#diarmuid and grainne

[birdsofrhiannon]

Diarmuid and Grainne by Cahira63

[anarcho-sgathach]

Gráinne: how big is that dick

Diarmuid: small. leave me alone

[fate-magical-girls]

According to the myths I've read, the real painful part of Diarmuid's elopement with Grainne was the breaking of his oath of fealty. He was caught between a rock and a hard place, but the vow of the geis itself was more pressing. That's where he gets the social stigma and constant guilt and anguish, not the part where he actually married Grainne and had five children with her. In fact, in myths set before he meets Grainne, Diarmuid beds almost every woman who propositions him, be they human or supernatural, pretty or ugly, and sometimes he does it out of sheer pity (which is the origin of his love spot).

Diarmuid didn't plan on sleeping with Grainne when he first took her away, and actually having a relationship wasn't included in the geis. He actually laid out unbroken bread and uncooked fish at all of his campgrounds so Fionn would know he and Grainne were chaste. However, when Fionn insults him every time he catches up to Diarmuid, Diarmuid proceeds to make out with Grainne just to piss off Fionn. And then there's also the episode where a giant wins Grainne off of Diarmuid in a board game, so Diarmuid attacks him, only for Grainne to stab him in the leg because she's so frustrated over how he refuses to be intimate with her that she'd rather go with the giant. And after that they end up reconciling, and when they set out again, water splashed against Grainne's thighs and she lamented that Diarmuid didn't even have the courage of the water, leading to him getting down and dirty with her right then and there.

It's a story of mythological people behaving very (by modern standards) badly, and comes in several different versions with differing details, but I think Diarmuid did start out feeling some measure of lust for Grainne, and then decided to give into that lust out of anger against Fionn. He also developed enough emotional intimacy with Grainne to get jealous and try to win her back from the giant, including cooking her favorite meal. Toward the end of the Pursuit, they're hiding up in a tree, Grainne has pregnancy cravings for berries guarded by a giant, and Diarmuid is her "yes dear" henpecked husband.

I know that the idea of love potions / love spells / etc taking agency away from the characters in courtly romance style legends is a way of retaining their moral purity while allowing them to engage in adultery and betrayal and the like -- their love is outside of their control! They're still good people, they just can't help themselves!! -- but I legitimately can not fathom how little discussion I can find about that trope regarding Diarmuid and Grainne, because while Diarmuid's agency is completely revoked -- not only is he forced to be with Grainne, but he's punished for it by his liege and treated as an outlaw -- Grainne's is very pointedly not.

Some varieties even portray her "acceptance" of Finn's proposal as being because of his status (i.e. she's effectively treated as a gold-digger who, upon seeing Diarmuid, decides to throw her pursuit of status in the trash and force Diarmuid to run away with her by drugging his whole company and putting him under a geis. Not even like. . . a love spell or a potion or something to instill him with feeling, but literally just a magic command.) And there is probably more merit to this than there would be if the story were from the mainland -- there's a lot more Independent Women in irish mythic structures than in english or greek ones, for example.

The most charitable interpretation I've seen is that she was victim to his love spot, nursing feelings for him for a long time, betrothed against her will to someone too old for her who just so happened to bring her crush along, and her geis was only for Diarmuid to rescue her from Finn, but I still haven't actually seen reference to Diarmuid having feelings for her outside of her baiting him into bedding her many years into their life of crime.

[altblock-tm]

women want him.

boars hate him.

[lilyllya]

Another day another picture of Diarmuid being traumatized by Grainne

This is not Fionn, but a part of Diarmuid's mind speaking.

[stairnaheireann]

#OTD in Irish History | 29 November:

In the Liturgical Calendar today is the Feast Day of Saint Brendan of Birr (died circa 572). He was one of the early Irish monastic saints. He was a monk and later an abbot, of the 6th century. He is known as ‘St Brendan the Elder’ to distinguish him from his contemporary and friend St Brendan the Navigator of Clonfert. He was one of the Twelve Apostles of Ireland, a friend and disciple of Saint…

[lilyllya]

Finally! I want to read a Pursuit version where Grainne received the bad ending she rightfully deserved.

