The Fourth Orëska

A nightrunner fanblog run by ashenhartkrie

[the-fourth-oreska]

Hey folks, looks like we've got some new followers! I haven't been very active here because work has picked up but if you'd like to join our discord here is the link - https://discord.gg/9yTVdpP9bX

[lozeyart]

I've been rereading my favorite book series and thought it was time I drew some fanart. But I also got sick and this is all I can give for now, a quick 10 minute sketch of Seregil. I love this series so much, and will be drawing more for it, but first, I gotta get better.

[practicefortheheart]

Alec gingerly touched his hair, shoulders, and arms, his expression almost feral in its intensity and distrust. After a moment, however, the look disappeared, replaced by the most wondrous look of relief Seregil had ever seen.

"O Illior, it is you. You're alive," Alec gasped, tears welling in his eyes. "That bastard! I should have guessed, but the blood, your voice, everything. But you're alive!"

Shuddering, he grabbed Seregil in a fierce embrace.

"Last time I looked," Seregil rasped, his throat tight with emotion as he hugged Alec to him.

Stalking Darkness - Lynn Flewelling

I am so normal about them

[the-fourth-oreska]

Hello new friends! I’m ash (following from ashenhartkrie) and I mostly run this blog and the fourth oreska discord. I decided on the name the fourth oreska because of the importance the oreska house has in the world of Nightrunner with regards to lore and history. We have seen the first oreska, the second, and the third oreska as of luck in the shadows. I figured it was fitting that we the fans become the fourth :)

[whichbooktournament]

Traitor's Moon (1999) by Lynn Flewelling Fiction | Adult | Fantasy, LGBT, Romance, Adventure

Master spies Seregil and Alec are no strangers to peril. Their assignments, nightrunning for wizards and nobles, have led them into many deadly situations. But sometimes the greatest danger can lurk beneath a Traitor's Moon... Wounded heroes of a cataclysmic battle, Seregil and Alec have spent the past two years in self-imposed exile, far from their adopted homeland, Skala, and the bitter memories there. But as the war rages on, their time of peace is shattered by a desperate summons from Queen Idralain, asking them to aid her daughter on a mission to Aurënen, the very land from which Seregil was exiled in his youth. Here, in this fabled realm of magic and honor, he must at last confront the demons of his dark past, even as Alec discovers an unimagined heritage. And caught between Skala's desperate need and the ancient intrigues of the Aurënfaie, they soon find themselves snared in a growing web of treachery and betrayal.

Bisection (2024) by Sheila Jenné Fiction | Adult | Science Fiction

Tria and Resa have shared the same body since they were born. Like everyone on their home planet of Kinaru, their mind and body are divided down the the logical right and the emotional left. Tria, the right, has a budding career as a biologist, while Resa dreams of more freedom than their home planet grants her. When aliens land on Kinaru, Tria and Resa seize the opportunity to be the first of their people to travel to the stars. Karnath, the alien scientist assigned to study them, is convinced there is more to the Kinaru than meets the eye. But only days into the trip, crew members start turning up dead, and a mutiny redirects the ship toward a forbidden, war-torn planet—Earth. To solve a conspiracy that threatens three planets, Tria must find out the truth of who her people really are, and Resa needs to finally tell Tria the dark secrets she's been hiding all their lives.

Which would you read?

Traitor's Moon

Bisection

Voting ended onApr 17

Traitor's Moon Bisection

[oldtvandcomics]

Person who submitted Bisection here. It was a very good and wholesome book, exploring an interesting concept, and you should absolutely read it.

That having been said, holy shit, I did NOT know that Traitor's Moon was a book that existed, this is so cool! So according to a quick glance at Wikipedia, it is part of a series of seven books (The Nightrunner series), that is exploring themes of gender and sexuality, and homosexuality is completely normalized in their world?? And they are spies?? Like, hello, why is nobody talking about these??

[aguacerotropical]

We are talking about it! There’s a small fandom and discord for Flewelling’s works, if you ever wanna join!

[the-fourth-oreska]

Yessss join us in Nightrunner

[yohjimuse]

Morris and Co

[icountcards]

NO favorites post about Shadows Return because it was sad and upsetting (complimentary) and made me sad and upset

kidding! kidding. april fool's. however a majority of these are from like the first 20% of the book because it is very hard to point to any of the many upsetting happenings as "favorites" and also it's hard to talk about any of them without major spoilers. that said. favorite parts of Shadows Return.

there's a bit at the very beginning talking about how because of the political happenings in traitor's moon, Aurënfaie clothing/fashion/hairstyles/music/etc. have fallen out of favor. it's just such a neat bit of worldbuilding and something that I feel like a lot of fantasy never stops to consider, that fashions change and that that's something that would link back to Bigger Political Themes. also Seregil responds to long hair going out of style by growing his hair even longer. iconic

Illia knit sweaters for Alec and Seregil!!! sweaters! I know how much work those are! she made sweaters for her uncles! she's knitting socks for Beka! they're gonna be so warm because there's so much love in those!

okay I lied. I do actually have one noteworthy bit from later in the book. (minor spoilers) so when Seregil is in the middle of orchestrating his escape, he steals some clothing. and then when he's waiting out the day until it's dark again he spends it altering the clothing so it will actually fit him and Alec and not look obviously stolen. and I kind of went, huh, I wouldn't have noticed its absence, but yeah, that does make sense that that's a skill he would both need and have as a spy! (okay yeah there's clearly a recurring theme here with Lynn Flewelling having a really strong understanding of and respect for skills and aspects of society that are traditionally feminine and often undervalued and overlooked. it's all connected and it's all important and the author knows it!)

alright. on a completely different topic. Seregil poking fun at Alec for being annoyed with him over a hickey. sexy little detail and also A+ character moment. has the ring of a half-serious argument they've had several times over and will continue to repeat.

okay I do have one other from later in the book. I really loved Micum getting to go adventuring again. another one for the unending list of things I'm singing Lynn Flewelling's praises for but I really really appreciate that 1) Micum is written to be, y'know, permanently disabled by something that would realistically be permanently disabling instead of it getting handwaved away with "healing", and 2) being disabled simultaneously does slow him down and meaningfully impact his life but does not stop him. I know I sound like a broken record but these books are so! good! in so many ways!

