t blink if you died? ❞

❝ you weren’t taking control. you were losing it. ❞

❝ people call you a monster too. ❞

❝ i’ve waited all these years for you to admit we’re made for each other. ❞

❝ if only you could tell between friend or threat. do you even know the difference anymore? ❞

❝ when you live as long as i do, all the names sound the same. ❞

❝ were you in love? ❞

❝ this place isn’t safe when you’re alone. ❞

❝ the only thing you do quickly is flee. ❞

❝ even if you were a beauty, still, no one would love you. ❞

❝ not a happily ever after after all. ❞

❝ hm, doesn’t rhyme. all good predictions rhyme. ❞

❝ you are making me uncomfortable. ❞

❝ unchecked kings and queens start massacres. ❞

❝ i just want some damn peace. ❞

❝ i dreamed of becoming important to someone someday. ❞

❝ the only thing special about you is the crown on your head. ❞

❝ what do you long for? fame? money? power? ❞

❝ what? no one mentioned the impending doom part. ❞

❝ true words are rare words. ❞

❝ i want more. i have to be more. ❞

❝ do other women find this coarseness charming? ❞

❝ love casts long shadows. ❞

❝ if she runs, kill her. ❞

❝ don’t give me that look, shitling. ❞

❝ today isn’t your day, is it? ❞

❝ how come when my life comes to shit you’re the one shoveling it? ❞

❝ i know who you are. what you are. ❞

❝ i envy you. to live, and to have no love. ❞

❝ you’d leave a man bound to die in such a dignity? ❞

❝ i loved your mother. ❞

❝ don’t you know who i am? ❞

❝ so that’s all life is to you? monsters and money? ❞

❝ there’s a vortex of fate around us. ❞

❝ is history a wheel doomed to repeat? ❞

❝ the sword of destiny has two edges. ❞

❝ i’ve considered your company and conversation payment enough. ❞

❝ this isn’t who you are. ❞

❝ no amount of power or beauty will make you feel worthy of either. ❞

❝ i don’t believe anyone has that power. ❞

❝ nobody smart plays fair. ❞

❝ i won’t listen to a man who pimps the world as some romantic adventure. ❞

❝ a true man would state his desires. ❞

❝ don’t turn this on me. ❞

❝ i want to be powerful. it’s what i’m owed. ❞

❝ that makes sense just as much as it doesn’t. ❞ 

❝ you’re smart, aren’t you? you know everything. ❞

❝ i feel something out there waits for you. ❞ 

❝ please don’t hurt me. i’m lost. ❞ 

❝ i won’t kill you…but you cant stay here. ❞ 

❝ there’s no ‘us’. there’s only me. ❞ 

❝ i’m asking for a teeny-weeny little favor. ❞ 

❝ yeah, you’re probably right. but what if you’re not? ❞

❝ i’m not your friend. ❞ 

❝ you and destiny can both fuck right off. ❞ 

❝ i love the way you just sit in the corner and brood. ❞

❝ i will not suffer tonight sober. ❞ 

❝ pretty ballads hide bastard truths. ❞

❝ i will not involve myself to petty men’s squabbles. ❞

❝ happy childhood makes for dull company. ❞

❝ it’s impossible to be prepared for every battle. keep your sword close, and keep moving. ❞