I think Fionn is also in the wrong but at least he got his bad end in the original tales, while some people sympathize and even get defensive when anyone criticise Grainne, when she was abusive (and even sexually harassed Diarmuid in some versions) I stand by my point that Diarmuid never loved Grainne. He might have come to care for her, but it came from trauma bonding, and trauma bonding is not love. Really looking forward to read your AUs (if you publish them)

Top 5 AUs of whatever you have cooking, whether they are in fics or just floating ideas :3c

HMMMMMMMM SOMEONE IS TRYING TO SNOOP I SEE UWU /j these are all FGO AUs because my Star Wars AU is honestly still killing me orz I have so many ideas but I can't get them arranged right for it [I wanna bring in Hondo IMMEDIATELY he is SO FUN but I have to make it make sense...] and Star Wars fans SCARY X'D

The Pursuit of Diarmuid and Grainne AU:

So this AU is one I don't honestly know if I'll ever finish all the way or publish. Mainly because while I've read several Pursuits now, there's a lot of other mythos knowledge I need and it's hard to find non-Anglicized sources for me??? Unless anyone has a resource to share dfxcghv it started from my love of Diarmuid from FGO and all of Tea's really good Diarmuid and Fionn headcanons and a specific fic of theirs, Oh, Darling, You Can Stop Drowning that got me realizing that yeah The Pursuit being portrayed as a tragic romance....when one party held all the power via magical curse and the other just. Was forced along. Yeah...BUT that's another reason I probably won't post it in the end; the entire thing is built up on Tea's headcanons, so it also feels like it's not really my right to write it or post it. I'm mostly writing it out to read myself because I just,,,,need the serotonin,,, dfgv

Anyway. Main differences in this AU:

-Fionn is not attending the engagement because he is engaged to Grainne, but because it would be an insult not to attend. I haven't decided if he simply didn't express interest or if Sadhbh is still alive in this AU [basically just making it an entire mythos au not just a pursuit one]. If it's the latter it adds another layer because uh yeah Sadhbh is also mad her husband's dearest friend got stolen away and she would like to know Grainne's location as well thank you Very much.

-Diarmuid leaves pretty clear signs that it wasn't a willing departure WHICH IT WASN'T IN THE FIRST PLACE he actually, in one version I found, tries to throw her off several times [and this is AFTER Grainne already tried and failed to make a pass at Oisin and maybe also Oscar in the version I saw, can't remember], but he pretty desperately tries to wake Fionn in this one, both out of concern for his friend and then realizing what is about to happen. Not a huge difference I'm just rambling now sdfxghcv

-When Fionn wakes up from the sleeping draught he sees that Diarmuid is gone and Immediately knows Grainne did something bcus Diarmuid mentioned her Attention earlier in the story. Following a HC of Tea's, this Pursuit is, rather than a "Dude that was MY fiance", a "RETURN. MY BEST FRIEND. TO ME. RIGHT. NOW." Pursuit.

-Undecided how I want it to end; if they make it the full seven years and somehow??? Diarmuid returns to Fionn after???? If Fionn catches up and Diarmuid can't calm him down and he kills Grainne,,,which is INSTANT POLITICAL RAMIFICATIONS bad ending,,,,if he catches up prior to the full seven years and somehow???? Breaks the geis???

ULTIMATELY doesn't matter since it'll prob just be for me to read BUT it's one that has consumed my brain sfdg

2. Vinyl Destination [named by Ye uwu] Avenger Agenda/Saliama AU! LESBIAN TRANS COMPOSERS T4T LESBIANS HELL YEAHHHHHHH LESBIAN POLYCULE IN GENERAL I've mentioned this one to you plenty I'm sure but, Salieri who leaves the classical world that will never accept her and she goes to purposefully try and make herself a laughingstock by starting a punk metal band, a failure, etc etc so that she can. Well. Feel justified let's put it that way. BUT INSTEAD they ROCKET up the charts and suddenly she has to keep living, has to keep going.

