Wolfpack Au - Tumblr Posts
If you have any headcanons to share about ArSen characters (either canon or your OCs) and singing, I'd love to hear! :)
Aaaaaaaa I think I got a couple! Hold up lemme try to recall them:
When Isfan is doing something, he tends to hum soft lil tunes absently. Is it a particular song? Ehh, not really. Literally just no thoughts head empty just random tunes.
Zaravant whistles a lot. I don’t know why I hc him that way.
Shapur has sung lullabies to soothe a smol Isfan countless times. Perhaps even every night. It helps little Isfan sleep, and calm down after nightmares.
I somehow can’t get the mental image of Daryun singing something with an evil grin and Narsus trying to shut it out being all “STOOOOP YOU MONSTER”. I don’t know what Daryun would be singing to get Narsus to react like that, but it’s clear he’s doing it on purpose to mess with Narsus.
Isfan tends to find a melody in nature— like say, the slow pitter-patter of raindrops, some frog croaking in the distance, stuff like that. His innate connection with nature also meant that he can feel out its melody. He thinks everyone else can do it too though. Oh and sometimes his humming can be influenced by whatever he hears out there in nature.
Merlaine appreciates a good singing voice. Maybe he’d prefer softer, quieter songs, perhaps to contrast his father’s (very bad) loud boisterous singing voice?
Alfarīd likes to sing, and dance too. If there’s a celebration or something she’d be one of the people dancing to the joy. I think she’d make quite a merry dancer, can’t tell you why though.
I think Arslan would like to sing and dance too, but is too shy to do it, afraid people might think it’s improper. Somebody should push him to do it.
Sam has a nice voice, but he often doesn’t know what to sing so he just doesn’t. What a waste!
It’s been a very long time since Hilmes sang. He last did it for Irina, perhaps under the excuse of teaching her about Parsian music or something, lol. I think a smol Hilmes before the fire may have expressed interest in picking up an instrument or something. It’s just the vibes I got.
Irina looooooves music. She sings and hums a lot too, and makes cute lil noises. She always asks Militsa to sing for her, and who’d say no to a face like that?
Ayyar always pesters his grandpa to sing for him. And he always sings along too.
In Winds of Wolfsong, the clan has so. many. things. centered around song and dance. Solstices and equinoxes? Let’s sing and dance! Many of their history and myths? Songs! Celebration? Song! Funeral? Song! There are games played by families or just bored colleagues where they piece random songs together or come up with lyrics on the fly or stuff like that. Just… songs.
On that note, music is thought to be the bridge between worlds, the language of all languages that transcend barriers. It’s used as a medium to communicate with spirits, and they have traditional dances— dances to old and ancient melodies endeavoring to sync up the body and soul to what the song is conveying, if that makes sense? It’s also a form of magic. Not every clan member is a dancer, though.
Kazai’s a dancer. Arslan is too. Gieve sings, and plays the oud as in canon, but with a magical twist of course. Maybe he too uses it to ask spirits questions. Ayunnen and Kashi used to sing together under the moonlight. In this AU too Farangis sings and chants melodic prayers— just not to the Parsian gods. Isfan sings a lot more in this AU too.
Ayunnen had the gentlest, most soothing voice you’ve probably ever heard. Kashi’s voice was… hm, how do I describe it— stronger? firmer? Something like that.
Shapur seems like someone who’d sing for his beloved.
So this seems to be all I can recall at the top of my head for now! I hope you enjoyed it!!
I promised you some Wolfpack!Hilmes and I'm here to deliver: consider Hilmes, can't decide pre or post coronation, having to deal with rebuilding the country, reforming the court perhaps not from the ground up but something close to it, and...
Well there are some power-hungru folk and imagine that at least some of them are particularly stupid.
Cue Hilmes in the council room (what's it called?) trying not to face-plant directly into the stairs leading up to his seat or even sigh, looking so done because some dumbass is droning on and on about an entirely irrelevant matter (the garden size lord says hello) and he looks at Areyan (because he snatched him up being all “I can't deal with this alone!”) and even the boy looks just about ready to sink into his seat and sulk.
Aka: Shah Hilmes shenanigans in court. He's gonna be so tired.
