#brutal medieval

[anticbrvtalist]

Castelgrande Bellinzona. A combination of Brutalist architecture and a medieval site in Switzerland. Arch. Aurelio Galfetti

[foursaints]

in my version of marauders canon he would function as a sort of beautiful, murderous disney princess . and all the other characters would be relegated to singing lengthy beauty-and-the-beast-style musical numbers about how perfectly strange he is

[wheniminthatmood]

[herecomesthementalmeltdown]

saw movie set entirely in medieval times

[ohthatbunnygirl]

   The Girl With Everything, And The Boy From Nothing

A Tomione Medieval Au where a lord from nothing and nowhere surrounds the castle of a princess with the intent to take everything from her brick by bloody brick.

________

“Halt” Sir Ronald shouted. “We demand your retreat!"

“I think not!” Lord Voldemort sang back, rearing his horse. “And I find we art past bargaining.”

“We settle for your surrender then!”

“What folly!”

A laughing Lord Voldemort placed his helmet on, rolled his shoulders back, and raised his shield in place of further negotiations. The crusted blood of his enemies lay splattered across his snake sigil, a loud threat made without words, and a little nod of his head signaled for a soldier to toss him a rope with a grappling hook attached to one end. He whipped a few silent rotations by his side as he stared up at Hermione, dark eyes glinting with bitter mirth. 

"And what say you, Princess?" 

The tip of Hermione’s arrow centered on his devil-made mouth. 

"Come closer to hear it."

-----------

The last chapter is here at AO3

[lifewithaview]

This Mysterious Dark Age Skeleton Was Brutally Murdered | Time Team | Chronicle

This live dig centers on a ruined Norman church on a hill in Norfolk. This National Trust site promises to be the richest source of finds that Time Team has yet seen, with previous evidence of human occupation from most periods in antiquity. This requires several trenches, including the longest one that Time Team has ever dug. They start with some fieldwalking and metal detecting, before digging in earnest. Among many finds are a bronze age arrow head, a medieval tiled floor, coins, and several well-preserved skeletons. One skull shows clear evidence of having been brutally slaughtered by a swordsman on horseback. The team is joined by Helen Geake, Neil Holbrook, Andrew Rogerson, pottery expert Paul Blinkhorn, osteoarchaeologist Margaret Cox, and historian John Blair. Celebrities Sandi Toksvig and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall also drop in. Hugh and Victor help Saxon re-enactor Russell Scott to recreate a bronze artifact from scratch.

[the-alternate-realities]

[heavenbled]

kaifeng ( + nighthawk) origin stories, based in destiny's world but translatable to other fandom verses.

in the golden age in the states, kai was once known as nyx haneul yuan. he was an orphan with his twin sister, samira iseul yuan and the two kinda flit from foster home to foster home. it was a pretty shitty situation and had been really taxing and traumatizing to the both of them until they both were of legal age to officially be on their own. and that they went, never once leaving each other's side as they pursued their own paths in life. they both left high school and pursued their own degrees at the same university, living off of fafsa and prayers. embezzlement of their shitty lineage and childhood story lead for good scholarship points. the two essentially scrap their way through hell to make something better of themselves, even with all the bullshit that came with shit cards.

kai pursued a degree in dance while also taking to figure skating, even getting competitive for as long as his body would be able to. samira went into biology and earned her degree with (a moderate amount) of difficulty. but they made a life for themselves, they were successful. nyx was fairly popular as a skater, later becoming a vocal and skating coach after retirement. samira went on to bigger and bigger things, seemingly like dragging her twin around but in actuality, nyx was really grateful and proud of her. got him out of his comfort zone. that is, until samira has to suddenly vacate the entire planet, and nyx did not have a ticket on board the ship.