During all of this Mozart is still in the closet and doing her best to break free but still stay safe with her father constantly watching every move. It started as an au where Mozart is in classical and Salieri punk, covering each other's songs to annoy each other how did it end up like this HOW DID IT END UP LIKE THIS anyway it's Salieri/Dantes/Jalter [all ladies] with Salieri also dating Mozart [lady] and Jalter also dating Boudica [lady].

3. So this one has NOTHING written down about it anywhere at all, but Fairy Knight Bedivere AU. And by Fairy Knight I don't mean like the FGO ones I mean it in the sense of like. Magic Knight Rayearth. He has a pact with Fou [who can change sizes, sometimes he is Fou sizze sometimes he is mount size sometimes he is HUGE] and they just...travel together and help people. Low stakes, probably set after an apocalypse so I can get some fun post-apocalyptic shit in there, as Enrichment. Could possibly involve some BediTris because that's my main ship for him, but could also just be a gen little fic/series about Bedivere and Fou saving the world one person at a time.

4. Arguably my WEIRDEST most cracky AU is the Hatoful Boyfriend Salierik AU. This was originally started for the Dead Dove day of Rarepair week, bcus I legit started that week with FOUR PAIRINGS. Anyway I thought it would be funny to make a pun with Dead Dove bcus,,,Hatoful Boyfriend,,,Erik is a murderous Magpie and Salieri is a massive vulture constantly in pain bcus the virus didn't mutate his family right. The Dead Dove is also literal bcus it's hatoful boyfriend so you know it's got murder, teeeeeechnical cannibalism bcus one character is killed for her bones????, some fun little gaslighting, etc etc

Just an AU for me to lelt Erik be a funky freaky little murder birb [all for his darling Salieri ofc] this is like 50% because I thought it would be funny 50% I asked Wolfie enough questions that I Gotta do it now XD It's partly written but has a lot of gaps.

5. Unrequited Fionndiar hanahaki AU. ONCE AGAIN NO ONE IS SURPRISED this started with a Tea headcanon, linking it from when I reblogged it bcus some of my thoughts are spewed into the tags dfzsxvg anyway the whole reason why this is especially fun is, as it alludes to there, Diarmuid, in the myths where he DOES die, has one fated death at the hands of his brother who was turned into a boar. This is because Donn killed someone's kid btw so then that was just. Placed upon Diarmuid and his brother's heads.

SO ANYWAY he has to die that way, and any other deadly injury he just bounces back from. So he contracts lungflower [Tea's thought on an alt name], and he Immediately knows what it is and who it's for. Cue Diarmuid desperately trying to hide it, growing proficient at swallowing down petal and stem and thorn until he is alone and it forces its way back up, trying to keep Fionn from suspecting anything because Fionn would damn himself to unhappiness if it means saving Diarmuid pain.

And he learns how to hide it, how to manage it, everything he needs. but eventually he DOES die. And FIonn finds him, as he is dying, and Diarmuid is trying to desperately swallow flowers but Fionn forces his mouth open to pour water into and. Well. He knows who they're for, because Diarmuid never made his feelings secret. So like another layer of guilt onto the man about to lose his best friend

FLASH FORWARD TO CHALDEA and Diarmuid starts coughing up flowers again basically the Moment Fionn is summoned. He tries to hide it but the Second Fionn hears a cough he is on that shit. Considering??? Fionn wants to try a relationship with Diarmuid now at this point, but Diarmuid assumes he's only reaching out to spare him the flowers. LOTS OF ANGST.

THANKS FOR THE ASK SABUUUUUU

[margridarnauds]

Alright, so you mentioned in a post that there are earlier versions of Diarmuid and Grainne where he agrees to the elopement and can I please have that elaborated on? I just saw someone claim in the earliest version she outright raped Diarmuid* and... I need some discussion about Diarmuid and Grainne that isn't extremely stupid. *If you are wondering, no, they did not give a source but everyone ate it up.

Ah....dear.