[icountcards]

anyway, incomplete list of some of my other favorite moments from the Nightrunner series so far:

in Luck in the Shadows when Alec is supposed to be learning various table manners and foods so he can be a convincing spy, and Seregil gives him. I think a sea urchin or something weird like that and is like. okay how would you eat this. and Alec fucks it up real bad. just explodes this thing into inedible pulp. and Seregil goes 👍 yes that is exactly what you want to do if you’re pretending to be from anywhere inland and someone hands you one of these things. everyone fucks this up on their first try. great work

also in Luck in the Shadows, there’s a part where they’re traveling by boat and because they’re trying to avoid being followed, Seregil is disguised as a noblewoman. and the captain of the boat they’re on will NOT stop coming on to him even though “Lady Gwethelyn” is married. so at one point in an attempt to get him to Stop being all up in their business Alec (who is pretending to be Lady Gwethelyn’s squire) is like “btw she’s pregnant”. importantly: this Does Not Work even a little bit.

okay one more from Luck in the Shadows: when Alec first sees the creepy-ass necromancer mummy’s dismembered hands that the Orëska just has scuttling around under a glass case. and Seregil sneaks up behind him to jumpscare him by crawling a hand across his shoulder. kind of a dick move. very funny unfortunately

okay I lied. one other Luck in the Shadows moment. I’m not gonna explain this one because if you haven’t already read these books you GOTTA go into this one blind but. Alec’s first break-in in Rhiminee. moment of all time.

in Stalking Darkness when the man who the Plenimarans hired to help them infiltrate the city meets with his handlers and he’s like. yes everything is going great. my work is nearly complete. also I’ve made an interesting business contact. very promising. it’s That Guy You Hate Who Stole Your Stuff

Mr. Ship Captain comes back in Stalking Darkness and he’s like. no I’m not still mad about the pretending to be a woman thing. but some guys were following you and they burned my boat. what the hell man. I needed that. and Seregil goes, what if I invest in you and your crew becoming privateers. and he does and they get a new ship. with a figurehead that’s a carving of a woman who looks suspiciously like Lady Gwethelyn. the figurehead is visibly pregnant

Micum and Alec throw Seregil into a snowbank. that’s it that’s the scene

right before Beka’s unit rides off to war, Seregil throws them a going away party and they elect a very drunk Alec to be their mascot and have him bless all of them. this one’s not really funny or anything it’s just very sweet

[aguacerotropical]

queen tamír is so interesting bc we ofc read skala centuries later as a matrilineal society backed by religion, but under tamír’s uncle it was a reaction to all that. so you have all this misogyny and efforts to violently reinstate the patriarchy and kill dissenters who follow the god who protects female monarchs. its esp interesting bc the court under the male king is extremely formal and stratified to justify keeping out women. and with them queerness starts being sneered upon

in contrast, centuries later, you have minor noble and exiled traitor faie seregil, turned thief, being best friends with the princesses. and fucking the prince.

basically flewelling does well in showing how artificial the patriarchy is by how it has to devise all these institutions to keep women (and queers) in their place to protect the patrilineal line of succession, while the matrilineal warrior-queens that came before it don’t have much use for it. bc every and any girl-child born to a queen is legitimate.

and men who don’t have the burden of reproduction can also just homosexually vibe, like prince korathan does

(also the later Skalan court is made up of “who is more kin to the queen?” intrigue since illegitimate children don’t exist, which at least partly weakens marriage as a formal institution. queen elani grants alec and seregil baronage, as kin, without anything like a formal marriage between them)

[cokiri]

Having a consistent charadesign through multiple fanarts ? NUH HUN not for meee

.

Alec × seregil

[practicefortheheart]

Seregil

Yes, I am drawing a lot of Seregil and Alec, but you don’t understand, I need to KNOW them.

[the-fourth-oreska]

I go away for one concert and when I come back there’s so many people here hi hello welcome!

[cokiri]

Alec and Seregil from Nightrunner a UNDERated fantasy series (it hurts how dead the fandom is...)

I draw Seregil like capitain hook oups

[practicefortheheart]

It’s Nightrunner November, time to find my boys again!

[unicornachos2]

Omg. Omg the dragons in nightrunner are TRULY DELIGHTFUL bless Lynn Flewelling. I want to cuddle one

[the-fourth-oreska]

It's Nightrunner November! Over this month in the Fourth Öreska discord we'll be reading Luck in the Shadows and discussing themes, thoughts, and lore.

For those creative types, there's also a series of daily prompts for anyone who wants to look at doing fic, art, or anything in between!

I'd love for people to join in - especially those who aren't familiar with Nightrunner, or who have had it on their TBR for a while but haven't read it yet, now's the perfect time.

(image is the Czech cover of Luck in the Shadows for those curious)

[lamaery]

Seregil and Alec I’ve recently read my way through the Nightrunner series by Lynn Flewelling. What fun! Here is a sketch of the two main characters that I made in my sketchbook and decided to throw some color at. :D