#orkney princes

[marthalmary]

Left to right

Arthur

??????

Morgan

Merlin

Aurelianus the second

Bedivere (sitting)

Gawain (standing)

Dagonet

Base by queencookiemonster on DeviantArt

[anoritheark]

George Mackay Brown's "Greenvoe"

George Mackay Brown is one of the more well-known writers of Orkney and is perhaps best known for his novel Greenvoe which is dotted with understated phrasings. “Scots do wrong to call the devil by half humorous names such as Auld Nick, Sneckie, Prince of Darkness and Clootie.” (107) C3PO and R2D2 on Sanday Roadside “She was said to be a beautiful young woman, though rather lascivious. The…

[medievalandfantasymelee]

THE HOT MEDIEVAL & FANTASY MEN MELEE

FIRST ROUND: 69th Tilt

“One-Eye”, Valhalla Rising (2009) VS. Prince Charmont, Ella Enchanted (2004)

Propaganda

“One-Eye”, Valhalla Rising (2009) Portrayed by: Mads Mikkelsen Defeated Opponents: - “Le Maitre d’Armes [Christian Bujeau], Kaamelott (2004-2009)

“This movie is mind-bending. Seriously not for everyone. But I made it through because OH MY GOD MADS MIKKELSEN. Is ***COVERED*** in blood and mud and just *snarls*.

Prince Charmont, Ella Enchanted (2004) Portrayed by: Hugh Dancy Defeated Opponents: - Galessin, Duke of Orkney [Alexis Hénon], Kaamelott (2004-2009)

“Before he was cannibal catnip, Hugh Dancy was the dorkiest, hottest Prince Charming variant.”

Additional Propaganda Under the Cut

Additional Propaganda

For One-Eye:

For Prince Charmont:

[scotianostra]

May 17th is Norwegian Constitution Day or Syttende Mai as its known in Norway.

A wonderful spring holiday celebrated with red, white and blue ribbons, national costumes and waving of the Norwegian flag, the three colours are everywhere in Norway at this time of year.

It’s a day Norwegians all over the world take off to celebrate and marks the historic signing of the Constitution in 1814, the year Norway gained its independence from Sweden, which was fully realized in 1905.

In every city, town and village in Norway, children and adults alike express their cultural pride by marching to the bright music of school bands, celebrating the joy of springtime and honoring of those citizens who created Norway’s constitutional government, founding her independence.

Especially popular is the Children’s Procession that brings every child out in their best clothes or national costume.

In Edinburgh the Norwegian community celebrate Syttende Mai too.

Edinburgh’s celebrations include the Norwegian Scottish Society dinner, after a reception at the Norwegian Consulate’s residence.

Each year Norwegian students in Edinburgh hold a breakfast at Prestonfield House followed by a parade along Waterloo Place and onto Princes Street. At the boom of Edinburgh Castle’s One o’ clock gun, the pigeons fly and the parade begins!

Tonight expats and guests gather at The Royal Scots Club Abercromby Place for a celebration dinner held by the Norwegian Scottish Association. The association was founded in Edinburgh in 1966, and has enjoyed over 50 years of Norwegian-Scottish friendship.

Norwegian Scottish Association roots lie in a much older friendly society, one rooted in the shared experience of Norwegians and Scots during the Second World War. Founded in Dumfries in 1941, the Scottish Norwegian Society brought Scots and Norwegians together in difficult times. Having escaped the German occupation of their homeland in 1940, around a thousand Norwegians had come to be stationed at various times in Dumfries, and it was not long before the idea of a formal society was begun.

Of course our history with Norway goes back centuries, Northern Scotland, was, at one time, a Norse domain and the Northern Isles experienced the most long-lasting Norse influence. Almost half of the people on Shetland today have Viking ancestry, and around 30% of Orkney residents.

Many agree that there are many points of commonality between the Norse character and the Scottish one that leads to a sense of kinship between the two countries, even for those living much further south in Scotland, where Viking influence did not reach. Words like bairn and muckle made their way into Scot’s language via the Norwegians.

I touched upon the links during the second world war earlier and have posted before about the Shetland bus which provided a transport link between the Shetland Islands and occupied Norway. Many Norwegian refugees fled their occupied home with the help of Norwegian sailors who undertook daring, high-risk trips across the North Sea. The whole episode became emblematic of the friendship across the seas.

More recently Edinburgh’s Zoo also has a strong connection to Norway as it is home to a very special resident. Sir Nils Olav III is the mascot and colonel-in-chief of the Norwegian King’s Guard. The king penguin’s rank has been passed down through three generations since 1972. Knighted in 2008, he even received a military promotion in 2016 with the brigadier title bestowed upon him in a special ceremony at the zoo.

The Zoo’s link with Norway originated in 1913 when arctic explorer Roald Amundsen presented a penguin to them on their opening. Once a year the penguin inspects soldiers from Norway’s King’s Guard.

Edinburgh's Syttende mai parade – the 17th May or Norwegian Constitution Day parade traditionally takes place along the capital's main thoroughfare, Princes Street. At the boom of Edinburgh Castle's 'one o' clock gun', the pigeons fly and the parade begins!

Pics are from last ears parade.

[meeravandaseera]

According to folklore, using an "artificial" mermaid tail is still considered to be part of a true mermaid.

Edited "Sea Weeds" painting by Arthur Prince Spear, public domain, 1927.

If anyone doubts whether they're a "real" mermaid with just a fabric or a silicone tail, (at least I did when I used to swim with one) it actually could be considered to be a true tail of a mermaid if you look at the good ol' folklore!

Take the fin-wives of the Orcadian finfolk from the Orkney Islands. According to Orknejar, some say their tails were part of their body. Anyhow, others related that their fishtails are said to be a garment that only gathered together to form a tail-like end and that covered the entirety of their legs. On land, a fin-maiden's tail skirt would turn into a "beautiful embroidered petticoat".

Of course, remember the selkies who wore their sealskins in the sea and came on land to take them off.