❝ i see a lot of myself in you. ❞

❝ you can’t change the world this way. ❞

❝ i don’t need anyone. & the last thing i want is someone needing me. ❞

❝ alright, stand close to me and pretend you’re mean. ❞

❝ why are you dressed like a sad silk trader? ❞ 

❝ only one of us will be alive to find out. ❞ 

❝ i stole rather than starve. i killed rather than be killed. ❞ 

❝ i have’t only done good in my life either. ❞ 

❝ it’s like ordering a pie and finding out it has no filling. ❞ 

❝ when i cut my finger i bleed. that’s human, right? ❞ 

❝ they’re rough around the edges but they’re earthling like me. ❞ 

❝ royalty is best endured in small doses. ❞ 

❝ i thought the world needed me too. ❞ 

❝ sometimes, the best thing a flower can do for us is die. ❞ 

❝ handy with a blade. handy with women too. ❞

❝ are you trying to hurt my feelings? ❞

❝ you look like you’ve been through hell. ❞

❝ i can’t do this without you. ❞

❝ you know cautionary tales won’t work on me. ❞

❝ you talk nonsense while making wise and meaningful faces. ❞

❝ the apple never falls far from the tree. ❞

❝ when i go it will be far more dramatic than this. ❞

❝ try not to get any daggers in your back before dawn. ❞

❝ you have your mother’s blood. you’ll be alright. ❞

❝ a great ruler always chooses mercy. ❞

❝ it took two strikes to kill him. they weren’t clean. but they were spectacular. ❞

❝ if i have to choose between one evil and another, i’d rather not choose. ❞

❝ i would do anything to forget who i was. ❞

❝ i have no doubt blood will be spilled here tonight. ❞

❝ there’s a grain of truth in every fairy tale. ❞

❝ people look at you for who you are, not what you can give them. ❞

❝ do you believe in destiny now? ❞

❝ we can leave. we can find a way out. ❞

❝ lovers? fun for a bit, i’ll admit, but all eventually disappoint. ❞

❝ let’s face it, you’re a girl. we’re just vessels. and even when we’re told we’re special, we’re still just vessels…for them to take…and take…until we’re empty…and alone. ❞

❝ people like to invent monsters and monstrosities. then they seem less monstrous themselves. ❞

❝ every time i’m around you i say more in five minutes than i’ve said in weeks. ❞

❝ maybe someone out there will want you. ❞

❝ if you must kill me, i’m ready. ❞

❝ people linked by destiny always find each other. ❞

❝ thank the gods. i might live to see another day. ❞

❝ i was having a rather lovely dream which then turned into a nightmare. ❞

❝ you desperately need money for new clothes.  ❞

❝ more and more, i find monsters where i go. ❞

[violentwavesofemotion-deactivat]

Michael Cunningham, from “The Hours,” originally published c. 1998

[ice-fairy-chiruno]

A pair of commisions for @raerns of xir WoW characters - Raern and her beloved Alana in the first image, and with her brother Rellinth in the second. These were super fun to tackle! Thanks for your support. ^^ Commission Info || Ko-Fi

[rollingstoneboycomplex]

when Lemony Snicket wrote “I will love you if I never see you again, and I will love you if I see you everyday” that hurt me

[heavensickness]

Full paragraph hurts even more.

“ (…) I will love you as we find ourselves farther and farther from one another, where once we were so close… I will love you until your face is fogged by distant memory. I will love you no matter where you go and who you see, I will love you if you don’t marry me. I will love you if you marry someone else and I will love you if you never marry at all, and spend your years wishing you had married me after all. That is how I will love you even as the world goes on its wicked way.”

[shadestriders]

"What the hell did you just do?!" -Kalistra

Raern drifted forward, her wicked grin still apparent despite her ethereal state. “It’s a lovely little trick that comes with being a banshee,” she cooed, sounding far more haunting without a body to muffle the higher frequencies of her voice. To add to the girl’s discomfort, she drifted through Kalistra. “Do me a favor and keep an eye on my body.” Referring to the slumped corpse that collapsed when she had left it. “This shouldn’t take long.”

[shadestriders]

"How the hell did you get in here?" -Kalistra

Raern raised an eyebrow as she looked around the dank prison cell, crossing her arms. “Did you forget I pick locks, Ranger Heartpride?”