All I can say is, it's going to be a steep learning curve for him! He's never done this before, and I bet it is exhausting (this is where the value of having good retainers comes in). I can see him losing his patience in situations like this, to be honest, because how is it a priority? Areyan will have to teach him how to be diplomatic where it matters. Anyway this is a great antidote to my WIP!Hilmes who has uhh let's say rather limited thoughts on the specifics of rebuilding the country after he becomes Shah.
Pale light descends from a cloudy sky, almost warm against a monochrome world rousing back into colour.
And the air smells like the earth.
“Oh faraway on a mountain side...”
Mountains. North.
Areyan's home.
They're riding north through petal freckled fields and dew-laden grass.
It's been a while, Merlaine supposes. A few years stuck in the capital's court could drive anyone mad. He didn't know what Areyan saw in that bastard of a Shah, enough to stick by his side and help him rule, and honestly speaking he still doesn't know even now.
“...we'll go to our tent and spend the night.”
Areyan's letters to him were full of frustrations and homesickness, stupid nobles being stupid nobles, him running around untangling their messes, and complaints of the hot weather.
Areyan did not enjoy hot weather.
He took great joy in making fun of the fools, at least. Giving them stupid nicknames and viciously tearing apart the stupid-ass ideas these fools come up with.
Can you believe? one particular letter read, He was going on and on about garden sizes. Garden sizes! As if it has anything to do with the repair projects. It's not even produce gardens he was talking about, oh no. I swear, Merlaine. I swear my intelligence was deteriorating with each passing moment.
Like he said, idiot nobles with stupid-ass ideas.
He wonders why Areyan stayed at all, even if he has to admit the pigeon made good changes. Things were... getting better, ever since the country was restored.
Still.
It made him fucking miserable.
Fucking Shah took too long to let him go.
Just as Merlaine pulls a face at the thought of the bastard, Areyan's horse gallops onwards, full of force, hoofbeats accenting his joyful singing.
Yazata's sake, how does he have so much energy so early?
“The moon shines with its watchful eyes—”
Well, he looks happy, at least. Happier than Merlaine imagines him looking at court. His eyes glimmer with the brightening sky as he glances back at Merlaine, as if daring him to keep up.
“—and from a tree branch a white bird cries!”
And Merlaine has never been one to back down from a challenge.
Puffs of breath emerge in the still-cool air, their hooves sending dewdrops flying off the blades of grass.
His smile matches ones he wore back in the Zott clan village. A sharp smile, wide and free, so unlike the practiced diplomatic smile Merlaine's seen him wear before.
He likes this one better, so much better, it reflects the menace they both know he is in truth.
It doesn't take long for him to catch up and catch the carefree wrist that's not holding the reins. Then and only then they slow to an easy halt, laughter bubbling from Areyan's throat.
“Fakta*,” he grumbles. “Why'd you have to run off like that?”
“No reason in particular,” Areyan replies cheekily. Little shit. “Nothing's the matter at all.”
The pigeon grabs Merlaine's wrist right back, gripping it with a gentle sort of firmness.
Now what.
“Like hell nothing is.”
“It's true.”
“What is?” He quirks an eyebrow. “That you're airheaded enough to do it?”
Areyan gasps, all fake and dramatic. “How rude! Where lies your sense of whimsy?”
“Ick.” Ignoring the pigeon's offended noises he instead says, “Just come and spit it out. You have something to say, don't you?”
Areyan stills for a short moment, then his face morphs into a fond smile, a much softer one than the one he had mere moments ago.
“You know me so well.”
“Course I do. What do you take me for?”
“I don't know, a grouch?”
“Just hurry up and say it!”
Areyan's hand finds his, and he almost jolts on the saddle.
A steady hand, precise and rough.
The hand that wrote all those letters. The hand that heals. The hand that made all those tiny little trinkets.
Hands that have seen hard work.
“Merlaine,” he says, somehow light and serious at the same time. “Do you love me?”
His breath catches in his throat, and it's a miracle he doesn't blurt out “what” like a total dumbass.
Of all the things he was expecting Areyan to say, this was not one of them.
In hindsight, maybe he should've seen this coming.
He doesn't remember when that happened, to speak the truth— just that it did. They'd been friends for six years, almost seven, and...
