#castle seige

[combodactyl]

Spoilers for the evil dead series.

"Hey, get out of here this is my story.

How did you get in, where did you get that chainsaw--aaaaaahhh

Now listen to this story from the original chainsaw man.....

My story starts on a nice fall evening with my friends. A book taught us how to summon a demon, obviously thats stupid but whats even more stupid is that we didn't say it the tape recorder said it. Cue the usual monster stuff and the death of all of them............... Eventually I am the only one left but that flipping ghost came back and pushed me back into the house!!!!! A stupid ghost decided to posses my girl (something that hasn't happened before) and continued to torment me with a different f'n book and all the same tricks. Now my hand is gone and a lot more bodies are my responsibility. They freaking opened a portal to the middle ages leaving me stranded. Yada Yada Yada boomstick, beautiful women, old wise men. I go find this stupid book the necro-nemone? Eh close enough. I can't remember the phrase "Bah-weep-Graaaaagnah wheep ni ni bong", "Klaabu, Verama, Necktie", "Fear is the mind killer?" So I spawn this jack-o-lantern after one of those things jump into my mouth, mitosis me and makes me think I'm done with him. Finally epic castle fight where this dingus comes back with an edgy and mature personality, and attacks me with the titular army of darkness. More fighting and jokes are said but I manage to return home

And what do I come back to, a movie where I'm not the protagonist but even more of slap to the face, my face isn't used just my voice.

Anyway I'll give the writing back to that nerd that was here. I will be back and don't you forget it."

Day 19 I had a lot of fun with this drawing but I didn't appreciate my writing prompts being taken away from me. The evil dead series is also a big movie series my family likes and commonly quotes. Next post we go to the movie I haven't seen, (my friends just really wanted me to draw this one) as we crusade farther into #inktober.

[scotianostra]

19th February 1314 saw James Douglas retake Roxburgh Castle and raze it to the ground, a major breakthrough in the Wars of Scottish Independence.

The Black Douglas, as he was known, to the English, and sixty men approached the castle under cover of darkness draped in black cloaks to fool the defenders into thinking they were simply cattle. They scaled the walls and surprised the garrison climbing the castle walls using hooked scaling ladders after taking the Castle it was razed to the ground

It is well known that Robert Bruce's policy was to " slight" a castle whenever he captured one, as his small field army was never sufficient to detach garrisons for these fortresses, in order to prevent their re-occupation. As the Chronicle of Lanercost states, in describing how the Scots dealt with Roxburgh Castle,

"they razed to the ground the whole of that beautiful castle, just as they did other castles which they succeeded in taking, lest the English should ever hereafter be able to lord it over the land through holding the castles."

Little remains of the castle as you can see from the photo but the second pic is an interpretation of how it would have looked by Andrew Spratt.

Find more about the castle on the excellent Maybole page here https://www.maybole.org/history/castles/roxburgh.htm

[ineffmoth]

just had a dream i was playing a video game where you can cut shadows to attack and defend. for example i was under seige so i would cut the ladders' shadows so no one could climb up. and then a little rabbit riding a penny farthing rolled by and i was struggling to cut off the wheels because they were moving at a clip. until i noticed they were also puling a banner behind them that said "congratulations on being post colonoscopy and cancer free!" so i cut it to say "post colon" which in dream at least very clearly meant "post hole." and i started laughing uncontrollably in real life and woke myself up.

[elephantlovemedleys]

those two and a half weeks of feeling pressured and overstudying towards my assessment only for my professor to give me good feedback and praise my skills

[bellshazes]

also i will never stop vagueposting in such a way that it sounds like i'm talking about bdubs when in all actuality mainly i am thinking of gawain my solar powered orkney knight idiot son of a bitch favorite.

[herenvibing]

my dad jokingly suggested that there be a ttrpg called castles and moats and now i’m thinking that would be a great low fantasy osr game

[medievalharlot]

A gift for the princess 彡 Geta x princess f!reader x Caracalla

Pairing: Geta x princess f!reader x Caracalla

Synopsis: The empire comes to your aid and you are reunited with your childhood friends, they end up having a gift you cannot turn down

Wordcount: 3,1k

Request: ‘I’ve been thinking of this plot for a while, but I’m not a writer and could never write it myself. But what if both of the twins x reader, who was their childhood best friend, she came from a very wealthy family (for some reason I like to think she was royalty in a neighboring country or smth, anyway, she was forced to move away, and the twins and here were devestated (cause they like LIKED each other) years go by, and they are now emperors, they have to go to a place for business, with other royals (like where the reader lives) and they meet again, and like, fall in loveeee’ by anon

Tags: Childhood friends to lovers, reader is a princess, some light groping but no full on smut, period accurate misogyny, implied violence, implied abuse.

A/N: Phew this one is a little longer than I intended it to be. Maybe a little less historically accurate than my last one but I tried sticking to historical facts. I always thought of Caracalla as a shy child that turned mad and Geta being the brave one. This will be the last full on fic I post before I go to Paris, enjoy!