On the record, I think there are important conversations to be had re: consent in medieval Irish lit. I don't want people's overall takeaway from my posts to be "men can't be raped." I can't emphasize enough that I fully believe in male victims and their right to be heard.

The development of the Tóruigheacht is...thorny. Our earliest official manuscript is from the 16th century -- that doesn't mean it IS a 16th century text, but it means that we don't know when exactly it WAS composed, or what our earliest version of the text would have looked like. We know it existed, in some form, in the 10th century, in a text that's now lost. (Proinsias Mac Cana has it in his Learned Tales, in the Tale-Lists section.)

In one of VERY earliest stories about Finn and Gráinne (I'd give a name but it is literally JUST known as Finn and Gráinne), Diarmuid doesn't even show up! Fionn is like "...you hate me, don't you?" Gráinne is like "...yeah." And he's like "...we should get a divorce." Story's over, everyone goes home. No boar. No elopement.

Then, you have Tochmarc Ailbhe (c. 11th century), aka "The DILF text." Here is what we get for that one:

There was enmity between Cormac, the grandson of Conn, and Find grandson of Baoisgne. This was the reason of the quarrel, that is Gráinne carried a hatred for Find and gave her love to Diarmaid grandson of Duibhne. For that, Find was banished and the Fianna departed with him

Notably, Diarmuid's consent isn't brought up, but there's no reason to suppose that it's absent. (The rest of the text is about Gráinne's sister, Ailbhe, who has a poem where she discusses how much better an older man is. Hence...the DILF text.)

In the 10th/11th century, we get Códail Béag, which is a lullaby Gráinne sings to Diarmuid. The only context we get is that they're on the run:

Sleep a little, a little little, for thou needst not fear the least, lad to whom I have given love, son of Ó Duibhne, Diarmaid. Sleep thou soundly here, offspring of Duibhne, noble Diarmaid : I will watch over thee the while, son of shapely Ó Duibhne. Sleep a little, a blessing on thee ! above the water of the spring of Trénghart, little lamb of the land above the lake, from the womb of the country of strong torrents. Be it even as the sleep in the south of Dedidach of the high poets, when he took the daughter of ancient Morann in spite of Conall from the Red Branch. Be it even as the sleep in the north of fair comely Finnchadh of Assaroe, when he took stately Sláine in spite of Failbhe Hardhead. Be it even as the sleep in the west of Aine daughter of Gailian, what time she fared by torchlight with Dubhthach from Doirinis. Be it even as the sleep in the east of Degha gallant and proud, when he took Coinchenn daughter of Binn in spite of fierce Dechell of Duibhreann. O fold of valour of the world west from Greece, over whom I stay (?) watching, my heart will well-nigh burst if I see thee not at any time. The parting of us twain is the parting of children of one home, is the parting of body with soul, hero of bright Loch Carmain. Caoinche will be loosed on thy track : Caoilte's running will not be amiss : never may death or dishonour (?) reach thee, never leave thee in lasting sleep. This stag eastward sleepeth not, ceaseth not from bellowing : though he be in the groves of the blackbirds, it is not in his mind to sleep. The hornless doe sleepeth not, bellowing for her spotted calf : she runs over the tops of bushes, she does not sleep in her lair. The lively linnet (?) sleepeth not in the tops of the fair-curved trees : it is a noisy time there, even the thrush does not sleep. The duck of numerous brood sleepeth not, she is well prepared for good swimming : she maketh neither rest nor slumber there, in her lair she does not sleep. To-night the grouse (?) sleepeth not up in the stormy heaths of the height : sweet is the sound of her clear cry : between the streamlets she does not sleep. Sleep a little.

Again, we don't hear Diarmuid's side of the story, for all I know, she's meant to be holding a knife over his head as she sings this, but it isn't IN the text, either. The impression we're meant to get, here, is of a romantic lullaby, sung in the eye of a hurricane. Likewise, in the 11th century text often referred to as Uath Beinne Etair (this identification has been called into question), we get:

Once Diarmaid, son of Donn the grandson of Duibne, was in the cave of the Hill of Howth, after having carried off Grainne, the daughter of Cormac, in elopement from Finn. An old woman was with Diarmaid at that time, watching over him wherever he would be.