That doesn't really matter.
What matters is that he does.
“Yes, I do,” he answers firmly, looking at the dove right in the eyes.
There's no need to cushion the impact, to hide.
Why would there be?
A blush blooms on Areyan's face, and oh ain't that a look— and his smile shifts again.
He doesn't know what kind of smile this is, but he does know that he likes it.
“Is that so?”
“Yeah.”
“I love you, too.”
“Good.”
“Good?” He laughs. “Is that all you have to say?”
His own cheeks begin to heat up. Damn it. “Yeah. That's all.”
Areyan leans closer, until their foreheads almost touch, a mischievous glint in those midnight eyes. “Is that really all?”
And.
Well.
If they kissed, then...
That's just the natural outcome, ain't it?
*oh god I forgot to type this in at first but it's an older Persian word? Apparently it means a particular type of dove, the Eurasian collared dove? And since Arslan's (Areyan here) nicknames include “little bird” and “little dove” it's a play on those nicknames. Merlaine also just calls him “pigeon”.
This would be a typical Alfarid quote.
What if Alfarīd says to Ranna “One day I'll make you say ‘I'm glad I was born’, just you wait”. What then.
And here it is, fellas! The Wolfpack AU playlist:
It's got 54 songs so far, I tried to order them in a particular way to correspond to story beats and such but... things spiraled out of control, I don't think the way the songs are arranged can be attributed to anything anymore. It didn't help that YouTube randomly shuffled the playlist without my permission and removed some of the songs???? What the fuck. I had to rearrange the playlist, hunt down songs all over again, it was a mess.
I... tried, to use videos that have lyrics either as captions, in the video itself, in the description, or sometimes in the comments, but it wasn't feasible with some of the songs, especially when I'm using covers. I didn't want to give y'all extra work looking up lyrics, but I do have some irritation with how some of these are translated. But oh well, I'll just have to deal with it.
Anyways, this is the first ever AU playlist (or the first playlist period) I've made in my entire life, I hope y'all enjoy.
Okay so, ask game incoming.
Character(s) (you can choose one, if you want): Our son Arslan, Give, Isfan or our queen Farangis! (You can also do one of your OCs, if you want ☺️)
Questions: 2, 5, 14 and finally 23 for a wonderful end!
Hope you have a wonderful day!
(I have HARD Azar/Maar/Daryun/ArSen brain rott today... ugh my brain is OVERFLOWING with ideas and scenes!)
(I'm so sorry for the many options I can't decide on characters)
What an ask! Here's the original ask game post for others who might want to participate.
2. Favorite canon thing about this character?
Arslan
There's a lot of things I like about him, so much that I struggle to pick a favorite. I think I'll settle on the fact that he remains kind despite everything, where other stories might've made him “disillusioned” and become more ruthless in the name of character development, I am incredibly thankful that it didn't happen to Arslan. He gets to be kind. All the strengths he gains and the growth he goes through happens to support his kindness. Parts of him aren't being taken off, he's becoming stronger so that he could be allowed to continue being kind. And I find that revolutionary especially in a historical fantasy type story like this.
Gieve
The fact that deep down he does want to believe in something good, want there to be something worth believing him. He's grown cynical due to reality but the fact that he does hope even if unbeknownst to himself does something to me. Also, the fact that he's like an onion I guess. He's got them Layers™ and unraveling those layers might or might not make you cry.
Isfan
His absolute earnestness I suppose! He's so eager, he puts 100% into things he does (like, apologizing for not being able to capture that sorcerer despite having reduced that one onto one leg, despite having fought so valiantly? boy's a perfectionist and overachiever). I find it admirable even if I can't relate in matters except art, lol.
Farangis
Her refusal to entertain Gieve's bullshi— okay, that aside, her ability to step back and see the bigger picture instead of being caught up in emotions, and thereby having the ability to gently nudge other people (especially Arslan) back on track. Also her courage because damn is she daring as fuck.
5. What's the first song that comes to mind when you think about them?
Arslan
• Kamado Tanjirou no Uta by Nakagawa Nami (more canon leaning)
• Untitled world by ReoNa (more Wolfpack AU leaning)
• Yakudou by Sakamoto Maaya (applies to both but also leans a taaad more towards AU if only because all those bells in the song)
(all three songs included in the playlist!)
