Cycle of Arawn/Cycle of Galand

Hello. I like these books so I made a sideblog for them :) (A spoiler-containing, fan-run blog for the Cycle of Arawn and Cycle of Galand series by Edward W Robertson) Come talk any time! [header is world map from author's website]

[reginleif-valkyrie]

Blays: “Would you still love me if I had worms?”

Dante: “Did you mean ‘if you were a worm’?”

Blays: “…”

Dante: “…”

Dante starts gathering nether: “I have to check you for worms, don’t I?”

Blays: “Possibly.”

[reginleif-valkyrie]

Happy Pride everyone!

I wanted to do something to celebrate so I drew the characters from my favourite book series. I worked really hard on this and spent more time arguing with myself whether to post or not. I may not be that good, but everything I do is full of love.

Why does Dante look so grumpy? Well, to quote Blays "Because you're always mad."

You'd be mad too if your best friend held you down while the other painted your face 😝

[aurore-parle-de-ses-idees]

it's @au-roulette time!

i wrote for the cycle of arawn/cycle of galand this year and was surprisingly productive! don't ask about any of my other wips. here we are:

how to bond with the sisters you didn't know about in entirely too many steps (prompt: dystopia)

“This was a bad idea,” says Riddi. “We should have gone up the side,” says Winden. “It was going fine,” says Dante, sourly. “...until about a minute ago.”

and then there's the ghosts (prompt: ghost/cryptid hunters)

There's an old, withered tree in what's left of Narashtovik the year after things fall apart. And then there's the ghosts.

hang another anchor (prompt: gothic horror)

“You have seemed to share one mind for as long as I’ve traveled with you,” Gladdic grumbles somewhere in the Dundens. “But this has become ridiculous. Use your words.” Dante and Blays blink in unison. “Were we not?” Blays asks mildly. “No,” Winden says, thoughtful. “It’s been far worse since you woke, did you know?”

we've got dante-winden-riddi vs the high tower, we've got raxa's kids attempt to have a scooby doo episode post-cog10, and we've got dante & blays in a sorta-kinda locked tomb au :)

[white-tree-barden]

i love. trying to work on pages from the beginning of red sea. everything that isn't a description of the landscape has to have the caveat of 'well, this is what winden said, but she spends the first half of the book lying through her teeth about many things- but not all the things so. have fun'

[white-tree-barden]

i also apparently did not leave Any helpful bookmarks for myself in the last two books.

[white-tree-barden]

[struggling party horns] we are. halfway through red sea

[white-tree-barden]

hey what do you mean i've had this one going for like ten years

[reginleif-valkyrie]

Happy Pride everyone!

I wanted to do something to celebrate so I drew the characters from my favourite book series. I worked really hard on this and spent more time arguing with myself whether to post or not. I may not be that good, but everything I do is full of love.

Why does Dante look so grumpy? Well, to quote Blays "Because you're always mad."

You'd be mad too if your best friend held you down while the other painted your face 😝

[white-tree-barden]

i love. trying to work on pages from the beginning of red sea. everything that isn't a description of the landscape has to have the caveat of 'well, this is what winden said, but she spends the first half of the book lying through her teeth about many things- but not all the things so. have fun'

[white-tree-barden]

i also apparently did not leave Any helpful bookmarks for myself in the last two books.

[white-tree-barden]

i love. trying to work on pages from the beginning of red sea. everything that isn't a description of the landscape has to have the caveat of 'well, this is what winden said, but she spends the first half of the book lying through her teeth about many things- but not all the things so. have fun'

[reginleif-valkyrie]

After the events of The 13th God, how many times do you think Blays just watches Dante when he’s not looking to see if anything’s changed?

And how many times do you think Gladdic catches him and wonders if Blays would help him kill Dante or defend him?

[white-tree-barden]

eventually i'll remember to keep up with this one.

[reginleif-valkyrie]

Do Not Take Me Seriously! unless you want to ship it too.

So, Blaydan.

In the third book of The Cycle of Arawan series, The Black Star.

Dante has in his hands, the Black Star, this magical item that only appears every 1000 years (or was it 10 thousand?) that can basically do anything you want. The last time it appeared it was used to move an entire mountain range that fucked up the whole region’s weather.

Dante has several ideas of what he wants to do with it, including giving himself a longer life span so he can find the Star again and do the same thing. Whatever he wants, this thing will do it.

You know what he does with it?

Brings Blays back to life.

Infinite power at his fingertips and he gives it up for Blays. The guy he hasn’t seen in a few years and has been actively hiding from him because he was pissed that Dante killed his girlfriend (she was practically his wife). The guy that moments before fucked up his original plan to get the Star. The guy he’s been searching for and obsessing over the entire time he was missing.

Dante gives it all up for Blays.

This troupe is called ‘Willfully Weak’ and it’s when a superhero gives up their powers for love. This troupe came about in Superman 2 Man of Steel. Superman gives up his powers so he can live with Lois.

Do you see where I’m going with this?

Obviously Dante is still pretty powerful without the Star, however he’s basically giving up borderline godhood (Superman powers) for Blays. Dante wouldn’t do that for anybody else, maybe Cally since he was a fatherish figure, but that’s it. (And even then I still have my doubts he’d give up power for Cally)

Just think about that for a second.

Now I can hear you saying ‘But Reginleif, why wouldn’t he bring his brother back to life? Anyone would do that’

And I would say ‘First, be careful with that blanket statement of ‘anyone’ and second, I said don’t take me seriously’

I, as a shipper, see it this way and you as a non-shipper see it that way. Both are okay 👍

Also, Blays can be in a queer platonic relationship with Dante and still be married to Minn.

Anyway, Happy Birthday Dante.

[white-tree-barden]

i forgot to make a post about it last week but! last of the cally books came out!

[reginleif-valkyrie]

Dante: “I would like to remind you how dull your life would be without me.”

Blays: “What did you do now?”

****

Minn about Blays: “Look at that face! How can anyone spend all day with that face and not fall in love?”

Dante: “Well, at some point the face starts talking.”

****

Cally: “I am in charge of this disaster!”

Dante & Blays: “We have names, you know!”

***

Person who just met Dante & Blays: “No! Bad idea!”

Dante: “There are no bad ideas.”

Blays: “Only great ideas that go horribly wrong.”

****

Dante: “You are the love of my life and I would do anything within reason to make you happy.”

Blays: “I would be happy if you ate, stayed hydrated and got a reasonable amount of sleep.”

Dante: “I said within reason, Blays. How about I murder that guy?”

Blays: “So murder is in reason, but proper self care isn't?”

Dante: “Well, duh. What kind of question is that?”

***

Gladdic: “That sounds like a horrible plan.”

Blays: “Oh, we’ve had worse.”

Dante: “Much worse.”

[white-tree-barden]

hey look!! last two books in CoG are nearly upon us!

[white-tree-barden]

hey happy last book of CoG day!!

[white-tree-barden]

aw i never got around to writing the speculation fics did i. ah well

[white-tree-barden]

“Where were we, where were we… ahh yes, the pit of despair.”

— how book 5 will start

[white-tree-barden]

16+ hr travel days have very few virtues, but i did get a ton of uninterrupted time and zoomed thru cog9 and may i just say. aaaaaaaa