#though Gawain is really reason enough

[taliesin-the-bored]

May I propose a quite likely erroneous theory for why Gawain is associated with May?

His name.

Even if that etymology is wrong, it could have been influential, to the source or to the scholarship. At any rate, it’s a compelling reason to celebrate Gawain in May.

Ellian my friend Ellian I'm going mad please help me locate the source for Gawain's birthday on May 1st I remember seeing it and now I can't verify to save my life. Phoning a friend rn.....thank you<3

okay im trying to find it right now but one of the earliest mentions of it on tumblr i can find is from lou's blog here and lou mentions here that it's from an academic article

[maniculum]

Do you have any books or sources for learning Olde English? I want to write a medieval-based story but I don't know how to write the characters speak the language.

That depends -- when you say "Olde English" do you mean Old English, like pre-1066 English? That's pretty far from modern English and it's unlikely that readers will be able to understand it easily. If that's what you're looking for, the texts I was taught with are:

Bright's Anglo-Saxon Reader

Quirk's Old English Grammar

Sweet's Anglo-Saxon Reader

They're all from a while back -- and, as you can see, some use the now-deprecated term "Anglo-Saxon" -- so you can find older editions free in the public domain. More recent revised editions can generally be found in cheap paperback form. I believe there are some more modern textbooks that are quite good, but I haven't looked at them, and I don't know how affordable they are.

I have also consulted with Zoe (@meanderingmedievalist) on this, and she recommends Baker's Introduction to Old English, as well as the related resource Old English Aerobics:

The reason there are textbooks for this, though, is because you genuinely have to treat it as a foreign language. It's very different from modern English. As a sample, here's the beginning of Beowulf:

Hwæt! We Gardena in geardagum þeodcyninga þrym gefrunon hu ða æþelingas      ellen fremedon. Oft Scyld Scefing      sceaþena þreatum monegum maegþum      meodosetla ofteah egsode eorle syððan aerest wearð feasceaft funden he þæs frofre gebad weox under wolcnum weorðmyndum þah oð þæt him aeghwylc þara ymbsittendra ofer hronrade      hyran scolde, gomban gyldan      þæt wæs god cyning.

So if you put a lot of it into a story for a modern audience, most of them will be a bit lost.

If when you say "Olde English" you mean "English that sounds archaic and medieval, but is comprehensible to a modern audience", you're probably looking for Middle English.

I don't have any direct references for learning the language there, as I was mostly taught through immersion (i.e., here's a Middle English text, read and translate it, now do another until you get a feel for it), but Zoe recommends Fulk's Introduction to Middle English, so that's a good bet if you don't want to go through that process.

However, I do think the "just read the texts" method also works fine -- especially since, if you're writing a medieval story, you'll want to read some of the literature anyway for inspiration. Here's what you can do to use that method outside of a classroom setting:

Step One: Get a Middle English text with a facing-page translation. Armitage's edition of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is good for this. Read the Middle English text, referring to the Modern English translation on the facing page whenever you don't understand it. Do this with a pencil in hand, so you can annotate the text with definitions, translations, and notes about how the sentences work.

Step Two: Get a Middle English text for which modern translations exist. Don't get the modern translation. The Canterbury Tales works for this: it's a classic and you should be able to pick up a copy anywhere. The version on my shelves is Baugh's Chaucer's Major Poetry -- which is heavily footnoted with definitions, potentially saving some time with the dictionary -- but it doesn't really matter as long as it's in the original. Read it. Every time you don't know a word, look it up in the Middle English Dictionary (available free online, in searchable form, here) and write it down. Again, best to annotate directly on the page with a pencil. Trust me, it helps to do it that way. Once you're done, get a modern translation and check your work.

At this point, you'll probably have picked up enough of the language that you should be able to write in it to some degree, though you'll want to continue making reference to the Middle English Dictionary to make sure you're employing period-appropriate usage and spelling. If you have access to the Oxford English Dictionary (if you're at a university, you almost certainly do, otherwise check with your local library), use that to check when the words you're using originated -- the OED has that listed, and that'll keep you from accidentally dropping an 18th-century term into medieval dialogue. You can also use their Historical Thesaurus to find period-appropriate equivalents for terminology.

Optional Step Three: Keep reading more Middle English literature with the dictionary open, annotating as you go, to get additional practice. If you can get through Le Morte Darthur in the original (get the P.J.C. Field edition), I think you'll be set in terms of "writing convincing medieval prose". Not because it's particularly difficult -- it's late medieval, so the language is actually more modern than either of the texts mentioned in steps one and two -- but just because it's long, so you'll get a lot of practice working through it. As a bonus, reading Malory will familiarize you with lots of good knightly vocabulary in case that's the kind of story you want to write.