It would be a short seige, your castle walls were never strong enough to withstand the Parthian army. Yet your father, having spiraled into madness, insisted to keep fighting. For years your small kingdom had been an ally to the empire. Even if it was small, it had a strategic and important port. Under Marcus Aurelius it had it added to the list of allies and it had been loyal up. Your father suddenly decided to start a war against Parthia. Voices plagued his mind, advisors gone corrupt filled his mind with delusions. You had been supportive of your father, trying to see the good in his actions as a way to cope. Giving up on the man that had raised you felt like betrayel. Your mother was a noble lady and after giving birth to you ander your brother she moved back to her own home. Their marriage was arranged and quite an unpleasant one. You were his only daughter, his sweet delight. Your brother was aiding the empire in the conquest of Numidia by order of the emperor, leaving you to watch over your father. Every day he slipped further into madness, and everyday it became more painful to watch.

At a certain point his advisors convinced him to go to war. Once you got wind of the idea you had the advisors sent away, unleashing your fury upon him. But your father had already sent out the command. You had prayed to Pax, Fortuna and Minerva for the war to end well and for the Romans to send aid. Emperor Severus had been a good friend to your father. You weren’t aware that he had passed and his sons, Geta and Caracalla, were terrorizing the empire. News travelled slow in the empire and before you knew it there was an entire army knocking on your door with no aid in sight. You had witnissed the Pathian generals slaughter the people on the outskirts of the city being killed. Their screams haunting your mind as you hid.

Once, you knew the twins. It was a long time ago, before your father had become king. He took you and your brother to Rome quite often, in hindsight you understood it was probably to find a suitable match amongst the sons of the senators. Due to the friendship your father and the emperor shared you were often on the Forum. You remember meeting the twins for the first time.

Caracalla was a shy boy, hiding behind his brother. Geta was a bit cocky but curious about you. They were a few years older than you were. You were clinging to your fathers toga, you never played with boys. At home you were either being taught by master or you were playing with the daughters of your fathers advisors. Boys sucked. And yet here you were, alone with these boys in a room.

“Do you wanna play soldiers?” Geta had asked eventually. “You can be the helpless girl and we-” He had shoved his brother from behind him. “We will save you.” There was a proud smirk on his face.

Soldiers? Why would you want to play that, why would you be the helpless girl. “I don’t want to play that.” You reached for the wooden sword. Geta tried to grasp for it.

“You can’t play with that, that isn’t for girls.” He sneered as you pulled away. Caracalla still hadn’t spoken a word.

“Stop it!” You frowned, you weren’t one to let somebody to tell you what to do.

Soon, chaos ensued. Somehow you ended up in a brawl with him, and to your surprise you were winning. All that commotion had alarmed the servants, who had fetched your fathers. Emperor Severus was pissed. He had dragged Geta off you, shouting stuff like ‘this is not how you treat guests’ and ‘you let that little girl beat you up’. Caracalla chased after them while sobbing as the emperor dragged Geta by his collar out of the room.

The banging on the door only got louder, together with the other women of this court you were hiding in the cellar. Soft prayers were whispered, hopes that the devine above might save them. You didn’t pray, you knew there was no stopping an army, your kingdom was way too small to beat Parthia. Your father didn’t have the men, nor did he have much expierence. It would be over soon and all you could hope for is that they wouldn’t slaughter and take every single woman in this room.

Over the years you luckily grew to appreciate each other’s company. Visits to Rome became more frequent. Your father enjoyed the wine, food, feasts and whores in the capital better. Geta was still as boisterous as before as he often liked to remind you of how he would become emperor someday. Caracalla had grown out of his shyness, but he got reckless and often faced his father’s wrath.

You were sitting on Caracalla’s bed, soflty dapping your handkerchief against his busted lip. Geta was leaning agaisnt a pillar as he watched you tend to his brother. “What happened.” You had asked Geta, Caracalla was still visibly upset. He was rambling some words you couldn’t understand, making himself small and leaning out of his touch. Sometimes it felt like you were talking to a child.

“Drank too much wine last night and was found in the horse stables.” Geta replied, keeping it short. You could tell his fathers violence got to him.

“You’re a fool sometimes Caracalla.” You spoke to him, lifting his chin to get a better look.

“He just needs to die then I will be emperor.” He had spouted a bit angrily in return.

You sighed softly and stood up. “We will fetch a doctor.” You spoke, nodding your head to Geta to signal him to come along. Something was up with Caracalla, he was reckless but he had become more unpredictable and forgetful over the last few months. It was eating away at you, you saw them as your closest friends.

“Something is wrong with him, Geta.” You spoke as soon as the two of you turned a corner. “Did the doctors say anything last time?”

“They say his peverse nature has infected his mind.” Geta spoke as he walked with you. “They’re trying to treat him but father says he is fine.”

“He’s not.”

“I know.”

Then the screams came. The walls had been breached. Younger girls started sobbing, with a stern look you tried to make them shut up. You couldn’t blame them, the worse thing that could happen to you is that they would make you a concubine. Soldiers knew better than harming a princess that could be used for blackmail. But those girls, they would have to endure the worst. You held your breath as you could hear them getting closer, your heart beating in your chest. The doors opened, but to your surprise it weren't Parthian soldiers. Their shields carried the Roman chrest. It were Roman Soldiers. Had they come to your aid? You got up, your dress was dirty and your messy. The seige lasted a few hours and you had been stuck in this stuffy room.

“Princess Y/N, you have summoned by imperial decree.” One of the generals entered, you did not recognize him. He looked older, his black hair slowly graying. They took you, dragging you out of the room despite your protests. The didn’t take commands from a woman, they took direct orders from the emperors and the emperors alone.