they hit 35. the collapse begins, and the world ends. everything comes crashing down around them, samira is gone, and nyx is completely, utterly alone. the darkness sweeps in and levels the city in minutes, and he with it. but the thing is, samira feels it - they say that its a twin thing. she feels it, just as her ship slips in between dimensions, right on the cusp of light and darkness. fast forward a bit, samira emerges from that slip with thousands of others like her, led by a queen who now called themselves the awoken. i don't really give a fuck about canon here and i built a lot of headcanons around the awoken as a separate species of people from huamnity, bc bungie did not do Enough in my opinion. beings that were once-human, cooked to atoms in a dimensional hole when the clash of light and dark basically explode at that precise moment? cmon . you KNOWWW i'm gonna be on top of that shit. whole apex predator, feral space elves i don't give a fuck reality is whatever i make of it. awoken hcs can be a separate post for later.

anyway she emerges, her queen builds their new home in the asteroid belt: the dreaming city. her queen builds this city with the power of wish dragons, ahamkara. samira takes her background in street fighting to enlist herself into her queen's army. she rises through the ranks ridiculously fast with her ambition and power, and eventually she is able to have access to a wish dragon's lair. she finds it, and she steadies herself in knowing what she's sacrificing: she wishes her twin alive, at the cost of hers. and of course the dragon takes advantage of that wish, of the guilt on her conscience and misery. of course, when nyx comes back he comes back so wrong.

it's like he himself becomes awoken at the cost of his sister. awoken, and half-ahamkara. his hair and eyes turn white, skin a deep purple, and there's just this slightly off-putting feel to him. like a mirage at the corner of your eye, but just barely. this is getting really long so im gonna keep it a lil short: society doesn't like that. awoken aren't a known people at this time where nyx was reincarnated (in the same city that had been destroyed back on earth) and eventually is collected by miss queen awoken herself. sequestered away to live in seclusion on her order, as he was an "abomination." ahamkara magic was dangerous, and eventually they were even all hunted to extinction because of their corruption. nyx dies alone once more, and centuries later does a little ghost come along and revive him once more, this time in the light.

[aroaessidhe]

2024 reads / storygraph

The Queens of Innis Lear

slow-moving political fantasy, retelling of the shakespeare tragedy king lear

set in a dying island kingdom, where the prophesy-obsessed king (having neglected the wild magic of the land) must pass on the crown to his three daughters

the elder two hate their father and have been planning their rule for years, and the youngest loves her father and does not want the crown- but does care for the magic of the land

but when the king makes an unforeseen decision, and other kingdoms and spies circle, vying for land and power of their own

earth magic, fate and duty, complicated sister relationships

[zelenxa]

BACKSTORY

The year is 1299 when Marci Lottway proposes the question Esteban Kensington will not, “Will you marry me?”

Initially, Esteban was overcome with hesitance. He, like the rest of his family, was burdened with serfdom — tied to care and tend to a piece of land he is allowed to yield little from for the rest of his life. Marci, however, was not. And it was clear, since the moment they shared their first kiss near the lake, on that starry night, that Marci and her family did not have the funds to buy him out of such a predicament. To make the decision to marry her and drag her into a lifestyle many fight so hard to escape would be cruel. It’s the very reason he’d been hoping to escape such a decision.

Yet, he is selfish. Esteban says yes.

Sweet June arrives before Esteban and Marci can finally manage to hold an audience with Lord Lassiter. While Marci is no wealthy freewoman, she has money left over from her inheritance—to which her generous brother, Kurtis Lottway, had afforded to her after the sudden yet tragic death of their parents. Marci intends to bargain the money with all she has. She does not yet tell her brother of her intention of marrying a serf. She and Esteban are young, both only 15 and 16 respectively. He'd say it was reckless, and he has his own worries courting Casandra Turner, the freewoman who tends her parents’ restaurant or tavern-of-sorts. Marci can see the older woman is lovestruck.

“This won’t work.”