Magical crone shenanigans happen, and then we get:

The old woman went out after that. As for Grainne, when she noticed that the old woman had gone, she put out her hand on the garment that was about her, and put it on her tongue, and found the taste of salt on her cloak. ‘Woe, oh Diarmaid!’ she cried, ‘the old woman has betrayed thee. And arise quickly and take thy warrior’s dress about thee!’ Diarmaid did so, and went out, and Grainne with him. Then they beheld the warrior-king with the fianna around him coming towards them. Diarmaid glanced (?) aside on the sea around Erinn, and saw a skiff in the shelter of the harbour near him. He and Grainne with him went into it. 

Again, we're start in media res with this, but Diarmuid is decidedly not acting like a man who has been viciously kidnapped by a harridan. When we take it into account with the previous accounts I mentioned, I think we can safely say that the coercion was not an element at this point in the game.

In the 15th century poems of Gearoid Iarla, we have this line:

“Though it was by the will of the son of Ó Duibhne they were for a while in pleasant courtship, it was against the will of Finn the hunter that Gráinne had Diarmaid.”

There is one text that is sometimes suggested to be a prototype for it. I don't include it because I don't BELIEVE it actually is, but according to some Fenian Cycle scholars over the years, this is actually the earliest version of Diarmuid and Gráinne, which is from the 9th century: Lom Laine is entreating Tethna, a daughter of Cormac, to an affair with him, but she is worried because she has an (unnamed) husband who might kill them if he discovers their love. IF (and it's an IF) we accept this as the earliest variant, it's notable for the Diarmuid analogue entreating the Gráinne analogue, who is much more reluctant.

The development of Gráinne coercing Diarmuid into the elopement appears to be, at the end of the day, a secondary one. Does that mean it's the ONLY way to read it? Well...no. But I do think that it's important, if we're going to engage with it on that level, to understand that the vilification of Gráinne is predominately fueled by misogyny. (Including some Scottish folk variants where she is LITERALLY BURNED ALIVE.) In order to bolster Diarmuid, Gráinne has to be thrown under the bus. And, again, do I blame survivors for identifying with Diarmuid? No! But a lot of this discussion isn't about survivors or the nuances of female -> male SA, it's about boosting people's personal blorbo at the expense of the woman. And a lot of the time, it's the same people who talk about how Cú Chulainn is their personal soft gay boi! MAKE UP YOUR MINDS. Either we apply one instance of coercion (note, with Cú Chulainn, it IS unambiguous SA) to every time a character appears across over a millennium of tradition or we DON'T.

People tend to be harsher on Gráinne than FIONN. It's almost like, to a lot of people, the issue isn't the SA/coercion factor, it's that they think that Gráinne is in the way of their personal blorbo because she didn't have the good grace to die with him!

...I promise, I'm chill, I'm cool, I've just read...one too many YA novels that's like "Gráinne was a BITCH and I'm so much BETTER for Diarmuid. Also, I'm #notlikeothergirls who are easy." Again, if survivors see themselves in Diarmuid, I understand it, I don't want to police how survivors relate to fiction, but I also wish that conversation was paired with the understanding that we only get this version of Gráinne due to misogyny.

[madnessofthespirits]

i think that diarmuid deserves to not only be forgiven for running away with grainne, but to be understood for it, which is to say, i think he deserves to be seen as heroic for doing what he did. he only ran away with her because she placed him under a geas that required him to do so, and the most honorable thing that he could have done in that situation (and therefore the most heroic thing he could have done) - was of course to honor the geas. and who better to recognize the heroism of what he did than someone else who also had to become something he did not want to be, something he would not be thanked for becoming, in order to fulfill a geas? you know, like cu alter?