It was a particularly hot summer that year. This time you had went ahead of your father to Rome, he had some business to take care of back home. It was uncommon for girls your age to travel alone, you had long passed the age to be wed, but you were of age. It was the only reason your father let you go alone. Something had changed this year tho, you weren’t sure about what. The three of you always went swimming in their private pool, it had been a tradition for you of some sort. You never thought of it as strange. Yet, this year you could feel your cheeks heating up as you watched them swim around.

“Are you just going to lay there?” Geta spoke up. You were still laying in the shade and still dressed.

“Don't feel like swimming.” You spoke as you grinned softly.

“Is the princess afraid of getting wet?” He laughed loudly as he swam to the side of the pool.

“I am not!” You got up defensively. In the midst of your conversation you had not noticed Caracalla lurked behind you. With a giggle he flung you into the water.

“There we go.” Geta laughed, watching you struggle to swim in the flowly stola you were wearing. You would have bothered to undress first if you knew they were gonna force you in.

The echoes of Caracalla's laughter rung around the pool. It had gotten worse, you knew that. Both of them got worse in their own way. From what you heard they were drunks with concubines from all over the empire and a lust for blood. It made you sad.

“You should come to the Colosseum soon.” Geta swam closer to you, looking slightly down on you. The water was up to your shoulders but you could still stand. The way he looked at you made your head do summersaults. He lifted your chin. “I think you would enjoy what we have prepared for you.” He got closer, eye contact still remaining as your lips almost touched.

“I am not sure if-” He cut you off with a kiss. Caracalla was behind you now, his hands roamed your hips and his lips were on your neck. He softly bit down on the skin as he whimpered while rutting against you. You were sandwhiched between them. One of Geta's hands was on your breast, the other holding your chin in place.

It was so perfect, until it wasn't. Your father had barged in and saw the scene. He, too, had heard of the twins endeavours. And upon seeing you sandwiched between them he got furious. He ordered you out of the pool and he scolded the both of them. Surely, they would never hear the end of it from their own father. It made you anxious for what would happen when the emperor got word of what had happened here. That didn't matter tho, you would be there to patch up their bruises.

Atleast, that is what you thought. Your father had send you home right away and you never saw the two of them again. The first year was hard but you learned to live with the heartache. With your father illness you had more pressing matters than Rome.

They had dragged you back all the way to Rome. It was early in the morning when you finally arrived, your head ached and your feet were sore. On the way you were informed your father was killed, only worsening your pain. The soldiers had given you a minimum of food and water and kept you dressed in simple rags. You felt like a prisoner and you still weren’t none the wiser about why you were summoned. Atleast you didn’t have to walk all the way.

You arrived in Rome filthy, dehydrated, hungry and confused. At once, you were taken to the throne room. It was nearly the same as you remembered, only there were two thrones. Maybe he put it there as a way to honor his deceased wife. Taking in the surroundings you heard the emperor and the guards come in.

“I hope there is a good reason for my treatment on this journey, your imperial highness.” You turned around, but instead of seeing emperor Severus, you stood eye to eye with them. Geta and Caracalla. Your heart dropped. It been years since you had seen them. They were the emperors now?

“We apologise for your treatment, my lady.” Geta spoke first as he offered his hand. You stood frozen, taking in the both of them. You couldn’t lie, it was good to see them. It was like a weight falling of your shoulders. But something felt off. Geta had a cold look in his eyes and Caralla looked almost insane. His eyes reminded you of your father. Both of them were dressed in gold armour with a gold laurel crown on their heads. They radiated divinity. It didn’t feel the same as it once did.

With a trembling lip you stumbled over to them, falling on your knees infront of them. You had grasped ahold of Geta’s robe. Caracalla grinned as he crouched down to look at you. “We saved your kingdom. You must thank us, your brother will be king now.”

You looked up at him with fat tears rolling down your face as you were reminded of your father’s death. Geta grabbed your face in his hand. “What my brother means to say is that we are very sorry about your father. He may have acted like a fool but no ally of Rome should suffer like you have.” He gave you a hand, you took it and stood. “There will be games in his honour tonight. You will be attending.” It wasn’t a question, it was a demand.

Softly, you nodded. You tried to process what was going on. “Yes, games.”

“Real games, with bloodshed. No mercy.” Caracalla spoke to you as if he tried to comfort you. “We got you a dress.”

“Yes, Cassia will help you get dressed. You must get some rest now.” Geta turned to a young girl, she looked foreign but she had a Roman. She was probably a concubine that they liked so much she got promoded to a handmaid. “Cassia, get her cleaned up.” He snided at the girl.

Cassia led you out of the throne room to the baths. The hot water felt nice against your sore skin, you felt clean atlast. An essence of mint and citrus hanging in the air.

After the bath, Cassia had dressed you in your gown. It was purple with gold trimmings, it must’ve cost a fortune. The fabric felt expensive. Your hair was done in an elaborate hairstyle. Even if you were a princess, the luxeries in Rome was something your father could not afford. You looked like an empress, the empress. “The emperors wish to see you before you leave for the Colosseum.” She eventually spoke after she finished doing your hair.

With heavy feet you made your way to the throne room. It did feel better to be dolled up again, but under these circumstances you doubt you could feel anything at all. You were alone in a city full of people that would probably want you dead, you had no moment of peace as two guards followed you at all costs. They pushed the door open to the throne room, Geta and Caracalla were already waiting for you.