Esteban voices aloud to Marci, the both of them standing in waiting inside the Lord’s estate. They keep their voices hushed. Marci glances away from the decor the Guard's Room is adorned with. Her fiancée is all nerves—Marci can’t blame him. Their idea feels foolish, only the both of them don’t have time to dwell on it when they are suddenly called upstairs.

The both of them have decided Esteban will do the talking. Esteban is a man, and his family has been under Lord Lassiter’s rule for generations. They’re hoping Lord Lassiter will take sympathy on the two of them. It’s the only way it’ll work. That, and that Esteban remembers all he needs to say. Additionally, the plan did stem from Marci first.

When they take the final step into the sitting room, and make eye contact with Lord Lassiter and his wife, Marci nearly feels the room skyrocket in temperature. She hopes to the Watcher her sudden sweatiness is not apparent on her face. It feels as if everything is sinking in, in this moment. Both Marci and Esteban bow and exchange formal greetings to the Lassiter couple, hands entwined with each other’s. Lord Lassiter appears stricken by age in comparison to his younger wife. His light brown has taken a even lighter shade of white and apparent wrinkles are beginning to form around his dark brown eyes. Marci imagines he’ll live a long time as long as peace remains in the Lands. Many are not so fortunate.

“State thy’s purpose.”

Lord Lassiter’s voice rings through the quiet room, finger thumping absently against his lush armrest. Marci looks to her fiancée and Esteban, with all the confidence he can muster, begins to explain their position, his voice tinged with reverence Marci is certain he does not feel. They ask for a bargain of sorts. In exchange for Esteban and Marci’s hard-earned 10,000 simoleons, they ask to be moved to a plot of land they can house by themselves, and that, for whatever land they may care to, they own 5% of its piece. Once Esteban’s speaking ceases, Lord Lassiter is quiet for the briefest moment. Then, he goes to describe the hard work he’s seen Esteban’s father accomplish on the plot of land he works. He tells them he believes Esteban can follow in his father’s footsteps.

It’s the last day Marci spends as a freewoman. She does not regret it.

1301 - The Kensingtons

They spend a year settling into their plot of land (although, really, not theirs). The piece they've resided in is not too far from the city where Kurtis lives with his newly wedded wife, Casandra. Albeit, it's far enough that Esteban must say goodbye to his family. Upon Marci pestering him on the topic, Esteban reassures her it's okay as long as they're together. Guilt-stricken, Marci speaks little on the subject from there on out.

Cultivating a new, unfamiliar set of land, however, is proving to be the biggest problem on Esteban's mind right now. The stock of food they have is a little to none and, for months, they've been relying on forging and the weekly hunting trips they're allowed to get them by. It leaves them eating a poor excuse of porridge; gruel.

A month after Twelfth Night celebrations cease, Marci begins feeling morning sickness, and a few more months after that? She begins showing. Feeling elated doesn't cover it, and the anticipation of the baby's arrival pushes Esteban through whatever struggles the fall harvest brings along.

The little one—they've decided to name him Keegan—arrives just smoothly. Yet, at a time when both Esteban & Marci have stocked just enough food to survive winter, getting Keegan to eat and maintain his weight becomes difficult as months go by. Unbeknownst to the two of them, Keegan is born with a vitamin deficiency. The little one doesn't make it past winter. He doesn't make it to the new year at all.

1302 - The Kensingtons

The death of Keegan hits Marci the hardest as she grows distant toward everybody. Her change of mood is most apparent with Esteban, whom she spends most of her days with. It takes multiple months for her to grieve and process Keegan's death, most months of which she is rather snappy at Esteban. It's unlike her good-hearted nature, though it is much attributed to her hotheadedness.

In the meantime, Esteban comes down with a nasty cold and nearly dies of Influenza. When he miraculously recovers, he's quick to refer it to Marci's prayers to the Watcher. Blowing out a breath of relief, she just laughs at him.

