#Fantasy kingdoms

[theversevoyager]

In the grand kingdom of Zephyr's embrace, Two worlds collide, their fates interlace. A twist revealed, as shadows dance, The reader's mind in an alien trance.

[rhythmicreverie]

The moon, a witness to the conflict, cast its eerie glow upon the kingdoms, highlighting the shadows where secrets were kept. The whispers of ancient spirits echoed through the air, urging both sides to cease their strife and embrace the harmony that once bound them. But, as the sun rose and washed away the darkness, the kingdoms found themselves entwined in a battle for existence, each clinging desperately to their own survival. And so, the cycle of conflict continued, forever tainted by the moon's haunting gaze.

[albichecca]

[prosegalaxy]

In the shadows of a realm forlorn, A figure found their power unborn. With whispers from an ancient tree, They weaved a world of mystery. In kingdoms far and wide, Fantastical creatures thrived, And civilizations united, Under skies of hues undyed.

[venus-vile]

Princess Zelda

By the way, I love you all.

[haido]

Listen to my story

(KH ver.)

[jibberjibbsart]

Come on Barbie let’s go party

[reblip-reblog]

"Come see the many looks of Princess Zelda throughout the years!" image from Nintendo Game News

[suzannahnatters]

all RIGHT:

Why You're Writing Medieval (and Medieval-Coded) Women Wrong: A RANT

(Or, For the Love of God, People, Stop Pretending Victorian Style Gender Roles Applied to All of History)

This is a problem I see alllll over the place - I'll be reading a medieval-coded book and the women will be told they aren't allowed to fight or learn or work, that they are only supposed to get married, keep house and have babies, &c &c.

If I point this out ppl will be like "yes but there was misogyny back then! women were treated terribly!" and OK. Stop right there.

By & large, what we as a culture think of as misogyny & patriarchy is the expression prevalent in Victorian times - not medieval. (And NO, this is not me blaming Victorians for their theme park version of "medieval history". This is me blaming 21st century people for being ignorant & refusing to do their homework).

Yes, there was misogyny in medieval times, but 1) in many ways it was actually markedly less severe than Victorian misogyny, tyvm - and 2) it was of a quite different type. (Disclaimer: I am speaking specifically of Frankish, Western European medieval women rather than those in other parts of the world. This applies to a lesser extent in Byzantium and I am still learning about women in the medieval Islamic world.)

So, here are the 2 vital things to remember about women when writing medieval or medieval-coded societies

FIRST. Where in Victorian times the primary axes of prejudice were gender and race - so that a male labourer had more rights than a female of the higher classes, and a middle class white man would be treated with more respect than an African or Indian dignitary - In medieval times, the primary axis of prejudice was, overwhelmingly, class. Thus, Frankish crusader knights arguably felt more solidarity with their Muslim opponents of knightly status, than they did their own peasants. Faith and age were also medieval axes of prejudice - children and young people were exploited ruthlessly, sent into war or marriage at 15 (boys) or 12 (girls). Gender was less important.

What this meant was that a medieval woman could expect - indeed demand - to be treated more or less the same way the men of her class were. Where no ancient legal obstacle existed, such as Salic law, a king's daughter could and did expect to rule, even after marriage.

Women of the knightly class could & did arm & fight - something that required a MASSIVE outlay of money, which was obviously at their discretion & disposal. See: Sichelgaita, Isabel de Conches, the unnamed women fighting in armour as knights during the Third Crusade, as recorded by Muslim chroniclers.

Tolkien's Eowyn is a great example of this medieval attitude to class trumping race: complaining that she's being told not to fight, she stresses her class: "I am of the house of Eorl & not a serving woman". She claims her rights, not as a woman, but as a member of the warrior class and the ruling family. Similarly in Renaissance Venice a doge protested the practice which saw 80% of noble women locked into convents for life: if these had been men they would have been "born to command & govern the world". Their class ought to have exempted them from discrimination on the basis of sex.

So, tip #1 for writing medieval women: remember that their class always outweighed their gender. They might be subordinate to the men within their own class, but not to those below.

SECOND. Whereas Victorians saw women's highest calling as marriage & children - the "angel in the house" ennobling & improving their men on a spiritual but rarely practical level - Medievals by contrast prized virginity/celibacy above marriage, seeing it as a way for women to transcend their sex. Often as nuns, saints, mystics; sometimes as warriors, queens, & ladies; always as businesswomen & merchants, women could & did forge their own paths in life

When Elizabeth I claimed to have "the heart & stomach of a king" & adopted the persona of the virgin queen, this was the norm she appealed to. Women could do things; they just had to prove they were Not Like Other Girls. By Elizabeth's time things were already changing: it was the Reformation that switched the ideal to marriage, & the Enlightenment that divorced femininity from reason, aggression & public life.