They had changed into new clothes too. Caracalla wore a black gown, Geta opted for a rich red. The twins turned to look at you.

“You look splendid, my lady.” Geta spoke first before Caracalla interrupted him.

“My brother and I have a proposal to make.” He sat in his throne like a giddy child. You carefully watched them.

“Your father has passed, leaving you unmarried and under nobody’s protection.” Geta started, you weren’t sure what he was getting at. “Your brother is too busy being king, so..”

“What is it you want from me.” You cautiously narrowed your eyes.

Caracalla rose to his feet and walked towards you, grabbing your hands. “Marry us. You loved us when we were children, you love us now right?” There was a hint of desperation in his eyes. “Right?” He repeated, now sounding a little more angry.

You were left speechless. If they had asked you this question a few years ago you would’ve agreed without a second thought, but after all these years and all that happened you just couldn’t process what they asked of you.

“Nothing would happen to your kingdom once you are empress.” Geta was suddenly behind you, whispering in your ears. “We will make the man that murdered your father die a painfull death, my lady.” He stroked a ringed finger against your arm, the metal felt cold against your skin.

Geta took a step back. “We will give you some time to think, we have a surprise for you during the games first.” You heard Caracalla giggling, what had they planned?

In the Colosseum you were seated in between them. The two of them clearly enjoyed the bloodshed. Geta watched with a calm gaze and a smile on his face, Caracalla on the other hand was clapping and laughing as soon as blood was spilled. They had plenty of servants filling their cups, while they drank and enjoyed the finest food. You watched silently with your hands folded in your lap. The screams of agony from whoever was being slaughtered only reminded you of home. When you closed your eyes you could see the families being slain, the face of the Parthian general clear as day. You couldn’t have protected them even if you wanted, it made you feel helpless.

“And now! For the main event, our undefeated champion!” The master of ceremonies announced. Geta gave you a shove, making you look up at what was actually going on in the arena. “The Tigris of Gaul!” The crowd roared when he entered. He rode in on a rhino, the heavy beast trotting in.

Caracalla was basically jumping of his chair now, he took your hand and led you to the edge of the balcony. His grin was like a cheshire cat. “This will be our gift to you.” He spoke.

Geta got up as well, gracefully walking to place a hand on your back.

“Our champion will be taking it up against the Parthian Mithridates!” A beat up and confused man entered the ring, you recognized his face immediatly. It was the general that had killed your citizens. You remained silently as you coldheartedly watched the man taking it up against the Tigris of Gaul.

It didn’t take long for the gladiator to have the general on his back, he had only been given a dull sword. He had no chance of winning. The Tigris held his blade against the general’s neck, looking up to the emperor’s balcony for approval to kill him.

Geta had been smiling this entire time, gauging your reaction. “Well? What do you say? What judgement will the gods render.”

“Kill him.” Caracalla almost spat in your ear, his behaviour getting more erratic. “Kill him!”

Your thoughts ran a hundred miles an hour. That was the man that killed your people, he might even have killed your father. He caused so much suffering, so much death. You had him in your clutches now, you were the one deciding his faith. You looked down at him, the tears had fallen down your cheek a while ago. Were you able to say word, have this man killed? You had always been a sweet girl, your father sang praises of your gentle nature whenever he could. But something had changed, something had stirred.

They had given you this chance. This could mean war with Parthia and yet they still did it. They did it because they could, and they wanted you to have revenge. If being of empress of Rome ment you could reign terror down on the ones that hurt your people you had made your decision.

You looked at Geta, giving him a small nod. His grin grew even wider as he grabbed your hand. He lifted it slightly, he held his other fist up. “The gods have rendered their judgement!” The crowd went silent. They all watched the downturned thumb and they cheered once more. It was true what they said about the games, show them blood or else they will want yours.

You watched coolly as general Mithridates got his throat slid, only flinching slightly as the blade his neck and the blood spurted out. Before you could see the rest you had turned around to leave the emperors box.

“Where are you going. You are missing the best part.” Caracalla frowned as he watched you leave.

“There is a wedding to be planned.” You replied calmly. The twins looked at each other, their gift had worked. Rome would have a new empress soon, and she would show no mercy to her enemies.

[kimikitti]

In honor of the new Book 7 part I present to you all the right and honorable Lord Calibearn the Pretender. Briar Valley's premier overworked government employee.

Former court jester turned Royal Advisor, he's wrangled almost three generations of Draconia royalty in vastly different ways. He's twisted from the forest animals in sleeping beauty taking over the Prince's coat. Yes, he is made up of a bunch of animals in a fancy stuffed outfit. There's a lore dump below the cut

Unique magic: "Flock Together"- Allows user to control and manipulate groups of small animals. Advanced application allows conscious transfer of the soul

Background:

Calibearn came from a relatively poor background in Briar Valley. He used to sing and play the lute for some extra coin on the streets. When the Royal Court held a competition for a new jester, Calibearn decided to try out. He was successful on account for the unique harmonies he could conjure with forest animals and was appointed as a companion to a young princess Malenoar. It was through this that Calibearn met Raverne and Lilia.

War: (I'm not too set on his lore yet) During the invasion of the Silver Owl, Calibearn was taken hostage trying to evacuate civilians. He was never supposed to be near the front lines, due to his weak nature. While in captivity, Calibearn was forced to give up his original form and escape using his unique magic "Flock Together".