[nocturnexsins-archived]

Reblog if you are willing to do toxic ships

Not every love is sweet and kind Sometimes, love is dangerous Poisonous, addictive, obsessive Leaving emotional, mental and physical scars Don’t want to walk away, refuse to let go To need, no matter how much it hurts To know the same pain is returned Because some don’t want just the sweet They crave the bitter too

[shadestriders]

shadowsblades​:

          “I watched the Scourge destroy Quel’Thalas. Then they crossed to Quel’Danas and defiled the Sunwell, too. Nowhere was safe. Not the woods, not Silvermoon, not even the sea. And when they were done, there weren’t even enough of us left to bury the dead. Most of the kingdom is still in ruins. It will be thousands of years before our people recover, while they…” Her head turns, nodding to the Forsaken shuffling about, carving out normal lives without a hint of contrition ( but why should they feel contrite for something they had not done? ).

          Beneath her cloak, hands, molded to the hilts of her daggers by the frequency of her reach for them, clench, Valeera chagrined by her inability to finish her thoughts aloud as well as by the chink in her typical facetiousness which exposes a turbulence of thought rarely revealed to anyone to a woman who ranks not much higher than colleague —— not necessarily even an ally. That her companion goes on, prying that crack open further, filling in the blanks she had left as if reading her mind ( now that is an unsettling thought, and one that currently vexes more than it amuses ) only exacerbates her disquiet.

          As usual, her agitation teases squirming anger, pushing blame towards the Forsaken roaming so harmlessly and ordinarily about the sewers which she knows already to be unwarranted. She had known it before the encounter with Gerald, known it before the Alliance’s incursion into the Undercity years ago and her creep through the sewer city earlier today, known it even before collaboration with undead of her avocation. She has no good reason not to extend to them the same regard she does to other races —— only resentful and superficial ones. She cannot even take patriotic umbrage at the suggestion that their existence is just as meaningful as the blood elves, though part of her habitually stirs to do so.

          Reluctantly, she lifts her head bowed by the weight of self-reflection to survey again the life all around them. The once-human men hunched side-by-side with fishing lines cast into the sickening green whorls sludging through the canals, so much like those who try to coax fish from Stormwind’s. The stalls from which others peddle the products of their crafts, no different from the traders across Azeroth. If Valeera has not treated the Forsaken with any more cavalierism than she does most others, her private assessment of them has not always been so generous.

          “Perhaps they will have it,” she concedes flatly. A path towards peace is what Anduin hopes will come of the reunion, at least, broadening of the invaluable cooperation that had existed between the Alliance and Horde in the war against the Legion. What this entire expedition of Valeera’s has been testing the validity of, and what looks more and more likely to succeed, provided the other player in the game plays nice. While she is more convinced now of the amicability of the Horde participants, her wariness of their ornery Warchief is unchanged.

          Lady Shadestrider goes on, with caution that suppresses any affront Valeera might otherwise take to the suggestion that she is somehow less than those vaunted Farstriders who had so nobly “put aside” their experiences to ally with the sin’dorei’s once-enemies. The point is another nail in the coffin of her shame, but she has jeopardised too much of her pride already to address the sentiment with the same thoughtfulness with which it had been offered, even alone in the stone confines of the elevator to the surface. Instead, her reply is a snorted retort patching the fissure rent in her armour with good-natured mockery of her companion’s triteness, “Next you’ll be asking me to give the quel’dorei a break.”

          The elevator shudders to a halt, the doors grinding open to blissfully fresh air Valeera inhales with an audible sigh of relish. Her cloak too is shrugged open, revealing skin, leather, and her unbound hair, hastily shaken free, to the crisp breeze whistling through the ruins of Capital City, seeking relief from the clamminess imbued by the metropolis below. There is none to be found from the turmoil of her thoughts ( not here, at least ), and though her shoulders are squared and steps are confident as she turns face Lady Shadestrider, her bearing lacks a fraction of the self-assurance she had possessed upon her arrival, “Thanks for the tour. I’ll remember this next time I feel a yearning for sewers again. I’d offer to return the favour, but……”

Faintly golden eyes grow into molten amber

as Raern’s jaw tightens at the mention of their troublesome kin. Her thoughts and emotions concerning the quel’dorei were dark knots of betrayal and anguish, dire and messy with the complexity of her deepest motivations.