According to the folk-tale "The-maid-of-the-wave", collected by Donald A. Mackenzie in his "Scottish Wonder Tales from Myth and Legend", the Scottish half-grilse (young salmon) mermaid called maid-of-the-wave, maid-of-the-sea or ceasg also had a large, bright salmon skin covering that she discarded ashore and wore only in the sea again. As it's mentioned in the tale, the maidens-of-the-waves also wore sea-blue garments ashore instead of their salmon skins.

The "Penguin Book of Mermaids" shares the lore of the karukayn, a mermaid from the belief of the Gurindji people in the Northern Territory of Australia. Those freshwater-maidens also have fishtails that they can take off and wear again once they go back into the waters.

According to "Water-beings in Shetlandic Folk-Lore, as remembered by Shetlanders in British Columbia" by James Teit, the mar-folk from the Shetland islands also had fish-like coverings for their legs which they discarded in their homes and when they went ashore.

The most common motif is that a mortal steals a waterperson's skin or hat (as found in the Irish merrows) to return back to the water. Without their skin or whatever they need, they cannot go back to the water, obviously. Mar-folk of the Shetland islands could not travel the seas without their fish-like covering, too. The aforementioned water-wife motif is even present in Australia, far away from Europe. In the legend related in the Penguin Book of Mermaids, a karukayn is taken by a man to be his wife as she had her tail smoked off. Like almost all folk-tales of the selkies etc, the karukayn returned back to the water later on.

Bloop, that shell-tacular lore is shrimply as vast as our oceans...

This only included some of the waterpeople who were capable of removing their tails. Obviously, there happen to be more in the sea.

I had originally published this on reddit via r/mermaid: https://www.reddit.com/r/mermaid/comments/1emp4ay/according_to_folklore_using_an_artificial_mermaid/

[eldest-sibling-tournament]

eldest sibling tournament

here is the bracket for the eldest sibling tournament!

since round one contains 32 matches, it will be split into two parts. the polls for round 1, part 1 will begin tomorrow, march 17th, at 11am EDT.

this post will be updated throughout the tournament with links to the polls! feel free to submit propaganda through asks/submissions/reblogs/tags; i'll try to post/rb all of it.

all polls can be found at #tournament poll

round 1, part 1 | round 1, part 2 | round 2 | round 3 | quarterfinals | semifinals | final round | bonus polls

full list of original matchups under the cut!

left side of bracket, top to bottom:

Sokka (Avatar: the Last Airbender) vs Kate Sharma (Bridgerton)

Dmitri Fyodorovich Karamazov (The Brothers Karamazov) vs Tina Belcher (Bob's Burgers)

Jane Bennet (Pride and Prejudice) vs Robb Stark (A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones)

Raphael Hamato (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) vs Wendy Darling (Peter Pan)

Nani Pelekai (Lilo and Stitch) vs Meg Murry (A Wrinkle in Time)

Itachi Uchiha (Naruto) vs Wirt (Over the Garden Wall)

Meg March (Little Women) vs Jesse Cosay (Infinity Train)

Kendall Roy (Succession) vs Anthony Bridgerton (Bridgerton)

Declan Lynch (The Raven Cycle/The Dreamer Trilogy) vs Elphaba Thropp (Wicked)

Nancy Wheeler (Stranger Things) vs Franziska von Karma (Ace Attorney)

Candace Flynn (Phineas and Ferb) vs Gawain of Orkney (Arthuriana)

Shigeo "Mob" Kageyama (Mob Psycho 100) vs Fitzwilliam Darcy (Pride and Prejudice)

Jiang Yanli (Mo Dao Zu Shi/The Untamed) vs Violet Parr (The Incredibles)

Boromir (Lord of the Rings) vs Bianca di Angelo (Percy Jackson and the Olympians)

Mycroft Holmes (Sherlock Holmes) vs Elsa (Frozen)

Edward Elric (Fullmetal Alchemist) vs Tzeitl (Fiddler on the Roof)

right side of bracket, top to bottom:

Maedhros (The Silmarillion) vs Justin Russo (Wizards of Waverly Place)

Elektra (Oresteia) vs Louis de Pointe du Lac (Interview with the Vampire)

Buffy Summers (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) vs Kai Smith (Ninjago)

Connor Roy (Succession) vs Callum (The Dragon Prince)

Katniss Everdeen (The Hunger Games) vs Mia Fey (Ace Attorney)

Sophie Hatter (Howl's Moving Castle) vs Cain (The Book of Genesis)

Rodrick Heffley (Diary of a Wimpy Kid) vs Jazz Fenton (Danny Phantom)

Violet Baudelaire (A Series of Unfortunate Events) vs Isabela Madrigal (Encanto)

Dean Winchester (Supernatural) vs Rodya Raskolnikov (Crime and Punishment)

Thor Odinson (The Marvel Cinematic Universe) vs Éponine Thénardier (Les Misérables)

Edyn Tidestrider (Just Roll With It) vs Maddie Buckley (9-1-1)

Fiona Gallagher (Shameless) vs Gregor Samsa (The Metamorphosis)

Vi (Arcane) vs Tadashi Hamada (Big Hero 6)

Peter Pevensie (The Chronicles of Narnia) vs Vera Rostova (War and Peace)

Mako (The Legend of Korra) vs Sarah Williams (Labyrinth)

Dick Grayson (DC Comics) vs Julie Molina (Julie and the Phantoms)

[grayjoy15]

Day 24: Elisiv (or Elisaveta) of Kyiv. Potentially the eldest daughter of Prince Yaroslav, Elisiv married Harald Hardrada who had also been in exile at Yaroslav’s court. During his time in the Byzantine Varangian guard (and before they were married), Hardrada would compose love poetry addressed to Elisiv. She is sadly the sister we know least about despite her husband being by far the most famous of Yaroslav’s in-laws. The sagas say she accompanied her daughters and husband as far as Orkney in 1066, but even that is debated.