(also I know this is technically three songs instead of one but have you considered he is my darling son?)
Gieve
There hasn't really been a song I hard-associate with Gieve just yet, I don't know why but nothing quite hits the sweet spot for me so far. If anyone's got recommendations I'd verily appreciate it!
Alternate joke answer is Yakety Sax.
Isfan
Wolf Blood by Adrian von Ziegler! It's an instrumental with no lyrics but I immediately think of him whenever I listen to it.
Farangis
I think I've said it before but Trøllabundin by Eivør always makes me think of Farangis! To add one more to that, Dance of the Spirit by Kokia.
14. Assign a fashion aesthetic to this character.
Rather than assign one if the modern aesthetics bc frankly I know nothing about them, I'm just gonna take this opportunity to infodump about my character design choices. Also, my answers will be for Wolfpack AND my character design sheet stuff because why the fuck not.
Arslan
His clothes reflect the most the people around him. He's surrounded by two cultures and he combines them to express himself. In terms of silhouette I tried to make him look Solid. A solid block of friendship LOL.
Gieve
Loose, free, flowy stuff. There's always something flappy hanging from his clothes. Wind is an element I associate with him so yeah! You'll see when my design sheet of him is done.
Isfan
Clothes that fit him very well in terms of tailoring. Rather than the clothes creating a specific silhouette they adhere to the body instead if that makes sense. On the more traditional side of things. Due to geographical proximity, the regional fashion of the Gorgan region is influenced by Turanian (Mongolian) ideas.
Farangis
Flowy, but in a different way from Gieve in that it's much more well put together and tidy. I don't really know how to explain it, but I chose the clothes that I did for Farangis for a reason!
23. Favorite picture of this character?
HOO BOI HERE WE GO.
Arslan
Gieve
Isfan
Farangis
Aaaaand here it is, fellas! Finally! Gieve's character design sheet!
This took quite a while as I immediately tried to jump in after uploading Farangis' sheet— I was caught up in that high of creation that I forgot. I legit forgot. That I was a human being with a very limited amount of energy to spare.
So I crashed. For a long time. So long that I forgot some of the ideas I initially had for his designs, and my creative process working on this again could be summarized as Mayhem™.
For the first design, let's start with junipers, shall we?
Junipers can represent hope, faith, healing, regeneration, cleansing, and protection.
“Juniper berries are believed to be a staple during winters. This is especially true for birds and mammals that feed on juniper berries during tough winter months. This has led people to associate juniper berries with hope, comparable to someone clinging to hope during the darkest of winters.”
×
“Since junipers can easily grow in places where other plants can’t survive, it also symbolizes a sense of healing. It was also used to protect people from plagues and negative energies during ancient times, making it a perfect reflection of its healing qualities.”
×
“Junipers are also recognized as symbols of purification and protection. Juniper berries are used in cleansing rituals that are meant to protect people from evil forces. They have been traditionally used in ancient medicine to ward off infections and in ceremonies that involve putting someone under another’s protection.”
The way I interpret Gieve, and this is definitely canon to Wolfpack, is that for all his cynic exterior he does want to believe there's good in the world, something worth fighting for, something worth believing in. He's quite the secret romantic, if I say so myself, and I don't use the word romantic to refer to his flirtiness, lol. I think something that symbolizes hope would be quite fitting for that.
Also, do keep an eye on the “protecting from evil” aspect. It'll tie in with another plant I'm planning to include.
Aside from the symbolism above though:
“Junipers are tough yet flexible, making them a perfect material for bows and arrows. Native American tribes in the Great Basic region used their wood to create bows and arrows for hunting. In addition, they have been used in Gaelic Polytheist rites, where people blessed households and protected their people by burning juniper and using its smoke to perform customary rites.”
He's a very good archer, among the best in Pars, and isn't it just perfect for him to be associated with something that's used to make bows and arrows?
