#father figure!Gilgamesh

[everytimewetouch-dot-mp3]

Okay WHAT is Oh look it's Gilgamesh

wip game post here!

oooouuugh yay ok i was hoping someone would ask about this one. it’s a modern au binggeyuan inspired by this post i made a billion years ago.

i’m in the exploratory phase of this one too, but i’ve been putting a lot more work into it lately bc it has become my 2025 writing goal lmao. i’ll talk abt it under the cut :D

…so i just finished writing and it’s a little longer than i anticipated. tl;dr: what if satan from the actual literal bible crawled out of hell and told the pope that he wanted to be friends now because there’s something much worse than himself down there.

so the idea is that luo binghe is a mythological figure somewhat like gilgamesh or odysseus but ‘evil.’ he’s a heavenly demon who, after countless cruelties, decided to take his revenge on the world by inflicting that cruelty a thousandfold. the stories go that he was born in a bid to broker peace between the demons and the humans, but huan hua’s palace master tried to sabotage sxy’s pregnancy and wound up killing her. tlj, in his grief, allowed himself to be captured by human cultivators so that he could plot his revenge in peace.

then we get lbh’s life, being cast into the abyss, coming back and taking his revenge. just when he and his father are about to merge the realms, the human cultivators sacrificed themselves to seal him, his father, and the entire demonic realm behind impossibly powerful arrays. the abyss and demon realm have merged, but the human realm is safe. to protect humanity, the few remaining cultivators hid knowledge of the jianghu and the secrets of cultivation, which explains why there are no immortal cultivators anymore.

there are legends and books and movies and operas retelling this story, always celebrating the heroic cultivators who sacrificed their lives for the rest of humanity and vilifying the endless cruelty of the demons. shen yuan has heard these stories since he was a little kid. you know how some kids have their ancient egypt phase? sy had a ‘myths about luo binghe’ phase, and it never ended. when the story starts, he’s a doctoral candidate writing his dissertation reconstructing luo binghe as a real historical person (which he was) and finding the real events that inspired the myths. he’s been officially working on it for five years at this point, but the dude really started when he was like 12. he kind of despises some of the retellings of luo binghe’s story, because they all vilify him with no compassion, and he feels binghe’s story is less a triumph of humanity and more a tragedy on all sides.

there is no retelling he hates more than proud immortal demon way. the author caricaturizes luo binghe and uses his story to sell shitty porn cranked out at an inhuman pace, and shen yuan thinks it’s despicable. he has to read every chapter just so he knows what this piece of shit author is doing to his favorite character. that’s the only reason why.

at one point, shen yuan is interviewing some people associated with the supposed descendants of the four great sects in the legends, and while he’s there, there’s an earthquake. someone rushes in wielding an actual real life sword? a real sword. that’s glowing a little bit? maybe shen yuan got hit on the head… but no that sword is definitely glowing a little bit. and he says ‘the seal has cracked.’

suddenly the stories aren’t stories anymore, and shen yuan doesn’t know how to keep his nose out of things—he wants to be there if/when luo binghe comes out. right now it’s just monsters, and it turns out the so-called cultivators were…real cultivators. and they’re fighting abyssal beasts.

they expect luo binghe to emerge commanding armies of demons and beasts as he demands his revenge on humanity, but instead he fights his way out, a crazed look in his eye, and insists that he’s going to help the cultivators seal the rift. he won’t take no for an answer. he refuses to allow those beasts to destroy humanity.

[talonabraxas]

Anu 𒀭 “Skyfather and Lord of Firmament, or the Great Above.” Talon Abraxas

Anu (also known as An) is an early Mesopotamian sky god who was later viewed as the Father of the Gods and ruler of the heavens, a position which then passed to his son Enlil. He is the son of the couple Anshar and Kishar (heaven and earth, respectively), the second-born of the primordial couple Apsu and Tiamat.

He was originally a Sumerian sky deity known as An (meaning 'sky') first referenced in writing during the Early Dynastic Period (2900-2334 BCE) who was adopted by the Akkadians c. 2375 BCE as Anu ('heaven') the all-powerful. Sargon the Great of Akkad (r. 2334-2279 BCE) mentions Anu and Inanna in his inscriptions as legitimizing his rule or helping him in his conquests as he established the Akkadian Empire and maintained order.

Anu is most often represented in iconography simply by a crown or crown on a throne symbolizing his status as King of the Gods, an honor and responsibility later conferred upon Enlil, Marduk (son of Enki/Ea, the god of wisdom), and Assur of the Assyrians, all of whom were believed to have been elevated by Anu and blessed by him. His consort is Antu (also known as Uras, goddess of the earth), and among their many children are the Annunaki, the gods of the earth and judges of the dead, and Nisaba, the Sumerian goddess of writing and accounts. He is also given as the husband of his sister Ki (earth) by whom his son Enlil is born.

Although Anu is not featured prominently in many myths, he is often mentioned as a background figure. This is because, as veneration of the god progressed, he became more and more remote. Initially a sky god and one of the many younger gods born of Apsu and Tiamat, Anu gradually became the lord of the heavens above the sky and the god who ordered and maintained all aspects of existence.

Along with Enlil and Enki, Anu formed a triad which governed the heavens, earth, and underworld (in one version) or, in another, heaven, the sky, and the earth. He was also listed among the oldest gods of the Seven Divine Powers: Anu, Enki, Enlil, Inanna, Nanna, Ninhursag, and Utu-Shamash.

Even though he is rarely a main character in a myth, when he does appear, he plays an important role, even when that role might seem minor. He is referenced in some of the best-known myths from Mesopotamia including Gilgamesh, Enkidu, and the Netherworld, The Epic of Gilgamesh, the Myth of Adapa, and the Enuma Elish.

[keyboardsmashess]

The Siren, or The Heart of the Matter

Chapter Five: The Beginning’s Beginning, or  The Abridged and Heavily Redacted Life and Times of Cleo Blake

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x OFC

Warnings: language, eventual smut (but not in this chapter), fluff, eventual canon-typical violence (but not in this chapter) MINORS DNI. A/N: This chapter is coming hot on the heels of chapter four since they're both shorties (so be sure to go back and read that one first). There's a sprinkling of ancient Greek and Greek here and there in this one - I am not a native speaker of either (lol) so apologies in advance if I make any mistakes! Feel free to correct me in the comments :) That said, if I reference a book in this story, I've read it! Comment if you wanna nerd out with me! I know our boy Buck isn't popping up much yet, but slow burns just be like that sometimes ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Be patient - his time will come. Have a beautiful day! I have a taglist now! Let me know if you want to be added to it!

Summary: Cleo takes the team back to the beginning of her story, but does she tell them everything?

Chapter Directory

I sit a little straighter and take a sip of water. If I know anything, it’s how to tell a tale.

“My dad was never wild about the idea of having kids, you see, so he… he just didn’t treat me like one. Other kids got Peter Pan and Cinderella as their bedtime stories, and I got Plato and Gilgamesh. I don’t remember the first time he told me about Atlantis, because it was just always there. Not as a story, as a… fact. An inevitability.”

“G’night, Daddy!”

“S’agapo, sweet girl.” Hector Blake closed the door to his daughter’s bedroom as quietly as possible, tucking his well-worn and dog-eared copy of Plato’s Critias under his arm. As he entered the kitchen, though, the steely glare of his wife froze him in place.

“I thought we discussed this.”

He set the book down gently and ran a hand over his face. “She asked for it, Soph. She begged. She’s too smart for the things other kids are reading - she deserves to be taken seriously.”