Many high elves that refused the taste of fel and were summarily banished from Quel’thalas had served as Rangers and Farstriders just as Raern had. Some had even bore witness to the terrifying Scourge when she had not. Even those who did not, who were in Dalaran, or scattered to outposts elsewhere, she could not judge considering her own absence.

She had begged Lor’themar not to bar the quel’dorei, not to split their fractured people even further. But her protests had not been appeased.

Raern’s nostrils flared in a sharp inhale. It was getting harder by the year to still see the high elves as her people. As Thalassians. With how they remained so staunchly loyal to the Alliance, to allies that had shirked Quel’thalas when her people were in such a dire hour of need. Raern could have easily been among them. She had tried to subsist without the Sunwell and without the siphoning that their misguided Prince offered for substitute.

But she had fallen.

And the quel’dorei, those that found solutions to the south, or who’s resolve proved mightier than her own, sneered at her when she had first seen them again during the Northrend campaign. Even once amiable acquaintances and siblings in arms were so willing to stare down their nose.

But even then, Raern had remained staunchly committed to the importance that all Thalassians needed to be protected, if only so her people might continue for further generations. If only so those thousands of years Valeera spoke of would actually come to pass.

Until the Purge.

Until the wayward Windrunner, the young and brash ranger that Raern had hand in training to lead took that knowledge and turned it on their own innocent, civilian people.

Her ears tremble through a wave of rage that her musings brought crashing through her and if her hands were not already clenched tightly behind her back, they would have found new purpose squeezing the leather wrapped around her dagger hilts. “No,” Raern manages with only the faintest quiver in her tone, the slightest indication of her inner beliefs ( yet far more of a reaction than she had ever allowed another to witness, even trusted allies ) betraying her anger at the subject.

“No, I would not ask you to offer any such compassion when they clearly want none.”

Walking in cleaner air serves to calm her chaotic emotions faster than anything else she might have attempted, and she turns her attention fully back to Sanguinar, regarding the lessened ( if only marginally ) confidence she sees in the other’s countenance. She inclines her head in acknowledgement of expressed gratitude, regardless of how forced it may be.

“But you would not need to,” Raern finishes her companions statement, smirking knowingly. Of course, the Stormwind that Ranger Shadestrider had once walked freely was not the same as the city that now stood to the south, but it was remarkably easy these days to tread where she was no longer welcomed. Much of the night guard were familiar enough with catching glimpses of a red-cloaked woman with pointed ears to not question auburn hair instead of blonde.

“Perhaps one day, you won’t need an escort,” Raern hedges, letting her gaze journey aimlessly along worn stone and rotting wood. “I know I speak not just for myself in saying Azeroth is tired of this cycle of hatred we seem to always circle back to. As much as Varian appeared to be... cooling, I should think Anduin the more willing to broker a lasting peace.”

[shadestriders]

Shipping Info

WHAT IS YOUR OTP FOR YOUR CHARACTER?:

Now, technically it’s Raern/Alana, but I feel like that’s a bit of a cop out, so if I had to choose a canon character for Raern... You would think I might go with Sylvanas, but really, Raern is a much better character when her attraction to Sylvanas goes unrequited. So... here’s an interesting one... Raern/Tess Greymane. I think Raern would be trying to manipulate Tess somehow, and then would actually get to know her and see a lot of traits she finds favorable and would grow a sort of affection there.

WHAT ARE YOU WILLING TO WRITE WHEN IT COMES TO SHIPPING?:

Just about anything, so long as it fits the character chemistry. Anything NSFW would likely be moved to Discord, though.