He never found his original body.

Upon his return, Calibearn took on a more ruthless political role under the senate. His sharp tongue and wit led to a meteoric rise in political circles (plus a shit ton of blackmail).

During the seige of Malenoar's castle, Calibearn was faced with a terrible choice. Send more troups to defend Malenoar or move the supplies to secure civilians. He made a choice he'll never forgive himself for.

Relationships:

Malenoar: On account of a shared childhood, they were quite close. Malenoar would frequently tease Cali about his shyness when they were young. Calibearn also entertained the princess with the sordid affairs that happen amongst the nobles in her court. Calibearn was also involved in a lot of the mischief Maleanoar would pull on potential suitors.

Lilia: Calibearn developed a minor crush on Lilia growing up. He holds Lilia in very high regard. After the war, Calibearn and Lilia's relationship deteriorates. Lilia, though still believing in Calibearn as a friend, cannot forgive him for abandoning Maleanoar. Calibearn doesn't believe that Lilia is wrong about that, but also refuses to explain himself. While Lilia is banished, Calibearn constantly petitions the Senate for a repeal of his punishment. He continues to support Lilia indirectly and would often send gifts for Silver through Malleus.

After nearly centuries of healing, Lilia wants to finally have an open conversation of Calibearn about the past. Calibearn runs away from this constantly. Much to the chagrin of literally everyone involved.

Malleus: Due to the fact that the Senate sucks and Lilia was not often allowed to see Malleus, Calibearn self appointed himself to be a tutor and mentor to the young prince. He would often help Malleus sneak out to see Lilia. He wanted the prince to at least have some semblance of a childhood.

Calibearn was not always the best role model at times. He taught Malleus how to curse like a sailor once and got his ass kicked by Lilia. Though he is fond of Malleus, Calibearn felt himself to be a temporary figure in prince's life. The guilt he carried made Calibearn feel that his love for the prince paled in comparison to the love Lilia could give. As such, he kept some amount of distance between him and Malleus.

Malleus on the other hand, grew to respect Calibearn as a mentor. Though that doesn't stop the prince from teasing Calibearn at every opportunity. (Btw the I love DILF mug is from Malleus, Cali has no idea what DILF means no one tell him.) Also, Malleus is constantly trying to get is divorced dads back together. Silver gets enlisted into this fight on account for him being the youngest and cutest.

[scotianostra]

St AndrewsCastle Exhibition.

This exhibition features some of the events and the people involved during the castle's long history.

St Andrews Castle was the home of the bishops of St Andrews. The site has been fortified since at least the 1190s. However, most of what we see today was built between 1380 and 1560.

The Castle was the scene of major events in Scottish history. In 1452 the future King James III was born here. Nearly a century later, in 1546, one of the most powerful men in Scotland,

George Wishart was burnt at the stake for his protestant views, outside the castle, then Cardinal David Beaton, was murdered in in retaliation by a group of Protestant noblemen.

The Cardinal's assassins then occupied St Andrews Castle for over a year. They eventually surrendered when bombarded by ships sent from France. During the 1546-47 siege, attacking forces tried to capture the Castle by mining under the walls. The resulting mine still survives, and is the best preserved sixteenth-century siege mine in Europe. Unfortunately they are currently closed after a part of thetunnels collapsed a few weeks ago.

[pricegouge]

thinking about time loop/protecting the princess to your death tn. just imagine the guys as your royal guard, enemy army at the gates....

cw: f!reader. main character death, including reader. but don't worry, they get better. mention of food/disparity. barely better than bullet point rambles. no resolution MDNI

i think this works better if you have been shipped off to a keep, away from the castle with your most loyal guards for safe keeping. but it's backfired somehow - sold out, maybe. general court intrigue. you're not there for longer than a week before a siege begins.

you spend months locked away with them, constantly fighting to ensure they're eating properly because of course they're not, not when their priority is keeping you hale and healthy. you make it up to them in other ways, i bet - a princess has to keep her innocence, of course, but there's other things they can introduce you to when the nights grow long and lonely. besides, you're meant to make some great noble very happy one day; it works be a shame to go to his bed so unlearned.

it's not so bad, not always at least. they make it easy to forget your situation with their easy laughs, and under the captain's strong leadership you never doubt you will live to see the end of the seige.

but your father did warn you about hubris.

[[big fat brackets cause i don't wanna bother with plot]] the tides of war change and then the enemy at the gate starts truly knocking. your guard is weak after so long without proper food or training and the keep's summarily overrun.

you die. maybe some of the men do, too. i could see gaz surviving the longest that first loop, the agony of watching his friends and lover(s?) fall. he fights to the bitter end but he's overcome just the same, corpse left in a pile for carrion with the rest of his brothers in arms.

and then he's awake.

the worst part is that they all remember, and you alone don't. every loop is different - now gaz the last survivor, next soap. the one constant is you're always second last, a sobbing mess after watching each of your friends fall in turn. it's never anything quick and mild, either. they're all hardened warriors and each of them earn a bloody death. every time. and every time they have to watch how their failure kills you just as surely as a rival blade, and every morning they wake up clutching their chests, their necks, scrambling for each other's limbs to stem the life blood they know is only going to spill again.