Sophia shook her head, absolutely exhausted. “I’m not talking about the stupid book, Hector. I’m talking about all of it - all the books, and the trips, and the late nights. She’s a child, Hector. She’s seven years old and she’s too fucking young to fall asleep thinking about floods wiping out cities and ancient mythic wars!”

“She needs to be prepared, Sophia. I don’t care how old she is, as long as she’s protected.”

“From what, Hector?” They were both shouting now, though neither really cared. They’d had this fight too many times. “From storybook monsters? Or from becoming as crazy as her father?”

Something shone in Hector’s eyes - anger, certainly, but something else along with it. He was denied the chance to respond, though, by the sound of a door creaking open and tiny footsteps entering the dimly lit kitchen.

Cleo tugged on her father’s hand. “Why are you yelling?” she asked, and his heart cracked wide open.

He picked her up smoothly, tucking her head into his neck. “We’re sorry, little phos. We just got carried away. Let’s get you back to bed, hm?”

Cleo nodded, too sleepy to do anything else. In the morning, she would wake up to find that familiar copy of Critias tucked beneath her pillow - the last thing her father ever gave her. But for now, she simply slept.

“You can’t legally declare a person dead until they’re missing for seven years - you probably know that already - but my mom had his office cleared out within the week. I think at that point, she figured he’d just taken off. Most of his stuff went to the dump, but I grabbed a few books and notepads. I… my mom hated it, but it was all I had of him, you know?”

“Well, Cleo, you certainly have the GPA for it. And I expect your test scores will be just as excellent when the time comes. But you may want to consider rounding things out a little bit - maybe there’s a club or sport you’re interested in?” Miss Simmons asked with a bright smile.

Cleo seemed to think deeply about this, as if it had never occurred to her before. “You really think that would help?” she asked, biting her lip. 

Miss Simmons nodded enthusiastically. “Colleges want to see a variety of skills, especially the more competitive ones you’re eyeing. Besides, it could be good for you to branch out and try some new things. You’re only young once, you know.”

“I’m not sure… I don’t know if I have time for anything extra. And I don’t know how my mom would feel about it.”

Cleo was silent for a moment, and Miss Simmons thought her eyes were far too old for a freshman in high school. “Your mom and stepfather have expressed a definite interest in seeing you… explore other interests. They have their own ideas, of course, but I would like to hear what you enjoy.”

Cleo smiled a bit, then - the first one Miss Simmons had seen - and it made her look much closer to her age. “My dad and I used to sing together a lot - maybe choir would be fun?” Miss Simmons smiled encouragingly, already pulling papers from her desk drawer. “And… and I suppose I’ve always enjoyed swimming.”

“I went to Columbia because my dad had gone there. My mom was very proud.” I hope I fake the sincerity well enough. Goodness knows I’ve said it sarcastically plenty of times. “They let me move right into a Master’s program, and I was able to narrow my focus. I already knew a handful of languages thanks to my dad, so I started studying the stuff he’d been into - ancient literature, that kind of thing. They let me turn that into a sort of independent study abroad. I liked Greece so much that I extended my stay after graduation.” Natasha raises an eyebrow at this, and I swear I know what she’s thinking. 

“I loved the museums,” I say dryly. 

“These lights could give someone a seizure!” Cleo shouted at the bartender. He looked confused, but who knew if it was the noise or the language barrier. Cleo shook her head. “Never mind,” she mumbled.

A man sidled up next to her, leaning an elbow on the bar and giving her an admittedly very attractive smile. She returned it.

“Want to dance?” he asked her, his English thick with an accent.

She tossed her drink back. “Apolýtos,” she shouted over the music. Absolutely.

Later that night, they fell into her room at the hostel in a whirlwind of hands and mouths and shed pieces of clothing. Cleo had dated in her undergrad, of course, but she had never done anything this spontaneous before - she didn’t even know this man’s name, for fuck’s sake. 

As she neared her apex, the dingy room around her faded away and she was left with just this. Just this stranger. Just this moment. She held her breath, stars exploding behind her eyes, and for the first time in her entire life, Cleo Blake’s mind was absolutely and completely blank.

Natasha cuts in, eyebrows raised in question. “You left Greece pretty suddenly.”

I don’t let my expression change a centimeter, don’t let my voice waver at all. “You’ve clearly been doing your research.” Natasha is silent, waiting. I shrug. “I ran out of museums, and I got really sick of olives.”

Culver University was nothing like Columbia. At least, not for Cleo. But that was part of the appeal, she told the admissions department. She was hoping to take a more anthropological approach to her study, and the science-heavy school suited that well. Besides, not many schools allowed a person to design their own PhD program, and she’d read enough of Dr. Sapros’ research to know this was exactly where she wanted to be. 

Cleo could be quite convincing when she wanted to be, and this was no exception.

She was poring over a translation of an ancient text at the campus bistro when someone sat next to her. She jumped, spilling coffee all over her notebook.

The woman laughed and handed over a few crumpled napkins. “Can I sit here?”

“Jesus Christ, don’t sneak up on people like that!” Cleo frowned. “And no, I’m studying.”

The woman didn’t move, taking a sip of her drink and very deliberately ignoring Cleo’s words. “I interned at the library - you’re always studying. And you were in my anthropology class last semester.” Statements, not questions.

Cleo’s frown deepened. “Okay.”

“But you aren’t an anthropologist.”

Cleo sat back, eyeing the woman across from her. “No, I’m not. I don’t really know what I am, to tell you the truth.”

“I know.” The woman’s eyes sparkled. “That’s why I like ya. That, and you made Dr. Andrews cry.” She had an accent Cleo recognized from her time at Columbia - Brooklyn, maybe. She stuck out her hand. “I’m Meg.”

Cleo slowly stuck out her own, thinking deeply. “Cleo. Any chance you know how to request rare books, Meg?”

Meg grinned. “As a matter of fact, I do. I’ll show you when we get back from the movies.”

Cleo couldn’t help but return the grin, gathering her things and following the woman out the door.

“Culver is great, because it has fantastic relationships with other schools and facilities. I’m able to do my own translations of books - truly ancient books - and that really revolutionized my research. I found things I don’t even think my dad had read. I was able to dig really, really deep.”

“Blake, I know this stings, but it’s in your best interest.” Dr. Sapros did not look sympathetic as he said this, but then again, he never did. Cleo usually appreciated that about him. Usually.

“Sir, I know my grades have been slipping, but if you would just let me show you where my research has been taking me, you’d understand!” Cleo shuffled around in her bag, trying to dig out some of her notebooks.

“The committee already voted, Blake.”

She would not let him see her cry. She would not break. “What are my options?”

He grabbed some paperwork off his desk, and she was transported to another office and another handful of paperwork years ago. Being told to ‘branch out.’ She tried not to roll her eyes.

“I can pull some strings and make this more of a sabbatical, hold on to your spot in the program…” 

Cleo did her best to keep her composure - she’d do whatever he said as long as she could just stay at Culver. As long as she didn’t have to figure out what came next just yet.

“... If you agree to find a new focus for your study. Maybe something with Greek mythology, so you don’t have to start at square one.”

Cleo heaved a sigh of relief. “I can do that. I can absolutely do that. How long does my ‘sabbatical’ have to be?”

His smile was grim and, if she didn’t know him better, she’d think he felt apologetic. “A year.”

“What did you do in your time off?” Natasha asks. 

“Y’know,” I shrug. “Boring stuff. Normal stuff. I got a job, moved into a place off campus. I spent time with friends. I joined a gym. Sang karaoke. Did yoga.”