[sir-borre]

Yvain, the Knight of the Lion

Max Baldry - Prince Yvain of Gore

Emilia Clarke - Lady Laudine

Olivia Cooke - Lady Lunete

Charlie Vickers - Sir Calogrenant

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau - Sir Gawain of Orkney

Katie McGrath - Queen Morgana of Gore

Chris Pine - King Arthur of Britain

Gene Tierney - Queen Guinevere of Britain

Peter Sellers - Sir Kay

[caer-gai]

Presenting Crown Prince Gawain of Norway, Lothian, and Orkney☀️😏💚

[sanddef]

How Sir Lancelot met with King Arthur and Sir Gawain, and how war was decided.

1522 words

“Which of you did it?”

The hall went silent. The drab colors of a dove make the thing blend into the background. Perfectly still, break the silhouette, it becomes just another piece of noise. Gawain, in plain clothes, without his armor or family colors, was pulling off a similar effect. Like a nervous bird, he twitched in place, cocked his head. Lancelot would have thought he was nervous, that is, if his eyes weren’t so deadly focused. 

Arthur, to his credit, cleared his throat, seeming to regret taking the man with him. Tensions were high enough, what with his former champion and wife sitting across the table. “Gawain, this isn’t for-”

“I want to know,” Gawain cut him off. The fire crackled, a log fell sending a gust of embers up into the air. The damned castle just wouldn’t get warm. Lancelot had done all he could and still, the cold seemed to leak through every stone.

Was Joyous Gard ever befitting of its name? Perhaps once. Perhaps Lancelot would be too young to remember. Had Arthur ever been here in its heyday? Did he sit at Lancelot’s father’s table, share a story and good food and drink? Did Gawain? Young, reckless, brimming with energy that time hadn’t quite tempered but reshaped into something versatile and sharp. A hook that Lancelot felt in his heart now, Gawain’s eyes hadn’t left him since he had arrived. 

Lionel’s hand was on his sword. For all Lancelot’s pleading, he would not be persuaded to maintain the illusion of a peaceful meeting. Bors had conceded to him, but said he would be looking for the first sign of trouble.

“At the very least, I will protect your queen.”

Yes. A queen of very little now, but Lancelot’s queen always and forever. Lancelot and his kin finally stepped into their long-neglected kingships, and the phrase King Lancelot seemed foreign on his tongue. At the very least Arthur looked uncomfortable saying it.

“I want to know which of you killed my brothers,” Gawain repeated, was never one to back down.

“Does that really matter?” Arthur’s voice rang hollow now. The years were starting to catch up to him.

“I think it matters.” Gawain looked at Guinevere, Bors, Lionel, Lancelot. “I think my brothers were about the only thing in the world that mattered and I want to know which of you killed them. I want to know whose sword, whose hands.”

“Mine.” Lancelot spoke before Lionel could stop him, “Gawain- I’m sorry. If I had recognized them I wouldn’t have.”

“If you had recognized them it wouldn’t have mattered.” Gawain hissed, “Brave Sir Lancelot, dear agent of chivalry, my little Gareth would never raise a sword against you. I know he didn’t.”

Lancelot didn’t look at Bors, but he felt his eyes on him. The whole event was a blur, Lancelot honestly couldn't remember a thing. Bors had told him that the boy had nearly cut his arm off and Bors defended himself. This was just before he had informed him that he was dead. 

Lancelot didn’t care if he believed him. Gareth was dead regardless.

Arthur seemed to be losing hope that this diplomatic mission would do anything to prevent outright war. He let Gawain speak.

“Agravain hated you, Lancelot, I suppose you took your revenge on him. Or was it one of your kin? Indeed, I imagine neither of them have hands as unclean as yours.” Gawain’s eyes landed on Guinevere, “And all this for you, my lady. I pray to God nobody ever loves me that much.”

Guinevere looked him dead on. Lancelot hoped it was just nerves making his heart beat that way.

“You’ll turn to war, prince of Orkney? Gawain, people are going to die.” She said.

He opened his mouth to respond. Arthur stepped in, seeming relieved to get a word in edgewise, “I fail to see any other option. You kill my kin, steal my wife, I would be a fool not to respond.”

“We have nothing to offer you in recompense.” Lionel spoke up, “Everything we had was yours. Everything we have now I would rather not give up, especially if you can’t keep your nephew on a leash.”

Gawain snarled, pushing his chair back from the table, “You’re happy to say that armed, aren’t you?”

Lionel shrugged and didn't waver. Despite years of bad blood between the two men, Lionel was one of the few people Gawain could never manage to faze. Lancelot respected him for it. 

“We’re in exile.” Bors said, “Surely that’s enough. We’ll never bother you again.”

“And l just go home and tell my baby brother that our family died for nothing?” Gawain was shaking, Lancelot had never seen him so unraveled. “Damn you all. I’ll see you on the field. This doesn’t end until one of us is dead, Lancelot.”

He stormed out of the room, knocking over a chair and slamming the door as he left. Lancelot knew he wouldn’t wait for anyone, would mount Gringolet and be halfway back to Camelot in a day. He would begin rallying the troops, his golden tongue wouldn’t fail him there, and by the time Arthur returned the decision would have been made.

What a farce. War was certain the moment Guinevere was put at the stake.

Arthur just sat, looking down at the table. He hadn’t flinched when Gawain stood. He was not even particularly bothered by the way the decision had been made; waves of fate just swept him this way and that. No amount of plotting could prevent providence. The waves had delivered Mordred to safety long ago.

“Arthur, are you alright?” Guinevere asked, her face softened.

“I was just thinking how long it’s been since outright war.” Arthur said, gesturing to the empty space Gawain left behind, “How last time I was only a child. Allied with your fathers, against his. Old Bors and Ban, I pray they don’t see us now.”

“Has it really come to this?” Lancelot asked. He wasn’t expecting an answer. Hector would be finished taking inventory in an hour, the letters would be sent out, alliances made, and resources collected. Lancelot would lead his men into battle and hopefully never meet Arthur’s eyes again.

“I pray I don’t see you out there.” Arthur said, thinking the same way. “I pray if we must die, it would be a stray arrow, a squire’s javelin. I’m too old and tired to fight a former friend.”