[the-fiction-witch]

Loss

Media - House Of The Dragon Character - Jacaerys Velaryon Couple - Jacaerys X Reader Reader - Y/n Targaryen (Daughter of Rhaenyra) Rating - Sad AF Word Count - 1335

There were not many people at the funeral, nor was there a body. Lucerys' body was never found. Just like a real velaryon, he came from the water and went to the water. But there was no body to give him the Targaryen burial he deserved.

and only had the clothes of sweet Lucerys left.

Jacaerys stared at the large fire for a while. He had a very insecure expression on his face. Jace finally quietly moved forward. He quietly threw the clothes into the fire. Jacaerys' movements were tense and hesitant, he couldn't even stand it.

He finally took a few steps back and took his betrothal and sister by the hand

Silence reigned in the area.

Slowly but surely as the fire burnt people respectfully left to return to the painted table as discussions of the war had to continue. The sight of them leaving broke Y/n’s heart even more to think Lucaerys would be nothing more than a causality of war. But Y/n held in her tears until only Jacaerys and Y/n remained, in the setting sun with the fire dying down she let out her tears, a hand in Jacaerys the other clutching a wooden seadragon toy Lucaerys had since he was a baby,

When the fire burned down and the fire began to die out, "We should go." Jacaerys gently lifted her hand to his lips. He gave her a soft kiss while gently brushing his face against her cheek. "Lucerys will forever remain in our hearts, you will always carry a part of him with you my beloved."

"I cannot..." She muttered, "I cannot go..."

He nodded, then pulled her into his arms. "shh, shhh." He gently kissed the top of her head and wrapped his arms around her. "I'm here." He tried to comfort her. "But we can't stay here forever." He said quietly.

"I know... I know..." She whined "... I swear to the old gods, the new, the seven, the drowned, and whatever hellish gods exist in this world. I will take flight on Nightwing and I will set the red keep ablaze with every last green inside and I will not stop until King's landing is nothing but ashes..."

"I have no doubts that you will." He replied. "And I'll follow you." He kissed the top of her head once more. "Now c'mon, let's get back to the table." He whispered.

She slowly followed him inside and they took their places standing at the painted table

He put his hand on top of hers, he was trying to look calm, but his expression was actually quite nervous and tense. Many of the lords stood around the table and looked at the map. "We have to take action on the Green cunts. They took Lucerys away from us." He muttered under his breath.

"As you can see from the map, our enemies have taken many castles and many lands. There are many Green banners. We are surrounded by enemies from the Vale to The Crownlands. On top of that, the Gold Cloaks have now fully sided with the Greens, making things even worse. I'm not saying all hope is lost, but as I see it, we are in a dire situation." a lord spoke up,

"... An army no matter how large cannot defy a dragon," Y/n spoke up

"That is certainly the case, Princess. But how can we use this factor to our advantage without being massacred in our sleep? The enemies have already started to strengthen and reinforce Harrenhal and Oldtown." He looked at you with a serious look.

"... Fire can burn any reinforcements. I recommend a seige, seal them inside their castles and make no front to attack merely wait them out until their people become desperate... Then bring the dragons and set the fuckers ablaze." Y/n demanded,

When Y/n's words became clear, the entire table fell into a tense silence. Everyone looked surprised at Y/n's violent words. In fact, they were not words worthy of an innocent and pure Princess.

"Your idea is good but has one problem, the Green dragons. Vhagar, Dreamfyre, Sunfyre, and Tessarion are among them. We must not forget this."

"The dragon keepers are an order based in Dragonstone their alliance has always been to house Targaryen and to Dragonstone... Either call upon our loyal dragon keepers still within king landing walls or send some who are on a mission of secrecy," she explained her voice strained "Have them poison the dragons of the greens as they slumber" Her words where vicious and almost cruel she wanted to see these castles starve small folk, poison dragons. It was clear the innocent princess was gone this was the making of a queen a very merciless queen

The other lords remained silent once more, some even nodded. "That's true, the greens will be expecting us to attack them without thinking of that. And you're also right that their dragons are a powerful weapon we must not overlook. But, do we really want to kill the dragons, Princess?" He asked.

"I will kill everyone and everything that dares to sit below a green banner myself!" She shouted slamming her hands on the painted table and cutting her hands on the sculpted map her hands turning bloody from the impact "if I must do this myself I will..."

Many of the lords, including Jacaerys, took a couple steps back at her outburst.

"Listen, Princess, calm down. Your words have been appreciated, it's not a bad idea. We'll talk about it."

"I will not allow you to plan this war without me. To hear of mercy. To hear of agreements. Lucaerys went to storms end peacefully as a messenger and was murdered! In cold blood! I will hear nothing but fire and blood for what they have done! I will hear nothing mercy I will hear nothing of politics if blood is all they understand then blood is all they are due!"

"Calm down, calm down princess." He glanced at Jacaerys, who also came closer and gently took her face in his hands.

"Y/n, calm down... No one is talking about giving up. We're going to plan for fire and blood. Now listen, calm down." Jacaerys tried to comfort her,

Y/n pushed Jacaerys away "Fine. I will do it myself," she said hitching her dress and storming out the hall

Jacaerys quickly followed in his steps, a frustrated look on his face. "y/n, listen..." He grabbed her arm to stop her from walking away. Then his face softened. "I know you're angry and sad, I am too. But calm down, please... We have a war to win."