Stark rolls his eyes at that; I hadn’t even realized he was listening. “I just tried to be a regular person with regular interests.”

“And then?” Natasha prompts.

“I don’t know, then I kept being normal. One year turned into two, I got really good at chaturanga, and I went back to Culver to study the origins of Greek myths. I still probably don’t get enough sleep, but I haven’t had a manic conversation about the validity of Plato’s dialogues in like three years.”

“So you really didn’t request this mystery book?” Stark asks.

I face him. “Nope. I’m clean and sober, scout’s honor.”

He types something into his very fancy phone and exchanges a meaningful look with Natasha, who looks back at me. 

Despite her promise that she’d know if I lied to her and my typical lack of a poker face, I think she buys it. Maybe half-truths don’t count. Stark and the Captain seem to do the same, probably because what I’ve said aligns with the invasive dossier I suspect Stark has pulled up on his phone. The only one who watches me a little too closely, a little too intensely, is the Winter Soldier. I don’t meet his eyes, and I pray to ancient gods that he keeps his mouth shut.

[yelenasdiary]

Thena x Daughter! Reader Headcannons.

I know nobody asked for this but I did it anyways!

Thena loves teaching you new things, however, her lessons aren't always traditional. When you should've been learning your ABC's, you were learning combat stances and how to identify different types of threats and potential dangers.

You being an Eternal, you were able to absorb these skills rather quickly.

Sleep isn't the same for Eternals as it is for humans so often, Thena would sit with you under the night sky and tell you stories that had been passed down through the centuries. These aren't myths, but stories of real events, battles and cultures she's witnessed. This was easily your favourite time to spend with your mother.

While you're not a warrior, you do have your own powers that help in battles. Your mother, without a doubt is extremely protective of you. she knows you can handle yourself in almost any situation but her protective instincts are through the roof for you.

Thena helps you discover your powers and explores them with you. You both learn about them and work on how to use them properly.

You both find peace by just being around one another. It's one of the only times Thena lefts her guard down.

Thena's time in isolation drew a wedge between you both. She struggles with the loss of time and finds it hard to reconnect with you which leads her to become distant with you.

The other Eternals are very protective and supportive of you and your mother. Yes, Gilgamesh is like a father figure to you. You have a very strong connection with him.

[derekscorner]

Fated Rantings: Ground Zero

I finished Fate Zero

And what a ride that was. I don't even know where to start with all of this which shocks me because I went in knowing things would go to hell.

I started my whole Fate journey due to lore videos, curiosity and FGO so (just like the 2006 Fate Stay Night) I had a full grasp of what would happen. To be shocked anyway just goes to show that the cast and their dialogues sell this story.

There's a stark difference between hearing plot points and watching Gilgamesh slowly poke at Kirei's mentality. There's a difference between knowing that Blue Beard is summoned by a serial killer and seeing them discuss the nature of God.

And there's one hell of a difference between seeing memes of Iskander & Waver and seeing what is possibly the best bromance within Type-Moon.

I went into this expecting Saber to be a bit too idealistic and for Kiritsugu to be a badass only to leave it finding Kiritsugu the least interesting compared to everyone else.

Magus Killer Indeed

Now, I do not say that to imply that he lacks depth himself. Kiritsugu is unique in how he operates within his magic world and you're not supposed to view him as idealistically as Irisviel or Shirou do, he's a flawed man with a very fucked up history.

This man, like Shirou, wanted to be a hero of justice as a child. An innocent enough desire but one that was both never tempered in realism and was shattered by realism.

What I mean by that is that Kiritsugu is plagued by a paradox. Yes, the village being turned into ghouls and murdered was bad. Yes, Kiritsugu killing his own father because he felt that "he had too" is a very dark sign of his mentality even as a child.

But these things haunt him, they do not drive him. What drives him is his desire to be that hero. When his world is shattered he takes a dark approach to kill the few to save the many.

It's that pursuit that eventually shatters his goal with the realism of humanity. You can never truly save everyone, other humans will always ruin it.

But the realism that pushes him to try anyway is the grail. In this world the wish granter is real, tangible, thus the paradox. He fully believes the goal shattered by realism can be salvaged by the realism of the grail's existence.

He's usually so pessimistic and realistic in his approaches to the war and battles that it's almost jarring to see his character break once he learns that the grail can't just do anything. You can see that last bit of idealism in his soul die.

Worse, the grail taunts him. It can only grant a wish that a human themselves can understand. As an example;

you can't ask for fire if you do not know how fire operates.

Thus the grail shows him a way to grant his wish but that wish grants nothing. This is very crucial to his breakdown because the grail showed him in the purest terms that;

This is your way of saving others but ultimately it saves no one

That's the point of the boat example. No matter how many you sacrifice for the whole, the survives will further fracture. There will always be a minority and a majority, Kiritsugu's life was essentially pointless in the larger picture.

Now, it'd be too cruel to say his life had no meaning at all. He was willing to sacrifice his mother figure and mentor to stop an undead outbreak. He killed his father because he felt responsible for his actions and Shirley's death.

He had to have done some good, it just wasn't in the way he had hoped. The greatest tragedy here is possibly that he's unable to see it.

We the audience see it in those rare moments of him being a father to his daughter, to Shirou, or a husband to Irisviel. People were drawn to him and loved him and if he had stopped his pursuits for them he may have found a happier ending.

True Emptiness

Then there's this true demon of a man. For all the talk, the praise of their battle, and Kiritsugu's own foreshadowing, I expected a deeper connection between the two.

It's strange, you can't just bring up Kiritsugu's flawed mentality without mentioning Kirei's yet the two only physically met one time. It's fascinating because I expected a bigger grudge or more plot relevance to their dynamic.

Yet, at the same time, their lack of interaction makes the eventual fight more interesting because of where Kirei starts and where he ends.

Intriguingly, Kiritsugu pegs Kirei near instantly. He only had a mug shot and some info on his life but he could instantly tell that there was something very wrong with Kirei. He sensed the lack of love and emptiness and feared him the most.

In contrast, Kirei didn't know Kiritsugu as well as he believed. Half of his emotional journey is realizing that they're not as alike as he thought.

This is best shown in his battle with Irisviel and Maya. He assumes Kiritsugu sent them there to battle him and he can't comprehend it when that's not the case. In his mind he is fully incapable of understanding why those two women would choose to face him.

He can't comprehend the illogical actions love will drive one too.

That said, the far more interesting dynamic in Kirei's life is Gilgamesh. While Kirei fails in his assumption of Kiritsugu and lacks a full understanding of himself it is Gilgamesh who sees through Kirei instantly.

Their talks are some of the most interesting parts in the story because you can tell Gilgamesh is trying to make him realize his own nature. Gilgamesh has no grand reason for doing so, he's just bored.

For all the dorky shit Gilgamesh does, for all the moments of him being oddly good with kids, or a good king (in FGO) you can't forget that Gilgamesh defies morality. He's not above it he just does not consider it.

He seeks entertainment and Kirei is the most interesting thing there. A full grown man unable to feel yet subconsciously seeking too. The answer is always on the tip of Kirei's tongue. (he's in self denial)

It's truly fascinating to watch it unfold. This ancient demigod taking a mentorship-like role just so he can see what Kirei will do.

It's due to these talks of introspection and Kirei's other actions that I find it hard to see the duality of he and Kiritsugu. What ultimately awakens Kirei's understanding is watching Kariya's suffering.