Optional Step Four: Read scholarly articles on Middle English language and literature to get a more in-depth understanding. Again, check with your local library, or if you're at a university, a university library will have a vast amount of resources on this subject you can browse through.

[theredandwhiteknight-if]

Sorry I meant why u hate Arthur on the false Guinevere plot. But you can talk about anything this is your free pass to info dump 😂

Oh lol I’m VERY happy to talk about that I’ve been thinking about that all night.

Okay so the thing is, the false Guinevere incident is really weird. Like it’s very out of place and after the fact, is kind of just forgotten about? So everyone acts especially weird in it.

Guinevere’s identical half sister who I think was also born on the same day?? Arrives to Camelot and starts claiming that actually SHE is the REAL Guinevere and the Guinevere Arthur is married to actually kidnapped her (false Guinevere) so she could be Queen. And Arthur just kind of… goes with it. In spite of Guinevere and many of the knight’s protests.

Like it should be noted all the other knights (especially Gawain and Kay) in this confrontation all go to defend Guinevere. But Arthur, just immediately seems to believe it and the trial is about Guinevere proving her innocence instead of the false Guinevere proving the truth to the story. He is the only one in Logres really who gives this accusation any weight.

He then goes to some magic realm with the false Guinevere for 3 months and decides to marry her and get rid of the old Guinevere. And you’d think this would imply the false Guinevere like did something to him, and she does LATER, but NOT at the magic place.

The imprisonment definitely makes it questionable but that’s happens a bunch in the vulgate and the passage (and the rest of the incident) very much seem to go on the idea that Arthur just genuinely decides he loves this Exact copy of his wife more than his wife for… reasons???

During the trial, Arthur sabotages it so the False Guinevere wins and then originally plans to straight up execute Guinevere (I’ll give Arthur enough credit here that the false Guinevere was using potions here on him) He is eventually convinced instead to “just” shave her head and also remove her hands of skin.

And I think the thing that really gets me about it. Is when the False Guinevere dies and confesses her crimes, Arthur feels little actual guilt about it towards Guinevere. He asks for her back because he is honor bound too, but also mostly to get Lancelot back on the Round Table. Literally right after he first reunites with her (with zero apologies or regret) he says this to her to convince her to get Lancelot to rejoin.

It’s just. Really hard for me to sympathize with Arthur at all here. He isn’t entirely at fault. The false Guinevere and her allies put it in motion. But he was very much against Guinevere the moments the false one showed up. And just all the stuff he puts Guinevere through here to just have no remorse for anything besides Lancelot leaving. It’s just. Definitely one of Arthur’s worst husband moments. Which honestly says something cause Arthur has quite a few of them.

It does provide some great Guinevere/Galehaut brotp moments though

[caer-gai]

Angsty Arthurian AU Idea number ???

Reincarnation AU! Ector is raising a not-yet-remembering Arthur on his own in some off the grid small town. All alone. No Kay. Arthur had this feeling of 'something missing' his entire childhood, Ector knows who it is and has just enough of an idea what's become of Kay that it hurts a lot to think about.

They gather a bunch of local reincarnations Bedivere for sure, maybe Dinadan, Morgan, Guinevere, as Arthur is remembering and coming into his destiny. They're a small, tight knit found family scrappy low resources rebellion sort of vibe. Very fun very cool.

Now, Uther is still alive and well and running his own court/cult of personality/militant group. They and Arthur's group will come into conflict but he's also got his own agenda. Anyways one of his strongest lieutenants is Lot, who runs a powerful secret base for Uther's group, where he's "training" his sons to be Uther's perfect soldiers.

He also has Kay.

Between Lot and Uther they've made Kay into the perfect weapon against Arthur: trained since he was a baby, magic forced to it's max making him really powerful (a way to describe it i came up with comes from bedivere "The magic around him was screaming") he's supposed to be unshakably loyal. Excpt the only ones he's really loyal to are Lot's kids, to which he's become a weird sort of surrogate big brother (as much as he can). They're the only one's who treat him like a human.

Gareth absolutely hero warships Kay (though in a naive 'you're such a great knight i can't wait to serve Uther too!' kind of way that hurts Kay's soul). Anyways Kay is absolutely terrifying on the battlefield, and for a long time no one and nothing can stand in his way. Until he fights Bedivere (neither know each other's identity)

Bedivere is a solid challenge on his own, but when Kay blasts him with fire it doesn't burn Bedivere. Instead it activates some sort of magic signal bound to their souls, which protects Bedivere. Now that they know both are horror struck (for different reasons) and freeze. One of Kay's "teammates" takes a cheap shot at Bedivere, but he's warned by his team and dodges away. Making him the first to ever escape Kay.