“I don’t want to fight Gawain.” Lancelot said, thinking of the sword he had left in his room. He knew Gawain was well aware of the inscription on the hilt. Based on how he was acting, he didn’t seem to care.

“I know you love him.”

“Of course I love him.” Lancelot said, “Most of us in this room love him.”

“It’s remarkable,” Bors said, leaning back, “That you should continue loving one who hates you so grievously.”

“No amount of hate could make me stop loving him.”

The streams of Logres rushed by, interrupted by the striking of hooves. A still lake’s surface rippled. Waves at Orkney’s shore beat on. Somewhere, Rome was falling. Morgause’s two remaining sons would be deputies, and war would be at France’s borders in a matter of days. For all Lancelot knew, Mordred was already preparing.

Arthur finally stood, like an old, brittle tree, he had been hollowed out, but would quietly wait for his final storm. He looked to Guinevere, she looked back at him.

“I won’t be seeing you again.” He said, “You were a good queen.”

“But not a good wife. You were a good friend.” She replied.

Arthur smiled drily. “Lancelot, you would do well to take her advice. She knows the field well. I will miss having her as counsel.”

Once upon a time, Guinevere had been raised to be a king too. It was easy to forget until her expertise was needed.

“I have preparations to make. I’ll need to fill your seats at the table.” Arthur thought out loud, before wincing. The irony of having to take his pick from the Queen’s Knights wasn’t lost on him.

He left without another word. Seems the time for courtly pleasantries is finally over.

Bors touched Lancelot’s shoulder until he looked at him, “Do you think he hates us?”

Lionel snorted, “He has every reason to.”

“He just seemed- well he’s an odd sort.”

“It doesn’t really matter.”

“He does.” Guinevere broke in. “He’s never been the type to show it.”

“Not like Gawain.” Lionel said, “He’s going to give us trouble, that witch’s son.”

“He’s not going to poison us.” Lancelot said, “He would want to fight me.”

Bors frowned, “Even though he knows-”

“It doesn’t matter to him whether he lives or dies.” Lionel’s eyes widened in realization, “Dear lord.”

Leagues away, Gawain was riding. The scar at the back of his neck ached. It might be time to retire the sword and return to his weapon of choice; take the green axe off the mantle. To hell with what it symbolized, Gawain wanted something heavy. Besides, shame and pride mean nothing to a dead man. 

[aerkame]

Sorry for the short spam of posts recently, I'm close to finishing some longer requests. :)

Anyways, I just wanted to leave this here because I know there will be a few people PMing or sending asks (I love asks, it gets my brain thinking) about this.

In the Finfolk AU I fully intend on making Home a straight up reference to Lovecraftian gods or one of the princes of hell, Leviathan. Why? Because a pattern I see in Finfolk lore (Orkney) is that crosses tend to keep them away or cause harm. I notice there's often a religious influence in some books and folklore in general (an exmaple being unicorns, dragons, fae, and those similar) and I wanted to give the AU a bit of some religion or a very big reason as to why Home is more dangerous than thought to be. I'm not making him an outright prince of hell, but I'm defiantly making him a pretty big threat to anything of angelic or holy in origin. (Again, inspired, not making him one)

Kind of think of it like the games Diablo. Diablo has demons and angels but they're in their own kind of universe. This can be applied to the Finfolk AU. It's a lot of Lovecraftian inspiration and just about every monster or myth exists in it.

Home could be a prince of sorts. A prince of what? No one knows or may never know. Maybe he just wants to protect what he has left, start a new life with subjects that he loves. Or maybe he wants them for something else.

I kind of just imagine him either being so powerful that not even the fae or angels know where he is or that he's doing the whole "You leave me alone and I leave you alone don't tear you limb from limb and consume your souls bit"

Personally, I think this is a good way to do world building in general. It's always good to take multiple inspirations!

You know what? I feel like making a moodboard for Finfolk AU Home. I'm gonna do that in the morning.

Also the ending for Diablo 4 just came out you guys seriously need to give it a watch, the cinematics were AMAZING.

[gorbalsvampire]

𝖃𝕴𝕴𝕴 𝕿𝖆𝖑𝖊𝖘 𝖋𝖗𝖔𝖒 𝕱𝖊𝖚𝖉𝖆𝖑 𝕭𝖔𝖍𝖊𝖒𝖎𝖆

𝔦𝔫𝔱𝔢𝔯𝔪𝔦𝔰𝔰𝔦𝔬𝔫

Our story breathes for a week, due to player availability - we wanted everyone to be present for the pursuit of Octavio, and then there'll be a space for Theodericus to be excused for a while. We knew this was coming, and the character has a built-in exit strategy, but it's still an arse when Real Life Writes The Plot to this extent.

As such, we took the opportunity for some side stories. A little Touchstone time for Marsillius, and an exploration of Mariam's past and How She Learned Protean Anyway. Nothing transformative could possibly occur here, right?

Many people have remarked on the resemblance Marsillius bears to both Octavio the Prophet and Gesa, the Archbishop of St. Vitus' and de facto spiritual leader of Prague's Christian community. He's lived in the monastery of St. Lawrence all his life, and the circumstances of his birth have never been made clear. It was high time he addressed that.

As such, he consulted the monastery's archives, particularly Garinol's journals, in which the first mention of "the boy" was found in 1157 - and then confronted Garinol directly, trying to wheedle the truth out of his sire. Garinol had sworn to Marsillius' mother never to tell the story... but he could tell him about the story, about the particular sins that concerned him, prompted by Marsillius' confession that he was poisoned by the mortal sin of envy.

Enough was revealed that Marsillius visited the convent at St. George's next, to ask if they had given solace to a woman in distress, in say... the autumn of 1157. Most of the sisters did not remember, but there is of course one nun who was sent to them long enough ago that she might remember the gossip from the day...

Alzbeta did remember. When she first joined the convent, there was still hushed talk of Sister Anezka, who had renounced her vows when she was found to be with child, and disappeared - at around the same time that Deacon Gesa was abruptly withdrawn from serving at St. George's, and instead joined St. Vitus', beginning his slow rise to power...