And what's that dangling from his ear? Oh, a squirrel tail! He doesn't have a squirrel familiar, no, but maybe his housecat brought a dead squirrel to him one day and he just went, “ah, might as well” 😂
It's a reference to how he wore some animal's paw as an earring? We literally don't know what animal it's from or anything, and at first I tried doing the same, only to find that... It just wasn't working in my eyes. So I replaced it with a fuzzy squirrel tail fur... thing.
Oh well.
But wait! I do actually have reasons for choosing squirrels in particular!
Squirrels can represent resourcefulness, adaptability, and playfulness. Gieve is very good at using what he has available to him, turning his environment to his advantage in sticky situations, is pretty casual and likes to fool around and live in the present. He's someone you can stick pretty much anywhere and he'd adapt pretty damn fast.
“In its joyful leaps and bounds, the squirrel becomes a symbol of embracing the present moment and finding delight in life's spontaneous expressions.”
That just sounds a lot like Gieve, doesn't it?
“One of their most notable traits is their agility and acrobatic skills, as they effortlessly leap from tree to tree and navigate through branches with precision.”
Gieve is one of the most acrobatic characters in this whole manga, lol. Along with Farangis and Jaswant (and kinda Alfarīd).
“Their keen sense of observation helps them detect potential dangers and quickly respond to any threats. Their playful nature and curious spirit make them endearing and captivating creatures, symbolizing adaptability, quick thinking, and an unwavering pursuit of survival and success.”
Living as a travelling musician must've honed his survival instincts quite a lot methinks.
“Within the realm of symbolism, squirrels are commonly associated with attributes such as joy, light-heartedness, and detachment.”
He's... he cares, he does, but even in canon he never had a sense of attachment or obligation to the ruling class and the royal line, he cares about who he cares about, social norms be damned. He's one of those people who wholeheartedly care about a very limited pool of people in my opinion, and his nomadic lifestyle in canon (and his disillusionment with the world) would've meant there's some measure of lackadaisical detachment from the rest of the world.
In Wolfpack as well, while his earnest side comes out a lot more, he still steers pretty clear from the rest of Parsian society outside of Gorgan's bounds— he doesn't care about the larger politics, he doesn't care about what the royal family or whatever is doing, he's just chilling in his own corner. So I think this is quite fitting!
The little charm on his bracelet is supposed to be, uh, a cat, but I don't know how visible it is anymore. I'm afraid I shrank it too small. I'll deal with what the cat represents once I get to his ceremonial attire (the third one). You'll see.
Looking at the way he wears his clothes, it's quite loose and casual and I think embodies air/wind quite well, which is something I associate with him for lightness, freedom, that sort of stuff. The little details on his shirt could be wind or water, because both of them are “shapeless” elements unlike say, rigid earth.
Moving on from that, here we arrive at the second outfit! It's warmer, a little more elaborate than the first, but nothing too crazy.
I gave him soft spring colours— spring just feels right for him— colours that perhaps bring out his softer core. Although there aren't many actual flowers I tried to invoke the feeling of a meadow full of blossoms with these colours.
The arrow-tail designs on his clothes are taken from his canonical crest, and they're the same ones on Areyan's second design!
The tiny little flowers in-between are plum blossoms (or what I hope come across as plum blossoms, Buddha knows I'm not very great with plants—) for a number of reasons:
“In Chinese philosophy, the Plum tree’s blossom is a symbol of winter ending and a herald of spring. The tree’s pale pink blossoms are cherished because they bloom vibrantly and so bravely amidst the winter chill. They symbolise perseverance and hope, as well as, beauty thriving in adverse circumstances.”
×
“Japanese tradition holds that the Plum (or ‘ume’) is celebrated as a protective charm against evil, so the ume is traditionally planted in the northeast of the garden, the direction from which evil is believed to come.”
×
“Plums grow in tough environments and that is why they can be viewed as a symbol of hope. Despite facing many hardships, the fruit still manages to survive.”
×
“You see plums growing in a range of environments. They are seen growing in city backyards as well as high, frosty mountains.”
The end of winter and the arrival of spring sounds quite hopeful, doesn't it? And beauty in adversity paints quite the romantic picture.
Recall the “protection against evil” thing juniper had going on, turns out plums also have that! It is fitting, in a way, since he (and his family) are opposed against Zahhak and his sorcerers, who are undoubtedly evil.