Gilgamesh may point it out but that's moot. It's Kariya's motives that catch Kirei's attention most, it's the drama with Tokiomi that fascinates him, it's saving Kariya and using him later that makes it click for Kirei internally.

You could possibly argue the whole thing is Tokiomi's fault. He gave his daughter to the Matous and even if he was unaware of the torture she'd endure for years that- no wait.

He possibly went wrong the moment he schemed with the church. Watching the Tohsaka's and Kariya play out their drama awoke the monster that is Kirei but it was Tokiomi's fault Kirei was there at all.

It was also Tokiomi that summoned Gilgamesh....hmm there's a lot more to ponder there I guess but let's move on.

I can only praise the depiction of Kirei's awakening so far before it seems like I like his character or adore it. It's fascinating to watch but he's still a monster that shouldn't be walking among men.

The Best Fate Bro to ever live

I wanted to use the last section of this to talk about the best fucking boy. I do not care what anyone tells you, Iskandar is the best bro in the Fate universe.

The very first thing this man does upon being summoned is find a map. With the enthusiasm of a child he admires it looking for where his kingdom is now and seeing the world mapped out in whole.

There's something that is just genuinely pure about Iskandar in Fate/Zero. No heroic spirit is without questionable actions in the modern lens but this story does a good job of blending that by explaining Iskandar's motives.

He has a genuine love of seeing new things. That joy is so pure that his wish for the grail is to be reincarnated so that he can begin his conqueroring anew. I have no earthly clue how he thinks he'll be able to do that in a normal mortal body but no matter because I doubt he's thought that far ahead himself.

His patience in dealing with a prideful child is also second to none. His words are often full of small wisdom to the point I did not keep count of them all nor could I explore it all. He's always pushing his master to try new things and it takes root overtime.

It is very easy to see how Waver could become the popular Lord El-Melloi II in other materials. It all began here, regardless of timelines, there's usually a Waver that fought in the 4th Grail War with Iskander.

I'm not even sure what to write about Waver himself because so much of what made the impression was seeing him slowly changing due to Iskandar's influence.

In a mage society that belittles him for being "new blood" it is Iskandar that continually tries to open his eyes. That's highlighted best when Waver tracks down Caster easily using simpler methods due to his magical limitations.

He views it as bad but Iskandar makes a good point. To do something in a simpler yet equally relevant way (perhaps even better) is a talent worthy of praise. Waver doesn't recognize his own ingenuity nor does he realize that there's merit in someone who can think around their limitations.

It's the core of their dynamic and that moment when Waver goes from being his master mage to his subject is beautiful. That strong loyalty born over the story even saves Waver's life.

Gilgamesh spares him based on that undying loyalty alone. A far cry from where Waver starts.

Kingly Mentality

Before I lose myself in the praise I should point out that Iskandar is no fool. Yes, he rarely plans in Fate Zero and his pure love for the new and patience shapes his bond with his mage.

However, do not mistake that pureness for a simpleton. Iskander is simply straightforward to a fault. His greatest characteristic is that friendly straightforward nature he has.

He's the one servant that repeatedly stops to talk to the others, he's able to get them to talk when they normally wouldn't, and even when he expresses desire to take them into his army those present do not get that offended.

Gilgamesh, the king of arrogance, even begins to shrug this off. On some level he respects Iskandar's nature because he is true to himself.

Still, some do think his attitude toward Saber is bad in regards to the banquet of kings. Now this is tumblr which is bad for seeing what isn't there to begin with or it's twitter which has lost it's critical thinking skills long ago.

What do I mean by this? Simple, while Iskandar and Gilgamesh disagree they at least respect each other as kings. Similarly they disrespect Artoria as king but for differing reasons.

To Iskandar a king is someone who stands above men as a symbol of their ideals. Something to follow, a larger than life person to show them the way.

What lost Iskandar's respect for Artoria's kingship was her wish. Her desire to undo it all, even if for good reasons, is an insult to Iskandar. No matter how tragic he would not change one moment of his life because that would affect everyone that fought for him and with him.

He sees Artoria as a slave of her people and the ideals she was raised on rather than a king that's truly led and valued her men. It is here that some have issues.

We'll argue King Arthur another time, what's relevant is why Iskandar views it. The tragic thing being that he is not entirely wrong.

Artoria was raised to be a king, she was conceived in convoluted magic ways to be England's king, so when he says that he only "sees a girl who could not chase butterflies or fall in love" he is entirely correct.

I do not say that dismissing her choices mind you but she did sacrifice that normalcy regardless. Iskandar, as we've covered, enjoys life at it's core.

So what he sees in Saber is a girl who was denied life. She could not truly enjoy it which disconnected her from her people. He views it as sad and states that one reason for recruiting her into his army is to show her otherwise.

Now as to whether he could have is another topic entirely. What's important is that he can't respect her as a king because he sees a martyr not a king.

The Fate Route of the FSN justifies his views to an extent because Saber eventually finds some things she denied herself in Shirou. She ultimately just needed a chance to be a person and Iskandar wanted to help her do so.

There are some faults in his thinking, yes, but his intentions aren't negative nor his his disrespect of her kingship based on sex. He fully respected Saber as a king until he learned her wish.

Even after he respected her as a warrior and wanted to see her enjoy life...and cut down his enemies BUT STILL.

Conclusion?

Already? So abruptly? Kinda. This got too big to fit into one post and there's a lot I can't find a way to organically work in.

Such as Tokiomi's dumb ass making Kirei Rin's guardian when his wife is perfectly healthy and alive when he writes that will.

Or how Gilgamesh views Saber just as objectively and disrespectfully as you'd expect. His take on her kingship and sex is completely negative and objectifying, a contrast to Iskandar.

Hell the whole mutual respect and differences between Gilgamesh and Iskandar.

I also didn't get to the odd but unnervingly deep take on God between two mass murderers. (Caster & Ryuunosuke)

I definitely don't have it in me to cover Kiritsugu's family. Illyasviel is more of a FSN topic and Irisviel is hard for me to quantify. Her love for her husband and of the small things he showed her was beautiful though.

Oh well, ONTO PART TWO: https://derekscorner.tumblr.com/post/737301977761005569/fated-rantings-seiba-pt-2#notes

=======================

For my other experiences with Fate go here: https://derekscorner.tumblr.com/tagged/fated-rantings

[multiplebirthinwebcomics]

Multiple Births

Round 2 Poll 8

Read Girl Genius

Read Dumbing of Age

Submitted context including spoilers and propaganda under the cut

Zeetha and Gilgamesh : OK so I do need to clarify because this is technically not confirmed canon yet.

Gil is the son of Baron Klaus Wulfenbach, the guy who whipped all of Europe into shape through some tyrannical de sporty after returning form a years long sojourn through a portal yo find everything gone to shit. He brought with in his stolen/rescued baby kid, who he then proceeded to not tell anyone was his kid, because Klaus is winning every father of the year award (sarcasm). Gil is the first/main love interest, and is an idiot (affectionate)

Zeetha, Daughter of Chump, is a warrior Princess of Skifander, a lost kingdom that may or may not be on Mars, who came with an expedition to visit Europe only for everyone to die and her to end up in a traveling circus - Agatha, the protagonist, is the first one to recognize Skifander, and the two become best friends.

Zeetha knows her father is a warrior from Europe, who disappeared when she was young; Gil has been told by his father that Skifander might be sending assassins to kill him, that Klaus had a complicated relationship with the Queen, and that he is through some path technically royalty. Zeetha and Gil are the same age. A requested sketch of Chump looks identical to a (younger) Klaus. And when asked for fun facts about Skifander in an AMA, quote “they don’t like twins.”