While @gwenynen-bach decided how angry Marsillius was, we flashed back to the past - a couple of years after Mariam's Embrace, after she'd been presented to Prince Rudolf. Her sire Josef was encouraging her to come out of the tunnels and learn about other Cainites. and her elder brood-sibling Othelio had a suggestion.

It did involve them sneaking out of the city through a water-gate, and making their way into the woods to the north; an almost trackless depth in which Mariam was somewhat overwhelmed. When they reached the clearing with its standing stone that sat between three steads, she became very overwhelmed.

The Cainite sitting on the stone was unlike any she'd ever seen, or heard. Immense and wild, hairy and tusked, almost her height and broader still; a kilt, a ragged shirt, and chainmail clearly torn from three different dead men.

This was Erik! Erik McDonoughue, of Clan Gangrel! Nomad, vagabond, wanderer: elder at large, who'd tramped across half of Christendom in his long centuries of unlife. He had a lot of stories to tell, and Mariam was spellbound - she'd never been more than a mile from Prague, she'd met someone who'd from Buda-Pesthe once, and here was - what even is a Scotsman? Where is Orkney, exactly?

In the course of his yarn, she learned of the powers of the Gangrel - sight at night, talons to rend even Cainite flesh, and sleep in the bosom of the earth. Erik offered to teach her the first of these! She would have to hunt, though: to hunt, to kill, and to drain a predator of the woods of its vitae, to bring her Beast closer to that of a wild thing.

This she did. Erik she also did. Not something she would normally consider, but the sheer rush of new experiences sort of... carried her along.

On the walk back into Prague, Othelio confided this was why he'd wanted her to meet Erik. He's different. He's rootless, masterless and solitary; he walks the Road of the Beast; but he's old. He's survived despite cleaving to a path that's far, far removed from the Humanity, Heaven and Kings that reign over civilised Cainite society within the walls.

We return to the present. A decision has been made. Marsillius was furious. As such, he made his way to the Bishop's Manse and, in a series of fine rolls, performed the full Garrett Special (I am old, and therefore I think of Thief and not Assassin's Creed as the locus of stealth-action-historical-fantasy-stuff).

As such, he came to the Archbishop's very boudoir. Sumptuous velvets, leatherbound books, and a gold-plated crucifix facing the bed, that it might be the first thing its owner sees on sitting up each morning. And then, Marsillius did something genuinely malicious.

Aura of Decay.

All that velvet? Ragged and rotten. Those carpets, with which his footfalls had been deadened? Slick with black mould. That crucifix? Rusted to powder in his hand. The Archbishop? Awakened coughing and wheezing, in a sudden cold sweat, and there at the foot of his bed the thing he'd dreaded most: his misbegotten bastard son, come back to remind him of his sin.

Gesa did not quite confess. But he denied nothing, and he named Anezka. That was enough. Marsillius told him the greatest thing of all: that he would outlive his false and recreant father by centuries, that he was the Way, the Truth, the Light -

Gesa knew of what he spoke. The race of Caine. The damned. Neither was a godly soul.

And that, for tonight, was the end of our vampire story.

[medievalandfantasymelee]

Submissions are closed but many of our noble and worthy Contenders still need Propaganda to aid them...

Of our 294 Entrants, the following 27 have had no text propaganda submitted

Amarendra Baahubali [Prabhas], Baahubali Series (2015-2017)

Arondir [Ismael Cruz Córdova], The Rings of Power (2022-)

Asbjörn [Tom Hopper], Northmen: A Viking Saga (2014)

Balian de Ibelin [Orlando Bloom], Kingdom of Heaven (2005)

Bjørn Ironside [Alexander Ludwig], Vikings (2013-2020)

Sir Bowen [Dennis Quaid], Dragonheart (1996)

Elrond Half-elven [Robert Aramayo], The Rings of Power (2022-)

Geoffrey Chaucer [Pier Paolo Pasolini], The Canterbury Tales (1972)

King Henry VIII [Ray Winstone], Henry VIII (2003)

Isildur, Son of Elendil [Maxim Baldry], The Rings of Power (2022-)

Prince Jingim [Remy Hii], Marco Polo (2014)

Kai [Michael Gothard], Arthur of the Britons (1972, 1973)

Sir Lancelot [Richard Gere], First Knight (1995)

Merlin [Nicol Williamson], Excalibur (1981)

“The Mute” [John Bernthal], Pilgrimage (2017)

“One-Eye” [Mads Mikkelsen], Valhalla Rising (2009)

Sir Percival [Tom Hopper], BBC’s Merlin (2008-2012)

Pero Tovar [Pedro Pascal], The Great Wall (2016)

Ragnar Lothbrook [Travis Fimmel], Vikings (2013-2020)

Richard III [Benedict Cumberbatch], The Hollow Crown (2012-2016)

Robin Hood [Tom Riley], Doctor Who: “The Robot of Sherwood” (2014)

“The Sherriff of Nottingham” [Alan Wheatley], The Adventures of Robin Hood (1955-1959)

“The Sherriff of Nottingham” [Peter Cushing], The Sword of Sherwood Forest (1960)

Syrio Forel [Miltos Yerolemou], Game of Thrones (2011-2019)

Tormund Giantsbane [Kristofer Hivju], Game of Thrones (2011-2019)

Ubbe [Jordan Patrick Smith], Vikings (2013-2020)

Wil Ohmsford [Austin Butler], Shannara Chronicles (2016)

The following 63 DO have text propaganda, but only consisting of a single sentence, (or propaganda that contains spoilers) and could use a bit more...