I do find it quite funny how it says “evil comes from northeast” considering Gorgan's location (northeastern corner of Pars) and how I placed the clan's old, old, old, mythical homeland in the faaaar northeast. Oops?
Perseverance in this instance, in my opinion, can also tie into adaptability!
This is also why, despite not having the actual flowers in the design, his first outfit is kinda meant to invoke the feeling of plums anyways through its color. There's a lot of purple-red going on, after all! And those are the colours I primarily associate him with.
I also, of course, gave him his signature arm-bandages in this one. How could I not?
Also, fun fact, I based his clothes slightly on the clothes of the Saka people, it's not an exact thing but:
You see it too, right? The bands on the upper arm portion of the sleeve, the cut of the garment...
I refrained from giving him a cap, though.
Why the Saka, though? Well, there's this theory/speculation we had about his origins since we know next to nothing about in canon, and I decided to take that and run with it.
And quite coincidentally, it kinda ended up resembling the Marda clan's attire anyways! Like Areyan's second design again, and also two of Kazai's.
And now we move onto his third and ceremonial garb, and I'm quite pleased with the outcome. To get right to it, his earring has an oleander flower and... a feline... thing.
Okay, hear me out.
The feline thing? Based off of this thing:
An actual archaeological find of the Saka people! They labeled it feline, so I thought, why the hell not? (Though in my opinion it looks like a weasel—)
What is that, though? Truth be told, I don't know, all I know for sure is that it wasn't an earring, lol 😂
Oh, and I did say I would get into the cat thing. Cats can represent grace, intelligence, cunning, and independence.
“The cat is a fascinating animal that cultures around the world have long revered. They are agile and nimble, able to move with silence and stealth. At the same time, they are also fiercely independent, choosing to live on their own terms.”
That's quite Gieve, isn't it? In the earlier versions of the AU when it was still in a cradle, I contemplated giving Gieve crow/raven familiars and Farangis a cat, but ended up reversing them in the end and let me tell ya, I'm really glad I made the switch.
As for the oleanders:
“Oleander symbolizes desire and destiny, but it can also mean caution. It is also associated with romance, charm and everlasting love.”
×
“A beautiful Greek maiden was wooed by Leander who swam the Hellespont every night to see his beloved. One night he was drowned in a Tempest. Wild waves dashed his body against sharp rocks and left him lifeless on the white sands. Here his lover found him as she walked the shores calling "Oh Leander, Oh Leander." The beautiful flower was clutched in his hand. She removed it and kept it has a symbol of their love. Magically it continued to grow and from this symbol of everlasting love came the beautiful and abundant oleander.”
The tale doesn't have much to do with Gieve, I'll admit, but the vibes of such a beautifully tragic tale may very well be something he sings about. He's a bard, after all, and quite the romantic one.
“Oleanders may symbolize caution, potential threat, or risk. They can also be used to symbolize attraction, passion, love, but may also signify death. They can also represent elegance, beauty, cleansing, and healing powers, as well as inner strength, bravery, and resilience support.”
Despite his casual and loose demeanor, Gieve is a cautious person in my opinion. He doesn't trust easily.
The colors on his necklace represent the aurora borealis that was said to have been visible from the clan's ancient mythical homeland, though of course they haven't been there in several millennia at this point. The necklace reflects Kazai's, signifying their close relationship as mentor-protege and even almost parental, despite there only being nine years between them. In any case, though, they share a deep familial bond as Kazai stepped up to care for him after Kashi and Ayunnen died.
The little plant in the pendant also mirrors the pine tree symbol in Areyan and Kazai's! It's not quite the same but it echoes it.
And now the tassels! Boy did I overthink the colours on that one. So each tassel represents someone he holds dear. From left to right it goes: Kazai, Farangis, Areyan, Isfan, and Shapur.
The way he wears his clothes in all three of these designs reflects his nature!
Oh, wait, we're not done yet.
It's time for the scarf!!
Would it be Gieve without his scarf? I omitted them in the main sheet because I'd spent a lot of time and effort on the embroidery details on the neckline area, and I really wanted to show them off. The embellishments on this scarf does not match his canon one, I'm aware, but I was too tired to hunt down a decent reference image from the manga and I thought this was a golden opportunity to cram in even more symbolism.