[oidheadh-con-culainn]

Hello I was just knee deep in your explanations about various aspects of Cú Chulainn and came across this "kissing in medieval irish lit is actually pretty rare? at some point i really want to do more research into any other scenarios in which there is kissing of any kind" in an ask. Could this relevance/ significance of kissing also be applied to the Diarmuid/Grainne tale? I know it's mentioned that Diarmuid kisses Grainne 3 times in front of the Fianna/Fionn. So that's basically not only significant but also kinda uncommon? Is it used to show some form of claim?

so i actually didn't get around to doing further research on this but i know @finnlongman is looking at it right now as a sidetrack to their PhD on friendship and affection. it's early days but they are probably the one to ask!

one thing i've noticed is that certain phrases to do with kissing come up a lot more in late texts though and diarmait+gráinne is pretty late so that might be part of it

[melonisopod]

Idk I agree and disagree with Nasu's statement that what Diarmuid had with Artoria in Fate/Zero was not a proper "relationship" cause on the one hand, yeah, no shit, they knew each other for what, three days? And only got to see each other the few times they ran into each other in battle, whereas Artoria was living in Shirou's house and spent much more time with him.

But also I think that paints a pretty reductive picture of Diarmuid as a whole. If the implication is, "He has a tendency to idealize people and overlook/not see their flaws," MAYBE I can see that, and I think that's why it led to him being abused by Grainne. And also to repeatedly be hurt and betrayed by the people he put his trust in.

But if it's "Diarmuid is incapable of having a nuanced, mutual relationship with someone where he's able to see them as a whole person," that's not true at all.

I do think he'd have to overcome a hurdle that sometimes he cannot protect and save everyone, he cannot always live up to his oath as a knight, even with the best of intentions, because fate (heh) will work against you and people will betray you and sometimes things are just well out of your control.

Fanfic ramblings under the cut.

The way I toy with this in my fic is, Diarmuid sees Myra ultimately as someone to protect, and that blinds him to the reality that one day, he wont' be able to save her. The version of Myra that he wants and answers to is one who can be protected and shielded from danger, while the one who pushes forward in Chaldea is one who has not only accepted her "inevitable end," but embraced it (literally! lmao)

Of course he comes to grips with it eventually, but him initially *not* being able to is what puts a rift in his relationship with Myra. It's something he needs to work through but you know, trauma and all that.

[birdsofrhiannon]

The Irish myth of Diarmuid’s betrayal - Iseult Gillespie

[brunette-historians-history]

AONGHUS

Aonghus was the Irish love god. His father was Dagda, the father of the gods and the protector of druids, and his mother was the water goddess Boanin. Rather like Zeus, Dagda deceived Boann's husband and lay with her. The monks who wrote down the Irish sagas tried to legitimize the birth by making Boann the wile of Dagda, but it is obvious that Aonghus was a divine love-child Aonghus was handsome and four birds always hovered above his head which were said to represent kisses. Birds also feature in his courtship of Caer, a girl of divine descent who came from Connacht and lived as a swan. Her father, Ethal, was one of the Tuatha de Danann. He seems to have been reluctant about the marriage until Aonghus' father, Dagda, made Ethal his prisoner. It was finally agreed that Aonghus could marry Caer provided he could identify her and she was willing to be his bride. On the feast of Samhain, Aonghus found Caer swimming on a lake with a hundred and fifty other swans. He instantly recognized her and she agreed to marry him.

An interesting tale that has attached itself to Aonghus con-cers his foster-son Diarmuid ua Duibhne, or "Diarmuid of the Love Spot". This attractive young man received a magic love spot on his forehead from a mysterious girl one night during a hunt. From then on, no woman could ever see Diarmuid without loving him. This included Grainne, the princess who had been promised by the High King of Ireland to his Fenian commander Finn Maccool. Aonghus saved the lovers from the great warrior's wrath, but he could not protect Diarmuid from the fate given to him at birth by the gods, that he should be killed by a magic boar.

Nevertheless, Aonghus brought Diarmuid's body back to his own palace at New Grange, on the banks of the River Boyne, where he breathed a new soul into it so that he could talk to his foster-son.

[littlestarprincess]

Hmm. . . That rude ass person who said that it would be easier to connect the people or Orkney to the Fomorians instead of the vikings & the fomorians is probably wrong tbh.