Aguilar de Nerha [Michael Fassbender], Assassin's Creed (2016)

Allan-A-Dale [Joe Armstrong], BBC’s Robin Hood (2006-2009)

Sultan Alauddin [Ranver Singh], Padmavaat (2018)

Amleth [Alexander Skarsgård], The Northman (2022)

Arman [Matevy Lykov], I Am Dragon (2015)

King Arthur [Graham Chapman], Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)

Asneez [Isaac Hayes], Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993)

Ash Williams [Bruce Campbell], Army of Darkness (1992)

Azog the Defiler [Manu Bennett], The Hobbit Trilogy (2012-2014)

Ser Barristan Selmy [Ian McIlhinney], Game of Thrones (2011-2019)

Sir Brian de Bois-Guilbert [Sam Neill], Ivanhoe (1982)

Carlos I [Álvaro Cervantes], Carlos Rey Emperador (2015-2016)

Cesare Borgia [Mark Ryder], Borgia: Faith and Fear (2011-2014)

Charles Brandon [Henry Cavill], The Tudors (2007-2010)

Chu Hun [Peter Ho], Double World (2020)

Connor MacLeod [Christopher Lambert], Highlander (1986)

Prince Dastan [Jake Gyllenhaal], Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010)

Dong Yilong [Henry Lau], Double World (2020)

Eamon Valda [Abdul Salis], The Wheel of Time (2021-)

Sir Elyan [Adetomiwa Edun], BBC’s Merlin (2008-2012)

Forge Fitzwilliam [Hugh Grant], Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)

Galavant [Joshua Sasse], Galavant (2015-2016)

Galessin, Duke of Orkney [Alexis Hénon], Kaamelott (2004-2009)

Gandalf [Ian McKellan], The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003)

Geralt z Rivii [Michał Żebrowski], The Witcher (2002)

Gimli, Son of Gloin [John Rhys-Davies], The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003)

Prince Hamlet [Christopher Plummer], Hamlet at Elsinore (1964)

King Henry V Plantagenet [Kenneth Branagh], Henry V (1989)

Prince Humperdink [Chris Sarandon], The Princess Bride (1987)

Ivanhoe [Anthony Andrews], Ivanhoe (1982)

Jack [Tom Cruise], Legend (1985)

Ser Jaime Lannister [Nikolaj Coster-Waldau], Game of Thrones (2011-2019)

Jaskier [Joey Batey], The Witcher (2019-)

Little John [Eric Allan Kramer], Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993)

Prince John [Richard Lewis], Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993)

Sir Lancelot [Luc Simon], Lancelot du Lac (1974)

Sir Lancelot [Santiago Cabrera], BBC’s Merlin (2008-2012)

Loial [Hammed Animashaun], The Wheel of Time (2022-)

Matrim “Mat” Cauthon [Donal Finn], The Wheel of Time (2022)

Meriadoc “Merry” Brandybuck [Dominic Monaghan], The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003)

Mikoláš Kozlík [František Velecký], Marketa Lazarová (1967)

Murtagh Morzansson [Garrett Hedlund], Eragon (2002)

Niankoro [Issiaka Kane], Yeelen (1987)

Niccolo Machiavelli [Thibaut Evrard], Borgia: Faith and Fear (2011-2014)

Phillippe Gaston [Matthew Broderick], Ladyhawke (1985)

“The Player” [Richard Dreyfuss], Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead (1990)

Rand al’Thor [Josha Stradowski], The Wheel of Time (2022-)

Richard II Plantagenet [Ben Whishaw], The Hollow Crown (2012-2016)

Robin Hood [Kevin Costner], Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)

Robin Hood [Jonas Armstrong], BBC’s Robin Hood (2006-2009)

Rodrigo Borgia [Jeremy Irons], The Borgias (2011-2013)

Rollo [Clive Standen], Vikings (2013-2020)

Roose Bolton [Michael McElhatton], Game of Thrones (2011-2019)

Saruman [Christopher Lee], The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003)

Sid [Luke Youngblood], Galavant (2015-2016)

“Taunting French Guard” [John Cleese], Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)

King Theoden, Son of Thengel [Bernard Hill], The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003)

Thierry of Janville [Jean-Claude Drouot], Thierry la Fronde (1963-1966)

Sir Thomas Grey [Nigel Terry], Covington Cross (1992)

Trumpkin [Peter Dinklage], The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008)

Vlad III Dracula [Luke Evans], Dracula Untold (2014)

Wat [Alan Tudyk], A Knight’s Tale (2001)

Wen Kexing [Gong Jun], Word of Honor (2021

And the following 57 have had fewer than 3 pictures submitted as visual propaganda

Prince Aemond Targaryen [Ewan Mitchell], House of the Dragon (2022-)

Ahmad [Mahesh Jadu], Marco Polo (2014)

Shah Ala ad Daula [Olivier Martinez], The Physician (2013)

Alessandro Farnese [Diarmuid Noyes], Borgia (2011-2014)

Amarendra Baahubali [Prabhas], Baahubali (2015-2017)

Amleth [Alexander Skarsgård], The Northman (2022)

Arman [Matvey Lykov], I Am Dragon (2015)

Arthur Pendragon [Oliver Tobias], Arthur of the Britons (1972-1973)

King Arthur [Sean Connery], First Knight (1995)

Sir Bowen [Dennis Quaid], Dragonheart (1996)

Sir Brian de Bois-Guilbert [Sam Neill], Ivanhoe (1982)

Carlos I [Álvaro Cervantes], Carlos Rey Emperador (2015-2016)

King Caspian X [Samuel West], BBC’s Prince Caspian and the Voyage of the Dawn Treader (1989)

Cesare Borgia [Mark Ryder], Borgia (2011-2014)

Prince Charmont [Hugh Dancy], Ella Enchanted (2004)

Chu Hun [Peter Ho], Double World (2020)

Connor MacLeod [Christopher Lambert], Highlander (1986)

Dong Yilong [Henry Lau], Double World (2020)

Fjölnir [Claes Bang], The Northman (2022)

Francesco de Pazzi [Matteo Martari], Medici (2016-2019)

Geoffrey Chaucer [Pier Paolo Pasolini], The Canterbury Tales (1972)

Gest [Jakob Þór Einarsson], Hrafninn flýgur (1984)

Gimli, Son of Gloin [John Rhys-Davies], The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003)

King Henry II [Peter O’Toole], The Lion in Winter (1968)

Hugh Beringar [Sean Pertwee], Cadfael (1994-1998)

Prince Jingim [Remy Hii], Marco Polo (2014)

Little John [Nicol Williamson], Robin and Marian (1976)