What? It's me you're dealing with. You'll always get more symbolism.
“A dragonfly is a symbol of change, transformation and self-realization. It teaches us to love life, to rejoice and have faith even amidst difficulties.”
×
“A dragonfly symbolizes love, growth, new development and adaptability. Though they are small, they emerge as messengers of rebirth and renewal—bridging the gap between earthly and spiritual realms.”
Not much but see my post about the magic system I made for Wolfpack— where music is thought to be the bridge between worlds, the language of all languages.
“Dragonflies have long been associated with new beginnings (rebirth and transformation). During their life span, dragonflies grow in the water before taking to air and flying. Dragonflies undergo a metamorphosis and transformation within themselves. From being unseen to spreading their wings above ground and showcasing their beauty, dragonflies symbolize new beginnings on the horizon.”
×
“Dragonflies only fly around in their crazy manner for a short period of their lives. But they certainly make their presence known with the way they joyfully dart and seemingly dance around. Dragonflies symbolize joy and happiness. They serve as a testament to the importance of living in the moment and enjoying each day as it comes.”
So that's pretty much it! Gieve's design sheet! Chaotic and hectic though it was, I immensely enjoyed making this one as well.
I'm not gonna start another one for a long time, though. I've learnt my lesson.
And here it is, fellas! The Wolfpack AU playlist:
It's got 54 songs so far, I tried to order them in a particular way to correspond to story beats and such but... things spiraled out of control, I don't think the way the songs are arranged can be attributed to anything anymore. It didn't help that YouTube randomly shuffled the playlist without my permission and removed some of the songs???? What the fuck. I had to rearrange the playlist, hunt down songs all over again, it was a mess.
I... tried, to use videos that have lyrics either as captions, in the video itself, in the description, or sometimes in the comments, but it wasn't feasible with some of the songs, especially when I'm using covers. I didn't want to give y'all extra work looking up lyrics, but I do have some irritation with how some of these are translated. But oh well, I'll just have to deal with it.
Anyways, this is the first ever AU playlist (or the first playlist period) I've made in my entire life, I hope y'all enjoy.
Chapters: 2/?
Rating:
Teen And Up Audiences
Archive Warnings:
Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Fandom:
Arslan Senki | Heroic Legend of Arslan
Relationships:
Shapur (Heroic Legend of Arslan)/Original Character(s), Esfan & Shapur (Heroic Legend of Arslan), Arslan & Shapur (Heroic Legend of Arslan), Esfan (Heroic Legend of Arslan) & Original Character(s), Arslan (Heroic Legend of Arslan) & Original Character(s), Shapur & Gieve (Heroic Legend of Arslan), Gieve (Heroic Legend of Arslan) & Original Character(s), Gieve & Arslan (Heroic Legend of Arslan), Esfan & Arslan (Heroic Legend of Arslan), More tags to be added - Relationship
Characters:
Shapur (Heroic Legend of Arslan), Esfan (Heroic Legend of Arslan), Arslan (Heroic Legend of Arslan), Original Characters, Gieve (Heroic Legend of Arslan), more tags to be added - Character
Additional Tags:
Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Worldbuilding, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, non-canonical parentage for Arslan, Shapur raises Arslan, Protective Esfan, Shapur is a good parent, eventual redemption for Hilmes
Summary:
“When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives.” When Shapur rides up the mountains on a wintry day to rescue his little brother, he meets someone he was not expecting to— And it changes the trajectory of his fate. Shapur, a young lord still green to the world, raises two boys as his own.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAND IT IS UP, FELLAS! HOO! Sure took an ordeal and a half to upload.
Some rough sketches of Ranna! I decided they should have a tiny braid + some tattoos XD
Flat colors for Kashi!
The children echoing Kashi in their design, even if just faintly
Progress on the Kashi WIP! I'm quite very happy with how it's turning out :D
Some close-ups of the parts I'm really proud of!
Even more progress on Kashi! I'm quite happy with how she's turning out.
Some close-ups for details:
Winds of Wolfsong chapter 2 is now up on AO3!
The pinned post is now edited to reflect the chapter count.