For more on this topic, read Katherine Hager's article "Endowed With Manly Courage: Medieval Perceptions of Women in Combat" on women who transcended gender to occupy a liminal space as warrior/virgin/saint.

So, tip #2: remember that for medieval women, wife and mother wasn't the ideal, virgin saint was the ideal. By proving yourself "not like other girls" you could gain significant autonomy & freedom.

Finally a bonus tip: if writing about medieval women, be sure to read writing on women's issues from the time so as to understand the terms in which these women spoke about & defended their ambitions. Start with Christine de Pisan.

I learned all this doing the reading for WATCHERS OF OUTREMER, my series of historical fantasy novels set in the medieval crusader states, which were dominated by strong medieval women! Book 5, THE HOUSE OF MOURNING (forthcoming 2023) will focus, to a greater extent than any other novel I've ever yet read or written, on the experience of women during the crusades - as warriors, captives, and political leaders. I can't wait to share it with you all!

[kennycrows]

KINGDOM HEARTS 3 x FFBE

[jordanbackupsoc]

Happy 9th birthday to:

“Please, my darling Inej, treasure of my heart, won’t you do me the honor of acquiring me a new hat?”

“Who’s Mark?”

“Scheming face?”

“Definitely”

“I protect my investments”

“My ghost won’t associate with your ghost”

“Because I’ve been looking for an excuse to talk to you for two days”

“We could wake them up”

“SHED LAUGHED AND IF HE COULD HAVE BOTTLED THE SOUND AND GOTTEN DRUNK ON IT EVERY NIGHT, HE WOULD HAVE. IT TERRIFIED HIM”

“She was lovely and brave and better than anything he deserved. That he was twisted, crooked, wrong, but not so broke that he couldn’t pull himself together into SOME SEMBLANCE OF A MAN FOR HER. THAT WITHOUT MEANING TO, HED BEGUN TO LEAN ON HER, TO LOOK FOR HER, TO NEED HER NEAR. HE NEEDED TO THANK HER FOR HIS NEW HAT.”

“I. should. let. you. die.”

“I want you to stay. I want you to… I want you”

“I WILL HAVE YOU WITHOUT ARMOR KAZ BREKKER OR I WILL NOT HAVE YOU AT ALL”

“MAYBE I LIKED YOUR STUPID FACE”

Six of Crows has my heart ❤️

[nostalgicfun]

** the last two options exist because I know there will be great debate about which Three Days Grace/Linkin Park song should be on here

[probablybadrpgideas]

Real Reasons Dragons Hoard Gold

Tax evasion scheme

There are no other options

The king's entire army is unable to stop this dragon from taking all the gold

And then the taxman comes along

"Oh no, I would tell you my assets, but they're all in the lair of a dragon. Guess you'll have to mark me as having no money and deserving of a significant tax cut!"

Then the taxman leaves, and what happens?

The King finds a bunch of adventurers and tells them to fight the dragon

And suddenly the dragon- who need i remind is superintelligent, an archmage, strong enough to tear a giant in half and took down an entire nation's military not last month?

"Oh no! I cannot defeat five traumatized weirdos! I am slain! I guess you'd better take all this gold back to the king"

And all is well until next tax season when Oh No! The dragon has "somehow" revived and has taken all the gold again!

Someone needs to expose this, guys. This is why we still have medieval tech after 3000 years- all the funding's vanishing into unlisted dragon accounts.

[prosegalaxy]

In shadows deep, where night's embrace did creep, A hero stood, a heart of gold, to make a sacrifice for all. To save the land of dreams and fantastical realms beyond the pale, He gave his life, a gift so rare, the price of freedom to uphold. Now in the annals of time, their stories forevermore shall dwell, A tale of love, of loss, and hope, where heroes' hearts do swell.

[jameelaillustration]

"Your arm however, was beyond saving"

[arleniansdoodles]

More Dunk and Egg fanart, featuring Dunk, Egg, and Aerion Targaryen from The Hedge Knight! I went a little further with the stained-glass style this time, and I'm happy with how it turned out! Especially Aerion's cloak, which is supposed to be fully black if I remember right; I added in the fiery colours just to help it pop XD

Also, the dragons here aren't actually there - it's meant to symbolize the Targaryens fighting (over Dunk hahaa)! The designs are based on the descriptions of their dragon eggs; Aerion's is gold and silver, and veined with red, while Egg's is white and green, all swirly. And the tree in the back is meant to represent Dunk :'''D