So, you know, not technically confirmed, but 100% Klaus kidnapped his own son under the impression that he was going to be ritually murdered for twin-superstition reasons (and son specifically bc Skifander was a matriarchy), leaving them to be raised separately and unaware the other exists. Although Zeetha is definitely putting the pieces together.

Walky and Sal :

From the site's cast page:

Walky is his parents’ favorite child. He’s smart and he doesn’t get into trouble, but he could be a little more ambitious. He’s here at college because his parents want him to be, but mostly what he wants to do is watch television and goof off. Lucky for him that good grades came easily to him (in high school), so he figures college will be everything he’s ever wanted. No parents, no structure order — just eating McNuggets whenever, wherever.

Walky is Sal’s twin brother, and the two very different siblings haven’t really spoken much in a long while.

Sal’s parents always liked her brother Walky better, and so over the years she started rebelling more and more to get attention. This culminated in a double convenience store holdup that got her arrested and exiled to a Catholic boarding school in Tennessee for most of her teen years. Her parents expected her to find Jesus (or whatever), but she instead found smoking, tattoos, and motorcycles. As you can imagine, Sal turns a lot of heads, but she finds this mostly annoying. Stop idolizing her, dammit. She can’t help how cool she is.

[ertrunkenerwassergeist]

Fire Priest!Ignis: five times somebody was surprised by Ignis knowing something random and unexpected, and the one time somebody figured it out.

(Bonus points if the person who figures it out is not Ardyn)

Ardyn figured it out within 3 seconds of meeting Ignis. He doesn't count. (He sits back and enjoys the show)

The first is when Ignis warns Gladio of when Iris's sickness will be flaring up again. Gladio doesn't really believe it. But then it happens. He really wants to ask Ignis how the fuck he knew that, but forgets to do it over caring for his sister.

The second would be when he tells a random stranger where he might find his mother's testament. The stranger is weirded out, Ignis is wondering why he told the guy that. Turns out he's right, though. It also turns out that the guy it Petra Fortis from the City Watch. So now Petra ows Ignis a big one :D

Third is when Ignis tells Cor that Gilgamesh is a hypocritic piece of shit and should not be trusted. He also gratulates Cor for cutting the man's/ghost's arm off. Cor is weirded out, becaus he never told the kids what exactly happened in Taelpar Crag. Before he can ask how exactly Ignis knows about this, he vanishes (and goes to track down Noctis in Deep City for the first time).

On his way down he meets Nyx. He tells him to talk to Petra. Nyx really doesn't want to do that. Ignis just tells him to say that Ignis sent him and to take him to one of the old cellars which were dug into the cliff Insmonia is build around. To incentivice Nyx, Ignis also tells him that he very much looks like his father Ilias. Nyx turns around at once and goes to track down Petra. He's convinced Ignis either got possessed by a Galahkari spirit, or is like the Wise One. Either way, he listens, and lo and behold, in that one wine cellar they find some very interesting documents and some stolen cultural objects.

Fifth is when he is looking after Solaris and Astra and starts to tell them stories about their ancestors. Stories no one should know about. Not that the kids know that. They're just happy about New Stories.

Noctis figures it out when one day, Ignis randomly drags him out of his clinic because 'it's time now'. He brings him to the grave of two Lucis Caelums which were buried close to the old palace. The first was Mendax Lucis Caelum II, titled The True (he's Somnus's son), and the second Atalanta Lucis Caelum, mother to Ardyn and Somnus. Noctis wonders why he didn't figure it out earlier. It's very obvious in hindsight.

[gust-jar-simulator]

Ohhh my god my heart.

Okay so I read stuff about the Ancient Near East for fun and also my major, and this post has me thinking about the parallels between Skyward Sword and the Epic of Gilgamesh.

To grab a couple of excerpts from sisterofiris:

[…] just like death is tied to life, suffering is tied to love. What prompts Gilgamesh’s desire to escape his lot isn’t pride, but the loss of his beloved. In short, we’re human because we die, because we die we suffer, and we suffer because we love.

The question of being human can be broken down into the state of being human, and the quality of being humane. So if that’s the argument for the state of being human, what is the quality of being humane?

To the Hittites, being a good human - generally a good king, though the concept also seems to apply to common people - meant being merciful. The Hittite word for mercy, genzu-, overlaps with the concepts of love and benevolence. Etymologically it derives from genu-, “knee” or “lap”; thus what makes someone humane is their ability to (figuratively) take someone onto their lap.

And this, my friends, is where I tear off into fandom territory.

Ghirahim is notably struggling with but determined to express mercy at the beginning of Skyward Sword. Textually, we’re given the reasoning that a lack of mercy is “unbecoming of a lord”. Meaning, if we take the idea that a lord is supposed to be an example for his people, that a person should be merciful. That, in addition to his need to vent emotion, is something that immediately characterizes him as human.

(Granted, you don’t need emotions to be human, but I’m using fairytale rules here.)

Ghirahim expressing a lack of mercy coincides with his physical and irreversible change into his weapon form, up to and including the moment where he attempts to kill Zelda and is then finally turned into a sword.

I’d also like to point out that this version of Link is essentially the progenitor of all the others. In essentially every game, you are immersed in the idea that you are not the first hero, but part of an unending mythos. Minish Cap, for example, references the Hero of Men who exists only as a throwaway line for no other reason than to immerse you in the idea that Heroes have Come Before; you are an heir to and part of the overarching legend.

I don’t entirely know where the fandom got the term Hero’s Spirit or the Spirit of Courage, but the idea sums up the concept I’m going for in the same way the Shezarrine in the Elder Scrolls does. Namely, the hero as an individual might be mortal, but as a concept and legend he is immortal. The hero never dies. Because we buy the next game.

Ghirahim, and most every other secondary villain in the series, is incredibly human because his existence is temporary. He doesn’t get a legend. He doesn’t get an impact on history. That’s for the godlike figures who matter, like Ganondorf and Link and Zelda. Ghirahim only exists, in his moment and his time, and then he simply doesn’t. He gets no kleos, and not even a eulogy.

Definition from Wikipedia for you:

Kleos is the Greek word often translated to "renown", or "glory". It is related to the English word "loud" and carries the implied meaning of "what others hear about you". A Greek hero earns kleos through accomplishing great deeds.

[…] besides the meaning of "glory", kleos can also be used as the medium (in this case, the ancient Greek poetry or song) which conveys glory.

Kleos is invariably transferred from father to son; the son is responsible for carrying on and building upon the "glory" of the father.

That quality of the transfer of kleos, I feel, carrying it on and building it up, is exactly what the Legend of Zelda does by introducing the myth of The Hero and then giving us a cute little enby with a sword to sic upon the world. We, the player character, build upon the legend of our predecessors.

Despite the fact that we’re Hylian and destined to die (sometimes several times), and we’re fighting immortal demons: our story lives on, and theirs doesn’t. So who, in that case, is more human?

At the end of Skyward Sword, Demon Lord Ghirahim has been fully transformed into a weapon spirit, and asks us in raw disbelieving curiosity what we are. Coming from a man who’s just confirmed himself to be a magical AI, who we can narratively assume knows quite a lot about everything there is to know, it’s kind of chilling.

Because we get the girl, we get the glory, we get the validation of our god, we get a future. But I think in the process, past how human our desires are, what we are is something on a mythic scale. And Ghirahim, though he wants exactly the same things in his own way, even though he’s a weapon, is only human compared to us.