Her hair looks so soft and silky. The shading is so on point. I really love her.
Finally she is done!!! Kashi!!
Thinking about the Turanian invasion (the one in the canon era, not the one that's looming over the horizon in the fic rn) and Kishward (and Bahman?) imploring lords around the country to omg go and help Team Gorgan PLEASE and thinking about who'd show up... I think Lushan would. He just has that air about him— I wonder if Tus and Zaravant would, and if so, what would prompt them...
Meanwhile Gorgan is chaos.
(also thinking a lot about Ranna and Alfarīd, help me)
Ooh, some logistics at play here! Since this is AU based I'm not sure how much advance warning they have of the Turanian army's approach but from the sounds of it in this scenario the border has already been breeched and Team Gorgan are attempting to hold them up which... I don't envy them the task but it sure sounds like it'll be exciting to read about.
I don't know what Bahman's mental state is like here but if he's troubled by anything like he is in canon then I imagine Kishward may take the lead... However, Bahman still has some steel in him and it's not unbelievable to think that Gorgan's need for reinforcements would galvanise him into action (though perhaps he's more likely to eventually surprise everyone by stepping forward to lead troops to bolster the defences himself rather than taking the lead with initially reaching out to various lords etc, which is a task I imagine would fall to Kishward while Bahman is still beset by apathy and other worries).
I assume they're sending messages to ask for reinforcements? That makes it even harder to apply pressure on reluctant lords, so they're probably aware of who they can likely count on and who they can't (Andragoras may have been able to essentially strong-arm the shahrdaran but many of them, like Hodir, would be content to sit and wait and see how things play out in his absence, especially if their own territory is not under threat.)
It's a tricky one because it's Prince Arslan's presence and proclamations that draw the various lords and their troops to Peshawar. It's hard to say exactly how many would come otherwise. I feel as though Zaravant would, he evidently feels a sense of duty towards his country and would put himself forward to represent Oxus as he does in canon. The fact that the Marzbans in Peshawar are trying to organise further defense of the border and Pars's lands would likely be enough for him. That might be a nice surprise for Kishward and Bahman who may have assumed nobody from Oxus would come. Tus would go too, probably. He has a garrison of men who would be of great help.
Lushan likewise would help if he could, even if he's not shown leading troops on the battlefield himself he's still had a military education and would presumably have troops available to him. One thing to consider though is where everyone is coming from and how much time they have (as in, how fast do they need to get to Peshawar and then on to Gorgan in order to be of real help?). This is a large invasion and the Turanians probably have very good troop mobility, I don't know how long Gorgan could hold them before they break through or bypass their defences and beseige Peshawar itself instead. Some characters might have some debate about whether it's worth leaving their lands or whether it would be better to sit tight and wait, especially as Andragoras's fate is unknown. There's likely no precedent for what to do when the Shah is missing.
I don't know how helpful these ramblings will be since a lot depends on the specifics of your AU! Happy to talk about it more (though I won't be online again now until later or maybe tomorrow).
Previews of the new WIP I'm undertaking!
Areyan is finally finished! This was a Journey™ for me. This is depicting a design (the second one, to be precise) from the design sheet I made for him! I went very in-depth about all the symbolism there, so if you wanna go check that out, it's under the #the character design sheet saga tag. I did add a few things but with the bag it's just that I saw a pretty design and I wanted to copy that.
His crutches, however, are made of white beech wood! So what I had in my notes about beech was that it symbolizes protecting and nurturing, old writings and knowledge, rediscovering old wisdom, wishes, understanding, sustenance, and letting go of fixed ideas. And I thought that was interesting because in the Wolfpack AU he (Areyan is Arslan in case you're new to my blog) and Hilmes actually end up on the same side and he's a positive influence on Hilmes kinda like an advisor and guiding light and it's Hilmes who needs to let go of fixed ideas and the one who rediscovered the forgotten histories of Kaykhusraw's time and the clan, especially Areyan, is the key that provides that change in him. Their existence, his entire existence, is like a middle finger to the very rigid and fixed societal notions that shackled Pars for so long.
I kinda wanna attempt a simple background for this piece at a later date but for now my shoulders are stiff, my spine is screaming, I need to go lie down for the rest of the day 🥲