Kai [Michael Gothard], Arthur of the Britons (1972, 1973)

Sir Lancelot [Richard Gere], First Knight (1995)

Lurtz [Lawrence Makoare], The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003)

Meriadoc “Merry” Brandybuck [Dominic Monaghan], The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003)

Merlin [Nicol Williamson], Excalibur (1981)

Much [Sam Troughton], BBC’s Robin Hood (2006-2009)

Murtagh Morzansson [Garrett Hedlund], Eragon (2002)

Niankoro [Issiaka Kane], Yeelen (1987)

Niccolo Machiavelli [Thibaut Evrard], Borgia: Faith and Fear (2011-2014)

“The Player” [Richard Dreyfuss], Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead (1990)

Podrick Payne [Daniel Portman], Game of Thrones (2011-2019)

Rilk [Jesse Lee Keeter] JourneyQuest (2010)

Robert the Bruce [Chris Pine], Outlaw King (2018)

Robin Longstride [Russell Crowe], Robin Hood (2010)

Saburo Naotora Ichimonji [Ryu Daisuke], Ran (1985)

Sid [Luke Youngblood], Galavant (2015-2016)

Sihtric Kjartansson [Arnas Fedaravicius], The Last Kingdom (2015-2022)

Syrio Forel [Miltos Yerolemou], Game of Thrones (2011-2019)

“Taunting French Guard” [John Cleese], Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)

Thierry of Janville [Jean-Claude Drouot], Thierry la Fronde (1963-1966)

Sir Thomas Grey [Nigel Terry], Covington Cross (1992)

Thraxus Boorman [Amar Chadha-Patel], Willow (2022]

Sir Tristan [Kingsley Ben-Adir], King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017)

Uglúk [Nathaniel Lees], The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003)

“Unnamed Elf Escort” (Alias: “Figwit”), The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003)

Wen Kexing [Gong Jun], Word of Honor (2021

Wil Ohmsford [Austin Butler], The Shannara Chronicles (2016)

Will Scarlett [Patrick Knowles], The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)

Will Scarlett [Christian Slater], Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)

Willow Ufgood [Warwick Davis], Willow (1988, 2022)

[scotianostra]

On 30th September 1813 John Rae, surgeon, trader and Canadian explorer, was born.

Born n at Hall of Clestrain, Orphir, on the Orkney Islands, at the age of sixteen he began the study of medicine at Edinburgh University and in 1833 he was appointed surgeon to the Hudson’s Bay Company ship Prince of Wales on its annual voyage to Moose Factory, and was resident surgeon there from 1835 to 1844.

Between 1846 and 1854 John Rae made four voyages of exploration to the Arctic, surveying and charting many miles of newly discovered coastlines. In recognition of this the Royal Geographical Society awarded him the Founder’s Medal in 1862. Two of these expeditions had been sent out to search for Sir John Franklin; the search of 1853 resulted in the discovery of Franklin’s fate.

Information from the Inuit given to Rae showed that Franklin’s men had all perished and the bodies showed signs of cannibalism. This report made Rae unpopular and his achievements were rather ignored. Nobody wanted to believe that men would be capable of eating the flesh of humans, even in an attempt to save their own lives, it wasn’t as if they killed their own people.

In 1860 he married Catharine Jane Alicia, daughter of Major George A. Thompson, Ardkill,Derry, Ireland, but his days at The Hudson Bay Company were far from over, Rae rejoined them 1864 to survey the route from Fort Garry to Victoria, and at both points accumulated material for the construction of a continental telegraph. The material he collected at Winnipeg was utilized in 1871 in linking up Manitoba with Eastern Canada.

In October 1882 he revisited Winnipeg, giving an address to the Manitoba Historical Society on his Arctic explorations and on the value of Hudson Bay as a commercial route. In 1880 the Royal Society elected him a Fellow. He was the author of many journals and papers and his name is perpetuated in many place names in the Canadian Arctic.

Rae was another Scot who was something of a polymath, and his writings on economics were admired by John Stuart Mill. He wrote A Narrative of an Expedition to the Shores of the Arctic Sea in 1846 and 1847 and Report of the Proceedings of the Arctic Searching Expedition.

Rae's legacy is an important one. He is thought to have mapped around 1,750 miles of the Arctic coast. His willingness to learn from the indigenous people that he met on his travels sets him aside from many of his contemporaries.

The Victorian wrong was righted when the simple plaque for the Orcadian surgeon turned explorer Dr John Rae was unveiled at Westminster Abbey in 2014, his writings have been accepted as accurate since the days of the doubters.

He spent his last years in London, where he died on 22 July 1893, his body was taken by steamer to Kirkwall for burial at St Magnus Cathedral, a memorial inside to Rae shows him sleeping on the ground, covered with a skin blanket. Nearby are his gun and a book.

[poncivalpishpuff]

My NeverAfter OC (warning spoilers up to ep 6ish)

Princess Catrìona

 Sister of Kate Crackernuts

  (Kah-tree-nah) The Scottish Gaelic name for Katherine (Kate)

The story of Kate Crackernuts

"Kate Crackernuts" is a Scottish fairy tale collected by Andrew Lang in the Orkney Islands and published in Longman's Magazine in 1889. The tale is about a princess who rescues her beautiful sister from an evil enchantment and a prince from a wasting sickness caused by dancing nightly with the fairies.

In the original version, both sisters have the name “Kate” and are the same age.