Bedivere tells his peeps about this, which sends Ector into a dark spiral and leads Arthur to ask a lot of questions. Meanwhile, Kay is back at base and not in his armour for the first time. And he's in a cell. Gawain comes to visit, angry at Kay for freezing up, mostly because it made Lot mad. he goes on at Kay for a while before Kay finally snaps and tells him that it was Bedivere he was fighting, and on top of it the signal that save Bedi's life was one he a Kay crafted together to ensure that they couldn't hurt each other.

Which ouch. Gawain tried to apologize, but Kay's too tired for this rn and goes to sleep.

That's about as far as I've gotten linearly. Two other scenes I have in mind with Kay and Gareth-

Gareth is following Kay around while he's getting ready for a mission, mentions how he wants to be just like Kay when he grows up and Kay stops what he's doing gets down on Gareth's level and looks him in the eyes and says "Beaumains, You are going to be so much better than I ever was." (One day, in a happier world and place, where Gareth doesn't have to be anyone's soldier he remembers the first life, and he remembers this and he goes to Kay and hugs him and tells him he's still his hero)

Gareth wants very badly to go with Kay on one of his missions. So badly he teaches himself to replicate Kay's fire magic, and shows it to Kay hoping to impress him. Instead Kay freaks the fuck out and yells at him and makes him promise to never show or tell anyone about this ever again. it's the first time gareth is genuinely scared of kay. Kay hates himself for it but he can't let Lot and Uther put Gareth through the same hell that has been Kay's entire life.

idk if im feeling silly enough i might do some art for this, bc the visual of badass armoured up Kay reassuring little baby Gareth is living in my brain now

[roundtabletea]

Day in the Life of King Arthur

This post will cover how Arthur’s authority impacts how he uses his masculinity in the Stanzaic Morte. It will cover the events leading up to Arthur's death and how his lack of backbone led to this–it will be a sort of play-by-play from event to event.

I just spent a few hours in bed with Guinveve today, and wow, she is still as beautiful as ever! She didn’t seem as into it as usual, but I still enjoyed myself. So when she suggested holding a tournament, how was I to refuse? Sure, as king, I should be the one making those kinds of decisions, but a good idea is a good idea, so I’ll just follow her suggestion. I mean, we all know Lancelot is going to win. He always does, which makes sense given he’s the greatest and most virtuous knight we’ve got. I can always count on Lancelot in a pinch, that’s for sure. 

The tournament started today and wow did my knights impress me! However, the winner was definitely that stranger with the red sleeve. I don’t know who he was, but he was by far the most powerful opponent the knights faced. I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but I bet he would be equally matched with Lancelot! I was upset to see the knight wounded and even more upset to see him flee. I plan to hold another tournament in a month’s time, though I doubt our strange knight will be able to attend with how badly he got hurt. I’m still wondering where Lancelot was in the tournament, though. Seeing the two of them fight would have been amazing! Well, maybe he’ll show up for the next one…

Well, the other tournament was a bust. I didn’t expect the stranger to attend, but Lancelot didn’t show up either. I was wondering where he was until Gawain showed up and told Guinevere and I about how the Maid of Ascalot had his shield. Imagine my surprise when Gawain told my queen and I how the two were lovers! I had always wondered if Lancelot had a lover, but the Maid of Ascalot would not have been my first guess! Guinevere seemed disturbed by the news and I couldn’t tell you why. She and Lancelot always seemed close, but I have to admit I’m not sure what the problem is. A man needs a woman in his life, after all. Maybe she’s just being moody.

Lancelot has returned and fled again, all thanks to Guinevere and her mood. I would reprimand her, but she’s in trouble enough as it is and I wouldn’t even know how to bring up Lancelot to her right now. I mean, a dead Scottish Knight was found with her and things really don’t look good, especially because Sir Mador, his brother, showed up to avenge him. I also found a boat with the Maid of Ascalot’s dead body and note condemning Lancelot for her death! I don’t even know what to believe anymore. I mean, Lancelot never confirmed nor denied his involvement with the Maid, but still, two accusations in the same period of time? Now Guinevere needs someone to defend her in a trial by combat and Lancelot is nowhere to be found. I wish I could change the laws to protect Guinevere, but what would people think of me if I defended a possible killer? At least Bors agreed to fight Sir Mador for her if Lancelot doesn’t show up. Who knows, maybe he’ll come back at the last second like always! We’ll just have to wait and hope.