It's when Marci has finally picked herself up from the death of Keegan that she starts showing symptoms of pregnancy again. Immediately after her third morning of throwing up in her chamber pot, Marci understands what’s happening. While this time around, she feels more nervous than happy, when she tells Esteban of the news, his contagious excitement brings a smile to her lips.

'We're prepared this time around,' Marci thinks, sighing with effort against the hot June temperature. Her water broke just moments ago, and Esteban has gently guided her into bed. Normally, men wouldn't be present during childbirth but when the local midwife arrives, Marci is adamant he does not go. This time around they're better stocked and the fall harvest appears fruitful. Marci prays her child does not die.

Hours later, after a very difficult labor, Marci has given birth to two healthy babies, a girl and a boy. She and Esteban name their firstborn, Emiliano, and their second, Haven. As the remaining months of the year go by, and the twins celebrate their first birthday, Marci holds her breath, awaiting the worst. The twins survive anyway.

a/n: cough I didn’t take many pictures of 1300-1318, therefore there’ll sadly be little visuals for some posts. plus, all this played out, like, eleven months ago, so expect us to run through multiple years quickly! promise posts will get more pictures and be more interesting post-famine. I hope this style of storytelling is enjoyable to read! I’m a bit out of my element. <3

next (chrono) // next (kensington) // previous

[anticbrvtalist]

Hungarian swords, 14th century at Topkapi Palace Museum in Istanbul. Captured on _.holy._.water._ instagram

[halfyearsqueen]

how is your soul perceived ?

the protecting nurturer. you have the heart that belongs to a warrior's mother. you ache for your loved ones and you'll fight to preserve their smiles. you take care of the people around you. you want them to feel safe and warm. you do anything to protect those around you, even if it's from themselves. you have an eye for the details no one else realizes they need. you're the one that makes a house a home. you make sure it's safe because you know what it was like to be afraid of the places that should have been comforting.

tagged by: taken from @wornkindness 🫶

tagging: @lcerys , @daecaerys , @daekarys , @adamanteine , @sevynhells , @feminants

[hella1975]

I’m not exactly well versed in British culture, so I might be a bit off base here, but it might help some of your US followers if they frame the pervasiveness of classism within the context of the American south.

There is a very common and socially accepted assumption that southerners are stupid, backwards, toothless hillbillies with dumb accents.

Its often played off like a joke, but the insidiousness of it is real and harmful. I don’t think it’s too dissimilar to what you experience, either, though perhaps not quite as pointed or extreme.

When I travel, I do my best to flatten my accent so people don’t pick up on it as easily. As soon as everyone finds out where I’m from, I’m made into a joke. It fucking sucks.

i dont know enough about the american south and i would like to reiterate that despite similarities our class systems are still so different that blanket-comparing them isn't gonna cut it, but yes this sounds exactly right!! like class over here isn't just a money thing, in fact more often than not that's a very small part of it. it's dictated by income and region and accent and what school you went to and what your family do and who you know even down to what you wear and what supermarket you shop at, and if you dont meet the top marks in ALL of these then you will experience classism at some point

[tillman]

ive been meaning to draw millia in the context of an old italian romance* for fucking ages now i need to get around to that

[hisinfernalmajesty666]

Brutal Weapons and Armour.

[tionitro]

DEUSES DA AVENTURA: A Banalidade de Arabel, por Vinny e Emídio | Alta Fantasia Épica nessa Introdução ao Mundo de Arabel | NITROLEITURAS

Personagens épicos e uma excelente introdução ao universo de Alta Fantasia dos Deuses da Aventura, um projeto literário e de RPG de Vinny e Neto, do fantástico podcast de RPG Deuses da Aventura! Deuses da Aventura – A Banalidade de Arabel – Capa DEUSES DA AVENTURA: A Banalidade de Arabel, por Vinny e Emídio| 190 pgs., Caravana, 2023 | Alta Fantasia | Lido de 26/04/24 a 27/04/24 |…