It’s a fairytale. We’re the hero. In the face of that inevitability, he never had a chance.

[lady-of-the-spirit]

For the character thing, Sersi? And Anakin too if I may ask multiple? :P

of course i'm gonna do both my blorbos!!

Sersi

How I feel about this character: BEST CHARACTER IN THE MOVIE. she's chronically late, she talks to statues, she's a bad liar, she's a collector, she's horribly insecure and is such a sweetheart and is the heart of the whole movie 💚

All the people I ship romantically with this character: Ikaris (I love tragedy 😔), Dane bc she deserves a nice normal guy and he clearly loves her!! (or at least they think he's normal-), Thena and Gilgamesh in an ot3 because I thought of it ONCE and couldn't let it go

My non-romantic OTP for this character: I mean I could say all of the Eternals because I love their relationships but I'll be specific. Phastos! They are besties to me, I cannot be convinced otherwise. Also Druig. I'm pretty neutral on Druig but I love his relationship with Sersi, he clearly respects her and listens to her!!

My unpopular opinion about this character: I mean just the fact that she's my fave is kinda unpopular already. people don't really care about her :(

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: I wish she could have had a more solid leadership arc. Like she's clearly afraid to take control, everyone makes jokes about Ikaris not being the leader which probably isn't good for her self esteem (Sprite outright says she doesn't care about Ajak choosing Sersi instead), and in the end none of that is really resolved. I wish her internal arc had been fleshed out some more and gotten a more satisfying ending of everyone looking to her as leader (this is why it should have been a show and not a movie!!!)

Anakin

How I feel about this character: honestly my favourite character potentially from the whole star wars series, DEFINITELY from the prequels. I love a tragedy and Anakin Skywalker is the definition of tragedy.

All the people I ship romantically with this character: Padme, obviously. I've read some Rex/Anakin fics too but tbh I never watched the clone wars so I can't say I actually ship it.

My non-romantic OTP for this character: Obi Wan is his tragic brother/father figure and I love it. Also, again from someone who hasn't watched the clone wars but read fics, Ahsoka and also his clone trooper squad.

My unpopular opinion about this character: This is more an unpopular opinion about the fandom I guess but. Anakin was not misunderstanding the Jedi teachings when he talked about love. Love is forbidden for Jedi, that's literally the whole point of the story? It's not just attachment or obsessive love, it's all love. Why would Anakin have completely misunderstood the jedi teachings. If that were true that would say more about the jedi as teachers than Anakin, I think.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: I mean if I said what I wanted to happen to him, the rest of the series probably wouldn't even exist in the first place? But damn I wish someone in the jedi had been like Why the fuck does Palpatine want to spend so much time with our new 9 year old recruit and cut that shit out.

Or just. Him being a slave for his entire childhood being acknowledged at all after Phantom Menace because damn they did not acknowledge any of that shit at all.

give me a character and I'll break their ass down

[talonabraxas]

“Those Who from Heaven came to Earth”

Anu 𒀭 In Sumerian Pantheon Of Gods Talon Abraxas

Anu (also known as An) is an early Mesopotamian sky god who was later viewed as the Father of the Gods and ruler of the heavens, a position which then passed to his son Enlil. He is the son of the couple Anshar and Kishar (heaven and earth, respectively), the second-born of the primordial couple Apsu and Tiamat.

He was originally a Sumerian sky deity known as An (meaning 'sky') first referenced in writing during the Early Dynastic Period (2900-2334 BCE) who was adopted by the Akkadians c. 2375 BCE as Anu ('heaven') the all-powerful. Sargon the Great of Akkad (r. 2334-2279 BCE) mentions Anu and Inanna in his inscriptions as legitimizing his rule or helping him in his conquests as he established the Akkadian Empire and maintained order.

Anu is most often represented in iconography simply by a crown or crown on a throne symbolizing his status as King of the Gods, an honor and responsibility later conferred upon Enlil, Marduk (son of Enki/Ea, the god of wisdom), and Assur of the Assyrians, all of whom were believed to have been elevated by Anu and blessed by him. His consort is Antu (also known as Uras, goddess of the earth), and among their many children are the Annunaki, the gods of the earth and judges of the dead, and Nisaba, the Sumerian goddess of writing and accounts. He is also given as the husband of his sister Ki (earth) by whom his son Enlil is born.

Although Anu is not featured prominently in many myths, he is often mentioned as a background figure. This is because, as veneration of the god progressed, he became more and more remote. Initially a sky god and one of the many younger gods born of Apsu and Tiamat, Anu gradually became the lord of the heavens above the sky and the god who ordered and maintained all aspects of existence.

Along with Enlil and Enki, Anu formed a triad which governed the heavens, earth, and underworld (in one version) or, in another, heaven, the sky, and the earth. He was also listed among the oldest gods of the Seven Divine Powers: Anu, Enki, Enlil, Inanna, Nanna, Ninhursag, and Utu-Shamash.

Even though he is rarely a main character in a myth, when he does appear, he plays an important role, even when that role might seem minor. He is referenced in some of the best-known myths from Mesopotamia including Gilgamesh, Enkidu, and the Netherworld, The Epic of Gilgamesh, the Myth of Adapa, and the Enuma Elish.

[rake-rake]

For Father's day we have!

BNHA!

Dalma and his grandpa attitude! (turned his grandson into a Nomu)

Rikiya and his fatherly vibes! (stress over 9000%)

Hagusa! (self explanatory)

FGO!

Our favorite Lord of the Furthest Reaches, genderfluid dad King Arthur! (got killed by his son)

Grand Caster Gilgamesh! Never had children (Enkidu Enkidu Enkidu) but the dad vibes with everyone are off the charts!

Absolutely really Ancient Fae King Oberon and no one else! All Fae are his children! (do not start)

JJK!

Intersexual icon Satoru adopting Megumi and Tsumiki! They're greedy and celebrate both Father and Mother's day! (the more sweets they get the better)

The one responsible adult still alive, Miguel! Aka Yuta's dad! Troubled children are going nowhere, he's adopting them all.

Naobito.

Noragami!

Yato picking up the first stray kid he sees! (wouldn't recommend but also no regrets)

Father. (Father)

Soulsborne!

Gehrman adopting and raising Maria as his own! (and then going crazy with grief after her death and selling his soul to an eldritch horror to bring her back)

Said Eldritch Horror, Oedon, the flora of the Moon! (Multiple kids. Do not ask.)

Fave King Gwyndolin! Raised his half-sister Yorshka like his own kid! (pain suffering pain)

TG!

And finally Haise, the unexpectedly reliable paternal figure for the Quinx! (nothing bad to say he was amazing)

[lampmanliveblogs]

Ah, I see The Collector used his space magic to summon a book filled with the completed version of all the fanfics I’ve never finished. I know I always say it’ll be a miracle if I ever get all my ideas written down, but I didn’t think it’d take an actual miracle.

You guys might think I’m exaggerating, and I am for comedic effect, but not by much. Just today, I started jotting down yet more notes on my phone while eating lunch at work. What if Masha discovered that they had psychic powers? I have so many unfinished first chapters, short snippets of dialogue, and premises for stories written down on my computer, phone, in various notebooks, pieces of cardboard, and reciept paper lying around. It’s honestly a bit ridiculous.

Oh wait, the pages are stone slabs? Or maybe they’re supposed to be clay tablets? That’s kinda cool actually, brings to mind the earliest stories written down by man in our own world. You know, like the Epic of Gilgamesh.

…hold on, I gotta go get myself a drink to dramatically spit out in shock and disbelief, give me a sec.