Lancelot showed up! He was in a disguise for some strange reason (he’s always had a thing for them; it’s really weird if you ask me, but if it works, it works) and fought off Sir Mador. Now I’m hearing whispers of Guinevere being unfaithful from Agravaine and I just don’t know what to do. It’s probably just all talk. Guinevere would never sleep with another man! 

Agravaine was right! Not only have Lancelot and Guinevere been seeing each other behind my back, Lancelot slew all of the knights that tried to confront him! At least Mordred survived the slaughter Lancelot caused. Him, I know I can trust. Gawain was really upset to hear his brothers died and I have to say it hurts to have knights slaying each other, almost as much as Lancelot’s betrayal hurts. It was hard to sentence Guinevere to death and I’m almost grateful that Lancelot rescued her. However, I still want her back on our side. We begin marching to Joyous Gard tomorrow to take back Guinevere. Off to war!

The war has been going on for a few months now with neither side prevailing. Lancelot seems almost afraid to kill me and despite my best attempts, he’s too powerful for me to kill. I’m not sure what Lancelot was thinking when he gave me his horse to ride out of danger. This war isn’t going anywhere and we aren’t making any headway. I hear words of the Pope getting involved and it sounds like I’ll be getting Guinevere back at his command. Lancelot isn’t off the hook, though. Gawain still wants him dead and I have to agree. If Lancelot and Gawian fought at the right time, Gawain would have a chance at winning!

Guinevere has been returned to me, but Lancelot still must be dealt with. I plan on leaving in a few days to assault Lancelot in his land of exile. I’m leaving Mordred in charge as temporary king. I know I can trust him to watch after Guinevere without anything funny going on. Gawain is still out for blood and I’m still convinced he’ll have a shot if he and Lancelot fight. Only time will tell, though.

What is it with me and traitors? Now Mordred has turned on me and threatens my kingdom! I hate to have to leave Lancelot, but I have a bigger threat to face. Besides, Gawain lost to Lancelot twice now and I can’t bear to see him wounded a third time. We’ll deal with Mordred and then come back for Lancelot. 

Gawain is dead! There have been two battles now with Mordred’s forces and Gawain was slain in the second one. It’s starting to look like we have no chance of defeating Mordred. I had a dream about the mysterious Wheel of Fortune and Gawain appeared in my other dream with some advice. He told me to wait for Lancelot’s army to come help and thus I have sent for Lancelot to aid us. We’re going to negotiate with Mordred, if the bastard can be reasoned with, but no swords must be drawn. That would spell disaster for any peace talks we might have.

So many knights have been slain now, all because of one snake! When trying to negotiate with Mordred, a snake appeared and one of my knights pulled his sword to slay it. That started the battle and now I am knee deep in loyal and disloyal knights’ bodies. Mordred is threatening me and I see no reason to deny him the fight he desires so badly. I will slay him!

Is this what death feels like? I am lying by the lakeside at this moment as a boat appears from the mist. I have already had Bedivere throw Excalibur into the water so the Lady of the Lake could reclaim what was her’s. It took three tries, but he finally obeyed his king. As I am helped into the boat, I can feel my life fading fast. I can only hope the powers of Avalon can save me…

[kob131]

I Know im kicking a dead horse at this point, but i still think camelot singularity had the blandest mordred i have ever seen. She was a main servant in london, which is supposed to be a quite important position. they could've easily replace her with another knight, arthuriana have dozens of knights, nasu could peak any of them and i wouldnt complain.

The main problem isnt exactly that she was there, rather how they used her character (i would have prefered if she wasnt there and was on the opposite side with kay and gaheris). Camelot had some hits and misses in handeling kotr, like agravain's wasnt perfect but it was a good enough Introduction that even now a lot of people still want him to be playable. But it didnt really add anything to mordred. They probebly wanted to get a sad reaction from the player but there were so many things going on that they didnt really focus on her enough to be Impactful.

Sorry I took so long handling this.

I get this, Mordred wasn't really expanded on like Lancelot, Tristian, Gawain, Agravain and Bedivere were. She really is the blandest of the knights in Camelot.

But...thing is- the knights that sided with The Lion King were chosen because they reflect Bedivere's sense of duty and failure with Arturia. Gawain and Lancelot are obvious; Tristan didn't hate Arturia and feels guilty about what he said...even though what he said was needed; Agravain feels he failed his king the first time around and Gareth wanted to stand by Arturia at the end.