HOW LARGE DOES THE AGE GAP HAVE TO BE TO MAKE IT UNCOMFORTABLE?:

WELL It really comes down to races at that point. Raern is about the equivalent of 25-27 year old human, so I would be comfortable shipping her with humans in their twenties, even though that’s a two hundred year gap. But I wouldn’t be chill with that kind of gap with an elf (with the other partner being younger, that is). Raern shipping older? Oof, sky’s the limit on that one, really. 

ARE YOU SELECTIVE WHEN SHIPPING?:

Not super selective. Raern is the more picky one, lol. If the chemistry/attraction is there, I’m down to write it out.

HOW FAR DO STEAMY MOMENTS HAVE TO GO BEFORE THEY ARE CONSIDERED NSFW?:

It’s a delicate line, I think... basically, if we’re getting to the point of using terms for genitalia, it’s time to transition it to another platform/under a cut.

DOES ONE HAVE TO ASK TO SHIP WITH YOU?:

I mean... not as a rule, but because Raern is such a picky partner, an OOC conversation (or several) is probably in order.

ARE YOU SHIP OBSESSED OR SHIP MORE-OR-LESS?:

In between? Okay, that’s a lie, I’m pretty Ship Obsessed, but not necessarily just romantic ships. I’d love to see Raern develop more relationships IN GENERAL because she’s such a damn mess on her own.

ARE YOU MULTISHIP?:

Of course. I’m open to either poly ships or have separate AUs for each ship.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE SHIP IN YOUR CURRENT FANDOM?:

Uhhhhhhhhh... I will always have a soft spot for Sylvaina, but I’m starting to kick around plot bunnies for a longfic of Shandris/Vereesa...

FINALLY, HOW DOES ONE SHIP WITH YOU?:

Ask! Slide into my messages and let’s have a conversation, brainstorm some plots and whatnot. Tagged by: @kalistra-heartpride

Tagging: Uhh... I think this already caught everyone, but just in case lemme send it to @shadowsblades and @lightsblade (even tho like half of this doesn’t apply to you two, lol)

[rpmemeheaven]

Partners in Crime Starters!

Requested ; triggers include murder and general tomfoolery 

❝ you have got to be kidding me. ❞

❝ i can’t believe you actually dragged me into this. ❞

❝ the code word is churros. ❞

❝ walkie-talkies? seriously? ❞

❝ this is the worst fake ID i’ve ever seen. ❞

❝ shh! you’re gonna get us caught! ❞

❝ i’m out. i don’t wanna do this anymore. you’re on your own. ❞

❝ i haven’t had this much fun in a long time. ❞

❝ what the hell did you just do?! ❞

❝ that was NOT part of the plan. ❞

❝ i’ve got your back. ❞

❝ are you trying to get us killed?! ❞

❝ if it’s not illegal, it’s not fun. ❞ 

❝ no. no way i’m doing that. ❞

❝ forget it, we’re screwed! ❞

❝ i was just trying to help! ❞

❝ you just killed a man! ❞

❝ there’s a security camera. right there. FUCK. ❞

❝ you just left your fingerprints all over! ❞

❝ we’ve gotta get outta here, now. ❞

❝ seriously? THAT’S your plan? ❞  

Bonus: getting caught!

❝ –i can explain. ❞

❝ how the hell did you get in here? ❞

❝ get out of my fucking house before i call 911. ❞

❝ i’m not here to hurt you. ❞

❝ just give me back the money and we’ll pretend this never happened. ❞

❝ please don’t hurt me! ❞

❝ we did what we had to. ❞

❝ it wasn’t me! i’m innocent! ❞

❝ i didn’t do it, i swear. ❞

❝ just give it back. please. ❞

[allmymuseinspo]

“She wasn’t my first kiss but she’s the kiss that mattered, the kiss that made me realize I didn’t want to kiss anyone else. So now my lips belong to her. Just look at them… Her name’s written all over them.”

— Oko Ninjah (via okoninjah)