…

”Right, now where was I?” I say as I sit back down with a refreshing beverage. I rewind the video by a few seconds and hits play as I take a sip of my drink.

”Collectors live long, we watch things pass.”

”Pfft!” I spit out my drink in shock and disbelief, spraying my computer screen with liquid. ”What!?” I exclaim between coughs. ”Other Collectors?

I mean yeah, sure, The Collector is a child of the stars and whatnot, I kinda figured there’d maybe be some subtle hint at a larger pantheon out there, but, uh… I guess we get it confirmed right here, right now. I was even thinking of including a joke about The Collector’s parents being Mother Nature and Father Time, I just couldn’t figure out how to work it in.

Alright, calm down Lampman, think…

Based on this short summary, it appears that the collectors are if not gods, then at the very least god-like beings. They travel the cosmos and collect specimen of various lifeforms to preserve them in their collections. That in and of itself doesn’t sound all that horrible… but, ah… that second paragraph is a bit concerning.

Should the mortal beings they collect begin to meddle in the affairs of the Collectors (like, oh, I dunno, maybe NOT wanting to be turned into a collectible), they’ll scorch the planet and wipe them all out. Which… yeah that sounds about right for gods of mythology.

Our little Lord of the Fireflies doesn't like that mentality though, they’d rather play games and have fun and make friends (though evidently, The Collector still don’t care too much about what the mortals want).

Right of the bat, this does make me wonder something: is it possible that The Collector we saw in the Owlbeast’s flashback in Knock, Knock, Knockin’ on Hooty’s Door wasn’t THE Collector, but another collector? Cause that’d explain why that one didn’t look a whole lot like this Prince of Plastic

It also makes we wonder if maybe The Collector ISN’T the Grand Huntsman worshipped by the Titan Trappers, but rather, another collector (or several of them). Indeed, we see at the bottom of the page, three collectors looming over several worshipping humans. Because’s I’ve been wondering about that; aside from calling King’s dad a bully for putting him in divine time-out, The Collector really didn’t seem to have much against Titans from what we’ve seen thus far. Heck, he was super excited to meet King. So could it be that The Collector was not the one responsible for wiping out the Titans, but rather some other collector?

What I’m thinking right now is that The Collector is the divine equivalent of a kid that ran away from home. And their family either doesn’t care, doesn’t know, or enough time has not passed for them to notice.

(hm… a kid that ran away from home because they didn’t fit in with their peers… where have I heard a similar story before…?)

(the book mentions that the collectors would scorch the air… the demon realm planet is covered in a boiling sea… perhaps scorching the air is a more poetic way of saying ”set off a bunch of volcanoes”? In real life, the worst mass extinction event known was caused not by the meteorite that wiped out the non-avian dinosaurs, but a massive flood basalt taking place about 251.9 million years ago, colloquially referred to as ”The Great Dying.” Volcanoes are good at killing stuff, is my point. and undersea volcanoes spewing out lava would explain why the sea is always boiling)

I mean, look at this face. Does this look like the face of someone who could wipe out a race of giants? Look at him! He couldn’t hurt a fly.

Except Belos, but he doesn’t count.

And I guess they did turn an island’s worth of people into puppets and force them to play along in their games, hmmm…

[fujimaru]

merlin is blind (headcanon)

ok so i sent this to a few of my friends but i wanted to archive it here bc it is IMPORTANT to me and maybe some other people will enjoy the headcanon. please keep in mind this is Really self indulgent and not really rooted in anything canon but the “blind seer” trope is a thing that happens in media so idk. go crazy silly.

here’s some like... tidbits on how i think it’d impact him and such. enjoy! read more bc this is a bit ramble-y.

starting this off just saying - he keeps it a secret. he Does not want people knowing this. merlin is merlin so he has to be mysterious at all times or he will Die.

i think he has trouble remembering faces and thus has trouble placing Who people are bc he can't recognise their features visually... he relies on other traits in order to know who people are, but he's Notably bad with faces... most people attribute it to him not caring abt individual humans and he plays along with this as to not raise suspicion...

the one thing he's really good at seeing is movement, and it's so good that it really... erases most people's suspicions about him not being able to see, if they have any in the first place.

his staff! it's really important!! he uses it as a white cane but very subtly... people just assume he's doing normal staff wielder things with it but every time he extends it, taps it on the ground, or relies on it for support while walking it is ALL because it is helping him figure out where things are. :)

fou! is important too!!!!!! fou ofc knows... he is very insightful :) but like fou will often nudge merlin in the right direction silently (it looks like he's just doing normal creature things... but someone who is acute ex: artoria would notice the correlation)... ofc...

his abilities as a seer are a REALLY incredible coverup. he can "see" anywhere in the present ofc!! this means he can hijack his vision... he's not exactly "seeing" in a visual sense, but the knowledge of what's going on around him (or wherever) is absorbed :D

his spacial reasoning skills suck. if you asked him to fit something into a crate in a way that minmaxed space he would utterly fail, it would take him multiple tries. he can't visualise sides of objects either, so if you told him to turn something on its side, he would do the opposite/etc...

hair is always messy which is partially bc it's Long and Fluffy but people point it out to him and he's like "what? i brushed that 5 times!!! it's fine!!!" (it's not fine)

i also like to think his hearing is really sensitive to make up for his vision (this often happens!!! it happened to me ) it's important to note he's not completely blind (as in, he can't see light), but he still is Blind... :) so yes he can see, but it's very very poor!!! ^-^

in battle, he focuses his mana and such on his clairvoyance in order to make up for any shortcomings... it’s not noticeable unless you Know what to look out for. sneaky sneaky.

people who i think would catch onto merlin being blind are: fujimaru (servant-master bond yadda yadda and also fujimaru is merlin’s scrunkle), da vinci (girlboss genius powers GO), romani (he’s very insightful... and even if he won’t admit it he’s close with merlin AND HE’S A DOCTOR), artoria (but i think it would be something she doesn’t speak up about... i can see her and merlin sharing some very tender moments though irt it bc thats his child!!), fou (he’s the seeing-eye beast and knows merlin’s secrets), karna (relevant to his lore he sees things people do not want them to see AND the father of his bff/soulmate was a blind king and like even if they don’t interact majorly it just Makes Sense), amakusa&edmond (they’ve met people like that in their past lives...), gilgamesh (he’d be a bitch about it but secretly cares and makes sure merlin is Doing OK. merlin feeds off of the banter though), andersen (duh), holmes (DUH... deduction is His Freaking Thing + he’s compared to merlin in camelot... he’d kinda be a Rude Boy abt it but means well, and he does keep the info private), and lastly bedivere (sidenote: i don’t think any of the other knights of the round table would know lol. they’re too busy being Fans of merlin aka they just... don’t realise!? silly guys).

and here’s a silly re: roman being like “Merlin’s seer abilities (eyes) suck”

[sakuraswordly]

The relationship between Eggman and Syaoran is very much like Fujitaka and Clone Syaoran.

Eggman Sometime will show a father's side just like he and Sage in Sonic Frontiers. As you see in Tsubasa of Phantasia, Eggman, and Tails were once best friends and know each other very well which makes Eggman understand Syaoran more than anyone else and the reason why Eggman intrust Syaoran to take care and protect Sonic.

Both Tails and Syaoran are kind and very optimistic type. As an experienced Eggman with Tails. He knew no matter how much he tried to trick Tails. Tails won't fall any trick to Eggman no matter how clever he was. Even though Syaoran is not a genius like Tails but Eggman knew Syoaran would make the same decision as Tails.

