#afk orion

[windmaedchen-oceanhorn]

Crown of Ashes was something. ...

...

[paixroyale]

some orion sketches i did instead of studying for my finals #productive

[the-collector-blog]

new official afk journey art by seharuuchan (x)!

& peggy's drawing.... sobs.....

[rimirin2210]

Wtf bro🥀🥀🥀

[loremaster]

spreading my “gervan and orion were childhood friends” agenda

[audaciousstarpupil]

oh, the parallels between cyran and orion and merlin and peggy/rolan.

cyran and orion both desire power; cyran wants to be the greatest mage (or, really, just best merlin), and orion wants to be king. but no matter how much they fight for that power, they can never get what they want because their intentions are not in the right place.

one cannot simply manipulate their way into either position — ruler or merlin.

to become ruler of the lightbearer empire, one has to draw excalibur, a sword that can only be drawn by those who truly think for the people, who would truly sacrifice for their realm, and lead the empire toward the light. these are all traits orion lacks — all of his actions have been out of self preservation, of people not discovering his lineage, even going as far as binding his own relative to keep him quiet. whether or not he was rolan's true descendant, i don't think he could've pulled out the sword.

peggy, on the other hand, attempted to draw excalibur to save her people. she was not thinking about becoming queen in that moment of peril; she was acting on the instinct to protect those around her regardless of the consequences, and if excalibur had not been replaced, i believe she could have drawn it then. she embodies what a true leader of the lightbearer empire should be, embodies everything that orion is not.

(it makes me wonder if the whole "descendent of rolan" thing is a myth, something twisted throughout history. i wonder if prince orion had not gone down a dark path, if he cared more about his people than his own gains, that he could have drawn excalibur, bastard child or not.)

how to become merlin is still vague, though we know they are chosen by their predecessor and are the most powerful mage in all of esperia. however, i doubt they are chosen on magical prowess alone. the first seat is something close to dura, and seems to be a protector, a last line of defense; just like ruler of the lightbearer empire, merlins have to be willing to sacrifice themselves for the greater good, for the betterment of esperia. they are no longer a person beyond their title, beyond their duty — they are merlin first and foremost, and nothing more.

something that became very clear during cyran's spiral is that he cannot understand merlin's kindness, their selflessness — you chose to sacrifice yourself for this pathetic world... power enough to steer the world, and you treated it like something inconvenient. cyran attributes power to personal gain; merlin has not used their power to bring esperia to its knees, has chosen to stay in the background instead of seize control. cyran cannot understand why, so much so that he distorts merlin's motivations in his mind.

both cyran and orion thought of these titles (merlin and king) as something owed to them; in their eyes, they had earned them, something they have a right to; but they do not understand these titles for what they truly are, and that is why they keep falling short.

[another-goblin]

Ravioli invented a new food. Who should we call it after? (and a little bonus)

[yuzusarts]

Hairstyle swap? 🔁