I'm double checking what we have of Scottish origin myths and while they do seem to pay more attention to the origin of the land itself & nature in general, the basic premise of how people got there seems to match the Irish mythological cycle.\

Also, there's a possibility that foxes in ireland were considered to be the hunting dogs of vikings, and tracing down this rumor is leading me to a lot of discussion about cultural back and forth between Iceland and Ireland, so . . .

I think my theory of the vikings == fomorians and similarities between vanir & tuatha are still worth exploring

[teatitty]

Listen look I know it's 1am for me right now but I've been sitting on new Turas Realta for AGES waiting to get into how good the dialogue is in this chapter with Fionn and Diarmuid so! Under the cut as usual

Besties who are annoying together stay together <3

This is absolutely meant to be a dig at Diarmuid's incorrect reputation as a lover of many women [factually untrue lmao] but it's also not entirely wrong if you consider the love being referred to here as his love for Fionn and humanity as a whole. Also it's just very funny that this is Fionn's way of gassing his boy up

If you don't love Fionn being a menace you're WRONG and this look tells me that his jabs about Diarmuid's love being stronger than Rama's for his own wife was 100% intentional

I need FGO to give me payment because I've been saying this on my blog for literal years before this manga even started where are my credits

Unfortunately the same praises can't be given to Diarmuid's dissection, because they start off really good by acknowledging he was a victim and then immediately go "oh but he respected Grainne and despite their love starting because of a curse he fell for her anyway uwu" shut the fuck up you can't have it both ways

This part is almost directly taken from one of the Pursuit translations, except that translation was way more uhhh homoerotic, being that it was "his heart torn in two" without any further distinctions, implying he held more than just platonic feelings for Fionn. So they changed it here to get rid of the gay implications :/

BUT THIS PART IS GOOD BECAUSE YEAH FINALLY A PIECE OF FATE MEDIA THAT ACTUALLY RECOGNISES HOW CLOSE THEY WERE AND HOW MUCH THEY MEAN TO EACHOTHER

The first part is Fionn's inner thoughts and the second is Mash's! The boys are having fun

I still dislike how often they have Diarmuid say "my king" in this because he never fucking did that, Fionn was just Fionn to all of the Fianna, but seeing them having this much fun is good civ

And confirmation that most of this was them just fucking around for funsies

LETS GO BOYS THIS IS THE GOOD SHIT RIGHT HERE

Don't even get me fucking started on the emotions this look Fionn gives at Diarmuid's above statement I am FINE

I wish you were allowed to be super Overpowered and wipe the floor with everyone but alas you were made the antag which is still bullshit to me but whatever

He unleashes Mac an Luinn here and even in his weakened state and his Lancer class [remember that Mac an Luinn is his sword not his spear] it's still Very Fucking Strong

Diarmuid takes Rama's vishnu attack like a champion here

WHICH LEADS TO THE BEST FIONN EXPRESSION IN THE WHOLE MANGA EVEN IN THE RAWS YOU UNDERSTOOD THIS WAS HIM GETTING ANGRY AT DIARMUID'S WOUNDS

Ignoring the whole "Mash doesn't get why fighting is so honourable and important to these people" thing [I've already said my thoughts on that] this is just good Fionn panels

And Fionn's reaction to Mash's shield going up full force being a simple "I couldn't reach them" is great because he isn't even mad about it so much as he's speaking about being unable to keep his promise to Diarmuid. In the very next panel he describes Mash's phantasm as "incredibly beautiful"

My biggest issue with this manga was them setting up Fionn and Diarmuid as killing innocents and I'm so glad they didn't go that route and instead went with Fionn using his own magic to reinforce protections meaning he's not even at full magic strength during any of this fight because he's been keeping those shields up the whole time

"Let us speak vows to eachother" I've written FionnDiar fics I know these gay ass rituals by heart don't test me

[lilyllya]

Another day another picture(s) that prove Diarmuid is traumatized by Grainne.

I have already saved a few more pictures. Will post them soon.