Eggman knew Tails wouldn't be able to protect Sonic no matter what but Syaoran could because Syaoran is a human the same kind as Eggman. Eggman figures out why King Gilgamesh or Sonic himself trusts Eggman even Sonic hates him.

[mccnbeam]

[ she/her] — the TWENTY-SIX year old is a LADY, how exciting to see them this season! rumors have it they are INTELLIGENT and DETERMINED, but i’ve heard they are ILL-TEMPERED and STUBBORN as well — maybe that’s why they’ve been called the TENACIOUS. I have even heard that SHE IS AT RISK OF LOSING HER FORTUNE —only time will tell.

basics;

name: devika krishnamurti, devi to friends age: 26 title: lady, inherited from her father

history;

devika's mother was the equivalent of "nobility" in southern india, a distant relation of the pandya dynasty. though her pandya blood had been diluted over several generations, she was popular at court because she was a skilled bharatanatyam dancer

devika's father held title and land in england, but had a restless spirit. he studied works such as the mahabharata, the bhagavad gita, the book of the dead, the tablets of gilgamesh, the iliad, and the odyssey. he wanted to see the places these texts came from

while traveling the world, he met devika's mother. they fell in love and married in india

devika was born in india and spent the first few years of her life there, but her family had to return to england after the death of her paternal grandfather

her mother had a hard time adjusting to the move. she missed home and she adapted poorly to england. additionally, the travel was hard on her body, and she soon fell ill

though she eventually recovered, her body seemed permanently weakened. she couldn't dance as much as she used to, and as soon as devika was old enough, she was often taking care of her mother alongside the staff

when devika was 19, she came out to society. in that same season, her brother was born. her mother died in childbirth

it was an unsuccessful season for her due to the grief that seemed to blanket her household. her father was devastated by her mothers' death and was no longer taking care of himself, never mind her new brother nor the estate. she began tending to all three

she never planned to marry. she had accepted she was going to be a spinster, and was content to take care of her brother until he was of age to inherit the estate, and then she would take a portion of their wealth to travel the world just as her father did

currently;

a few months ago, her father died in a carriage accident. shortly before passing, he invested a sizeable portion of their family wealth into what turned out to be a fraudulent venture

devika has enough money to run the estate for the next year. if she doesn't marry before then, her and her brother will be left destitute. she knows she's hardly of the ideal marrying age, and is a bit resigned to the fact she's probably gonna have to marry some gross oldie

personality/likes;

having shouldered an enormous amount of responsibility since she was young, she has a somewhat serious disposition. though she can come off reserved, she has a sharp wit and strong feelings about even the most innocuous of things. when she's grown comfortable enough to open up, she is a loyal friend and very loving

she inherited the passions of her mother and her father. she's read all of the ancient texts in her father's library, and has acquired a few more, by gift, since his passing

she's trained in bharatanatyam and she still dances every night, but never for an audience. she can no longer afford her teacher, but she still goes for lessons when she has time. her teacher has become sort of an aunt figure to her

stressed bisexual<3 has never had a sexual experience with a man, but has had a handful with women. ladies if u wanna get TOPPED hit me up

tldr;

dead mom, dead dad, bankrupt estate, she super needs to marry this season, which she's balancing with taking care of her 7 year old little brother - feel free to ask anything else here or on discord! my tag is mayareplies#2206

[aemperatrix]

anyway. not to write fate meta in the year of our lord 2023 or anything but expanding on my previous post—Kirei is genuinely such a fascinating character and this is partly Urobuchi being unhinged but so much of it, of him, was there from conception. Nasu ‘my fetish is this one specific blonde woman but not in a Tarantino way’ really said hee hoo hee hee what if there was an eroge and King Arthur was a girl? and you could bang her? and then Put This Fucking Guy In. and I’m expected to be normal about it.

from his very name, Kirei as in the virtue of beauty, but also as in partial homophone of Kyrie, ‘Lord’, mercy, and the way we’re told his father considered him ‘a gift’, but there’s no mention made, ever, about his mother (I have theories about this and none are particularly pretty) to the fact that he realizes there is something Fundamentally Wrong with him while still a small child, and attempts to correct this, only to ultimately, and erroneously, conclude that joy itself must be a sin, because for him joy is found in the suffering of others. the irony of his name, a name which evokes the idea of light.

the poetry in it, as he is someone who spends his entire life seeking it, a search which concludes in the blazes that engulf Fuyuki.

and speaking of Fuyuki: Urobuchi does a very interesting thing in Zero with the designs of the Command Sigils manifested by each master; they’re very quick visual clues to the nature of the characters that bear them. Kirei’s resemble a dragon.

a Serpent, if you will.

serpent which he is both tempted by (yes, I mean Gilgamesh) and which he himself eventually becomes (as this is his role in Stay/night, regardless of route—he is what we would describe in the context of a fairy tale as ‘The Necessary Evil’.)

he is this to Shirou and he is this to Rin, but he is especially this to Sakura, in my opinion, because while he is not the root cause of her sufferings (that blame lay jointly on Tokiomi and Zouken’s respective doorsteps) he is, indirectly but consciously, their great architect. he is behind the Fire and he is perfectly aware of Zouken’s opportunism in taking the shards of the corrupted Grail and implanting them in Sakura. it’s HIGHLY unlikely that he is not aware of the Matou’s particular style of cultivation and of what is happening to Sakura. he could intervene but he tacitly allows it as by fashioning her into a ‘Dark Grail’, Zouken is unwittingly furthering his agenda.

in Heaven’s Feel last act when they have their confrontation, he explicitly tells Sakura that she has outdone his expectations. how? perhaps by surviving so long to begin with. perhaps because he doubted she would ever exhibit enough greed to go off the deep end; perhaps because she has had such a hard time allowing herself to desire, to be selfish, in the first place.

he considers her an ‘abomination’, but the term is not applied to her character, only to the fact that by that point she is a literal man-eater—otherwise, her psychological profile very much fulfills his criterion of a virtuous woman. he’s fond of her, I genuinely do think. like. he expresses to Shirou that she should be killed, yes, but this is in the context of her aforementioned literal man-eating, in the context of him taunting Shirou, and also in the context of him saying that killing her would be a mercy, that it would save her, both in a literal and metaphysical sense. he seems to genuinely believe that Sakura herself must be disgusted with what she has become and would prefer death to further decay. (and he understands her well enough to not be off the mark: Sakura’s desperate pretense that she has become someone else is a symptom of exactly this self-disgust.)

not that his fondness means anything good, when he is who he is, but still.

also, he can be construed as a paternal figure in relation to both Rin and Sakura, and you’d be tempted to think it is more obvious in Rin’s case, as he is her legal guardian and physically much more present in her life, but I believe it’s Sakura he leaves an indelible print on, specifically because he is yet another (physical) absentee in her life.

Tokiomi’s absenteeism, his giving away of her, taught her that she is easily disposable; Kariya, unintentionally and painfully, taught her that she should bear her lot alone, because anyone who tries to help her is doomed to die. Kirei unintentionally gives her back her autonomy because he manages to make her furious. furious and honest. he makes her into what she is and he also makes her face herself.

he assumes the position of an indifferent, cruel, perversely loving God and fashions in her his own sullied Marian analogue: he saves her life despite himself because he is a priest and letting the thing inside her die would be a mortal sin—or so he claims. ultimately he saves her life because she is, in an oblique but very real way, pregnant with his child.

and I’m expected to be normal and stable and SANE!