"I care not for a war! For battles and plans! I do not wish to fight a war I simply wish to experiment! I will not rest until they are dead and if I have to sneak myself into that castle and slit each green throat in their sleep I will!" She screamed but tears broke, her face cracked as her sadness took her over "... I can't do this... I can't..."

Jacaerys watched her, and finally wrapped his arms around her. He gently pulled her into his arms and held her close. "Ssshhh, ssshhh. Just calm down, my love." He whispered softly in her ear. "Listen... listen to me Y/n. Believe me, every word that you speak I share, I do. I feel every word of what you say. But we cannot lose ourselves to grief! We must go to war and we must do so with the clearest of minds so we can do this with the most efficiency and speed.” he explained “As much as you desire to rage we must be tactful, or more lives will be lost.” he told her, “And…” his voice cracked as his hand stroked her hair, “I have already lost Lucaerys…” He choked up tears welling up, “I cannot lose you too.” he let his tears slip, “I- I can’t Y/n… I just can’t…” He muttered as she wiped away his tears and softly gave his lips a kiss,

“I- I’m sorry Jace,”

“It’s okay, Come on. We have a war to plan.”

[rooftopwreck]

I do not see enough love for the folks over at Deerstalker Pictures for their bg3 cosplay + skits

and if you're wondering why Gale's cosplayer looks familiar, he's the guy that did the "he's a 10 but..." "WENCH! He couldn't come in your castle?" "oh, he could lay seige"

[invisible-goats]

Hastings castle - Is it the most impressive to look at now? Maybe not. But this is the fort William the Bastard raised before marching north, pivotal British history in the making. Also offering glorious views over the town and out to sea; when hastings burns someone in effigy this has the best seats that don't actively risk you being set on fire. (You msy risk falling down a cliff-face, but you won't be on fire when it happens.)

Pevensey Castle - Originally built by the Romans*, the outer wall of this castle is 1700 years old and weathered several medieval seiges. This castle was also used by both elizabethan and second-world-war forces to secure Pevensey bay from potential invasion. *The Romans in question may have been in rebellion against Rome, and more worried about other Romans than Saxons or other invaders.

[wisteriawater]

There is this one thing that really stands out to me about Thistle claiming he doesn't need to eat, just like the members of the castle.

Yaad said everyone lost their sense of tase, and yet Thistle said the nightmare tasted like a chimney. And he gobbled the berries Falin was asking if she could eat pretty damn fast. (Also, the fact that 2 out of the five berries were for Thistle is so sweet??? Like Falin gave him almost half the food she found and yet she weighs like a ton, where as he is microwave sized. (This is less of a joke than you think, I calculated character stats to see how combat would work- he weighs less than 70 pounds.))

It's sad to think about, but either Thistle was lying about not needing to eat, or he misses mortal life too.... maybe even just as much as everyone else- if not more. After all, the dungeon was a last resort during a seige! It definitely was not his first choice.

The layers of this boy shoving himself aside to protect the castle are so nuanced? Like... this detail did not need to be there and yet it adds so much to his story if you pick up on it. He clearly still has the desire to eat. He inhaled those berries, and the fact that he can still taste shows he has been eating in some capacity these 1000 years. I wonder if he has been eating elf cakes to remind himself of the happy times with his brother before shit hit the fan. Thistle... you're breaking my heart kid. Eat a sandwich, please!

[anekogia]

Timeline of the war till when Lilia finds Silver (Spoliers from chapter 7)

This is based on most of the game's dialogue and scenes that played out. Might not be 100% accurate.

There was conflict/war between Briar Country (Land of Faes) and the Land of Sword (Human kingdom) because the Land of Swords were illegally gathering resources from Briar Country and destroying their lands.

While out scouting, Lilia and his men recieved news that King Henrich, King of the Land of Sword, is laying seige on Nobara Castle, where Princess Maleanor is currently living in and is taking care of her unhatched egg.

They quickly made their way there to warn the princess, where they King Henrich challenges Maleanor to a duel against his best warrior, the Knight of Dawn.

Lilia, Baul and their troops manage to make their way and warn Maleanor about the seige, but the princess tasks Lilia to look after her egg and escape Nobara Castle.

Maleanor makes her way out of her castle, where she battles against the Knight of Dawn and his men. The princess gains the upper hand, and buries the Knight into the ground.

The Knight of Dawn falls into a secret passage that Lilia and his men are using. It was then revealed that the Knight of Dawn is against fighting the fae and gave Lilia and his troops safe passage so that they can escape with Maleanor's egg.

Ultimately, Lilia manages to escape safely with the egg. However, Maleanor overblots and is slain by the Knight of Dawn..Nobara Castle is then taken over by the royals of the Land of Sword.

Some time after, King Henrich dies (good), and his younger sister, Princess Leah, becomes queen. She and the Knight of Dawn also marry and had a child.

However, the conflict between their kingdom and the fae is still happening, and the Knight of Dawn is killed during one of their battles.

Knowing that there is no hope for her kingdom, Queen Leah left her son to be protected by the three fairies in Nobara Castle.

Queen Leah dies soon afterwards. In an effort to save the young prince, the fairies cast a spell on him so that he would be placed under an eternal slumber until the war is over, and until somebody who could love him finds him.