First Neverafter (Ep1-3]

Closely follows the original tale, with the dark times coming after their story ‘ended’

Both grew up in a Small forgotten kingdom bordering Jubilee

Catríona is the daughter of the King and Kate Crackernuts is the daughter of the new Queen (The Stepmother)

The Hen-wife and the Stepmother on the third try trick her into losing her beautiful head and switching it for a sheep’s one when she is 18

Kate grabbed Catríona's human head and they ran away to fend for themselves, where they came upon the kingdom of Jubilee

Kate finds that one of King Cole’s sons is sick, and goes on to watch him for three nights, following him to the Green-hill where faeries force him to dance the night away

Over three nights Kate gets the cures for her sister and the prince

Kate Crackernuts reunited Catríona with her human head and healed King Cole’s sick son from the wasting

The sick, now healed, son marries Kate and the good son marries the ill, now healed, Catríona [Their Happily Ever After]

As the war came to Jubilee they fought alongside their husbands and died on the battlefield at the age of 24

Present day post merging of the two lives:

The faeries of the Green-hill bring back Catriona into the new world

as something (the Stepmother) has reached Kate first,

they didn’t want to summon either of the princesses, but the princes have disappeared, due to Jubilee not existing, in this new version

the Mother Goose putting Old King Cole in the book, and his kingdom disappearing from the Neverafter [fairies and Catriona don’t know this]

in this world the Stepmother has stolen her human head and locked Kate away somewhere, stopping them both from escaping together

The second world Catriona had left her father’s castle on her own scared of her Stepmother who stole her head and of what the people would say of her sheep head.

Neither sister completed their set stories

Fairies task Catriona with finding the source of the stories going missing and bring it to them, for Catriona and Kate cannot have their happily ever after if their princes doesn’t exist

Throughout her journey in her second life, she has started to doubt the sincerity of the fairies, but for the major part still sees them as the preferable side and an opponent to The Stepmother

Returned around the same time as PCs despite dying much earlier than the group, the faeries were reluctant to employ a princess and spent more time trying to find other methods, the reluctance is noticeable to Catriona when she is in the in-between with the faeries of the Green-Hill

we'll see what happens in Tuffeton, but I think she would be tailing the party after hearing news of the disappearance of the massive spider that had taken the village previously

Her new body/skills

the stepmother still has her human head and in turn, Catriona now has the head of a ewe with curling horns she can use to ram her opponents. [Minotaur reskin]

she speaks with a sheepish lisp as she had to reteach herself how to speak common as she initially could only bleat when her head was stolen

she can speak to any type of sheep, and understands some goat tongue

This Catriona has been wondering the Neverafter after running away, studying magic as a force to rescue her sister, and combat the Stepmother [3rd level Fighter Eldritch Knight]

Break down of her Image

The head is of a Scottish Blackface sheep, where the ewes also have horns The armour is believed to be dated around 1515 from Greenwich, England, and belonged to Henry VIII The sword is a European sword dated around 1400AD The page is from a 16th Century manuscript written in Latin, Scots, and Gaelic

Again all original art and character designs are by Giuseppe Lama

[grandmaster-anne]

The King’s cousin David Linley on his new career

The Times article by Lisa Grainger | Published 25 January 2023

The Earl of Snowdon talks to Lisa Grainger about his book on English crafts, and mentoring future creators at his furniture-making college at Highgrove

There aren’t many people who’ll admit that crafts can reduce them to tears. The Earl of Snowdon is one of them. At one event, he recalls, musicians including Jeff Beck, Mike Rutherford and the Clash were invited to meet and interact with “incredible luthiers, who make violins and guitars and cellos”. It was “just magical”, he says. “It really did bring a tear to the eye . . .”

Since David Linley, King Charles III’s cousin, became the first royal to follow a vocation — producing handmade furniture — and set up an eponymous business, he has been one of Britain’s most vocal champions of crafts. Which is why he wrote a book, Craft Britain: Why Making Matters, co-authored by Helen Chislett, to bring attention to extraordinary craftspeople around the country.

The glossy tome, with an erudite introduction by the design writer Stephen Bayley, is not only a directory of all the key crafts organisations from Cornwall to the Hebrides but a compendium of some of our nation’s most remarkable makers. It takes in embroiderers based in Hampton Court Palace and chair craftsmen from Orkney, leather sculptors and cobblers, marquetry specialists and even a whip-maker.

Sadly, Chislett says, some crafts were left out of the book because the skills have died out. For instance, England no longer has a cricket ball manufacturer even though the game was invented here, “and we probably won’t make bats for much longer”. Hand-stitched kilt-making is on the Heritage Crafts Association Red List of Endangered Crafts, as is neon sign-making; even bell-making is on its way out, with churchgoing declining.

On the other hand, there are crafts that are growing. Ceramic-makers, for instance, have sprung up in the southwest of the country. In Newcastle metalworkers whose families previously might have made ships are constructing metal furniture. Chislett adds that crafts fairs are becoming increasingly popular, particularly with the younger generation. “They’re a lot more into sustainability . . . and you are less likely to throw something away if you know who made it.”

There’s a growing appreciation of bespoke objects at the very high end of the market, Linley says. At his furniture company (from which he resigned in November) clients loved coming in to commission bespoke pieces with little quirks: a secret drawer with a martini shaker in it, or an inkwell filled with a specific colour of ink. “You can fantasise about what you like and get someone to bring it to life,” he says.

His own London home — “a little flat, which I am very lucky to have” — is filled with handcrafted items that have meaning: a pair of candlesticks that belonged to his theatre-designer uncle Oliver Messel; cushions embroidered by British seamstresses; tables turned by fellow carpenters; a pair of bespoke British shoes made “in precisely the colour and style and shape I like”. Each of them feels special, because “there is something rather lovely about a piece that’s come from the hand of a human”, he says. “It resonates with the human spirit.”

The next part of Linley’s professional journey, he says, will be nurturing others who want to work with their hands. At Street Farm at Highgrove, the Gloucestershire home of the King, an old barn has been converted into the Snowdon School of Furniture, where Linley is going to help to mentor the next generation of furniture-makers. “I am 61 now,” he says, “and it’s time to step back and allow the young people at Linley do things how they want. I have worked all my life creating a brand. And I can now do things for the Prince’s Foundation that are enjoyable and freeing.”

Having made furniture for almost 40 years, Linley says he’s relishing the fact that crafts are becoming more mainstream. “Today you’ll hear Tracey Emin talk about craft, and even sportsmen. This morning on Radio 4 a commentator was talking about a footballer as a craftsman and comparing him to Picasso. That might have been a comparison too far — but there is now far more recognition of the skills needed to do something well. And that can only be a good thing.”