About 200 to 300 years after the war, Prince Malleus is born, much to the delight of the fae kingdom now known as Briar Valley/Valley of Thorns.

More than 100 years after that, Lilia is visiting the ruins of Nobara Castle, where he hears something coming out from the castle. He finds a baby in the throne room and quickly realizes he is the child of the Knight of Dawn (from his hair colour and his necklace).

Having not forgotten what the Knight of Dawn did for him, Lilia adopts the child and gives him the "blessing of the night", resulting in the baby's hair colour changing from gold to silver.

Lilia names the child Silver and started raising him in a cottage in the woods. Malleus drops by time after time, thinking that Silver was just some orphan Lilia found in the woods.

Notes: I wouldn't be surprised if the Knight of Dawn's name is "Stefan/Stephan" since Silver's mom's name is Leah, which is also the name of Aurora's mother in Sleeping Beauty.

Also, knowing that Malleus is probably watching over everyone's dreams, I am 100% sure that this is how he is going to find out about Silver's true heritage. And he is not going to be happy.

[tixdixl]

Is there anything specific that you really love about your ocs?

Thank you so so much for asking this? First, I'm honored and incredibly appreciative of you for asking. And second, you really got me thinking about what I *do* love about them and why I continue to explore them even after 11 months of being in this fandom space.

So this is going to seem like a generic, generalized response, but it is something that applies to all of them.

I really love how each of my OCs, at least in my perspective, very very clearly can be traced back to their source materials while simultaneously being their own characters.

Starting with Oisín, Oisín from the get go was always meant to align both with "The Headless Horseman" and also dullahan mythology (specifically Irish and Scottish folklore). And yet, because of the way they evolved and the way I developed them in alignment with the narrative of "Twisted Wonderland", they became their own being. --- idk if folks even knew this. I never set out to have them shipped with Lilia. It entirely developed naturally and on its own. And it has turned into arguably my favorite ship out of all of them. The Headless Horseman??? Married to a Vampire???? Incredible. Amazing. 10/10

Then you have Kingsley and like... he is so at his core the Horned King, and every which way you look at his narrative, even his character development? It aligns itself in the way that the narrative of the "Chronicles of Prydain" unfolds. Even when he has his seige on the castle, it feels on par with the actions of the Horned King or any of the other antagonists from the series. His temperment and his personality? 100% - and yet his choices are his own. His narrative is his own. He gets the Cauldron. He gets to KEEP the Cauldron. Its HIS. Not Tarran's!!!!!

René, Rémi, and Eve are so painfully the main trio of "Swan Lake" (the ballet). And yet René's entire narrative and personality is contingent on a question that the ballet NEVER answers or even considers: "Who is Odile without Rothbardt?" And so the Odile we get in NRC, René, is my interpretation of who Odile would be when alone. How she would act if functioning on her own and without the evil magician. So sure, René is Odile. But René also is René. And only René.

Emil holds an incredibly special place in my heart where this theme is concerned. I don't think many people are aware of the anti-semitism in "Tangled". So when I thought of the idea of a Dame Gothel expy, I went in with the idea of creating a Gothel who just was Jewish coded but not a charicature. I incorporated elements from the original Rapunzel tale, the adaptation of "Into the Woods", "Tangled", and added flavor in the form of jewish beliefs and jewish customs. It's resulted into a character who is very very clearly Gothel in his narrative and in his personality and in his relationships, but he isnt restricted by the narrative or characterization as depicted by Disney. He has grown beyond that just like the beanstalk that ended up in his bestie's backyard. Also-- his Overblot? Chef's kiss.

Xiáng is ESPECIALLY fun here. Because when I originally created him, I didn't have a Disney character in mind. He showed up an amalgamation of different ideas and themes from stories I've read recently that I really enjoyed. And then @inmateofthemind popped into my DMs and asked me if Xiáng was twisted from Crikee from "Mulan". And I sat there. And i looked at all the drawn comparisons. And i couldn't deny.... the parallels were to strong not to lean into it. And the more I leaned into it? The more and more he showed himself to BE Crikee. And yet he so ISNT!!!!!! It's honestly so fun.

Sefu is also really fun, because they came from a rewatch of Lion King 2: Simba's Pride with @ramshacklerumble . And I honestly just gave myself permission to take the idea of Zira and REALLY LEAN into the yandere, creepy territorial fan aspect of her character. It also gave me the opportunity to explore how I personally think Zira's dynamic with Scar looked like, based on the implications set out by the film. We never get to see it in the media, which means that Sefu does have the opportunity to expand beyond the scope of Disney, and I do get to determine how much Leona actually can't stand them lol.

Alphonse too is such a fun one. Because his source material depicts the Wellies as incredibly static and yet emotionally driven characters, I get the opportunity to explore the question "What would allow the Wellies (from "Giselle" the ballet) to actually move on and rest in the after life?" It's also a fun opportunity to explore the very blurred lines between fae and ghosts in older Anglo/Irish folklore, as the Wellies were supposed to be inspired by the Otherfolk.

If you're still reading this- thank you so much for sticking around?? Genuinely, I appreciate it and I hope you enjoyed the read. If you want more specific details about any of the things mentioned, please don't hesitate to ask!

Tag list: @ramshacklerumble @the-trinket-witch @starry-night-rose @elenauaurs @rainesol

@cyanide-latte @winterweary @theleechyskrunkly @thehollowwriter @boopshoops

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