They are also flawed characters succumbing to their flaws- Gawain's strict adherence to the ideals of knighthood reach their peak here as he plays the part of a loyal knight even as he tramples on what his king truly cared about. Lancelot's overwhelming guilt is making him betray Arturia again despite knowing her flaws. Tristan's inability to forgive himself made him lose everything. And Gareth's own inability to move on caused so much pain. This contrasts with Bedivere, who is overcoming his flaw to fulfill his duty despite how he feels.

With all this in mind- It makes perfect sense that Mordred sides with the Lion King. She's succumbing to her idolization of Arturia and (ironically) her guilt over Camalann. She feels she failed her duty as a knight and failed her father in her rebellion so now she's rejecting who she is once again to play a part she isn't meant to. Remember, Mordred was known as 'taciturn' or 'silent' when she was a member of the Round Table, despite the fact that we KNOW she isn't actually like that. Instead of further establishing who she is like she did with Kairi, she regressed back to the role of the 'loyal knight'. Even though Mordred's rebellion is NEEDED in the Sixith Singularity because King Arthur lost her humanity in full. She forgot what she was fighting for in the first place.

I know this sounds off but to summarize-

Mordred was likely chosen because she fits with the theme of the other allied knights- succumbing to guilt and in turn, forgetting just who Arturia really was.

I mean, speaking of Agravain- There's good reason why the knight who only ever saw Arturia's 'kingly' mask is the Lion King's loyal advisor and the knight who saw her true motivations is her fiercest foe.

[prairiesongserial]

23.10

John watched Percy comb through the dense text, looking for mention of ‘Isaac.’ The boy had admirable focus. Soon the students broke away for dinner, leaving Percy the only one still at work. Even Cassidy had gone to eat with the students.

The sound of Percy turning the thin pages was as steady as the beat of a song. Thirty minutes later, Cassidy reappeared with food for all of them; Percy’s focus didn’t break from the page, even as he pulled apart bread and stuffed pieces into his mouth.

“Menashe, pass me an apple slice,” Cassidy said.

“Huh?” was Percy’s delayed response.

“Pass me an apple slice.”

“They’re closer to you, though,” Percy said, confused.

“What bad manners. Aren’t you supposed to be a prince?”

Percy swallowed back whatever rude answer came to mind. He turned away from the book for just long enough to lean across the table, pick up an apple slice, and put it on Cassidy’s plate. In that second of distraction, Cassidy flipped forward in the book without Percy noticing. When Percy settled back down over the page, still pulling a face, he didn’t seem to notice the change.

“Oh, I’ve got it,” he said. “Here is an ‘Isaac’--I suppose this is the binding business.”

Gawain also became momentarily excited, before he realized that it was just more reading. He settled back next to John, leaning against his side. The warm weight reminded John of H.D., the German Shepherd from the circus.

“I’m bored,” Gawain sighed. “Can’t we play something?”

“No,” said John.

Gawain wilted forward until his forehead was down on the table.

“Well, that is curious,” said Percy. “I really have no idea what any of this has to do with the new year. Mr. John, shall I read it to you?” John nodded, and he did. It was a disturbing story. God told a man to take his son up a mountain and kill him. The man almost did. An angel told him never mind, so he stopped.

“I’m having a blasted time with this question,” Percy said once he’d finished reciting. “What do you think?”

John thought the man in the story shouldn’t listen to strange voices. Gawain had dozed off against his side. When John had been a little younger than him, someone had sold him into an indenture, but at least they’d only done it because they were going to starve.

John shrugged.

“It’s a bit sloppy,” Percy sighed, “an angel intervening to give the opposite order. I’m inclined to think Abraham wasn’t supposed to listen to the voice of God at the beginning. Or is he meant to listen every time on faith that subsequent orders will clarify or contradict the former? God, what a puzzle.”

“Was he supposed to have done the right thing?” John asked.

Across the table from him, Cassidy’s face broke into a grin.

“Allegorical tales ought to explain themselves,” Percy complained. “I suppose the difficulty is meant to be the point. This whole tower is a monument to the virtue of debate and study; room for interpretation requires one to grapple with the philosophy.”

Percy struggled for a while longer. Nearly two hours had gone by before he felt confident enough to give his answer to Moshe.

“Here is what I think,” Percy announced, hands folded behind his back. Cassidy translated for him. “This particular passage is read at the yearly coronation of God–a moment at which one reasonably is meant to assert the absolute subjugation of humanity to higher authority–as a cautionary tale against locking onesself in a tower.”

Cassidy faltered in their translation, and spoke hastily in order to catch up. Percy continued:

“Abraham’s unquestioning devotion to God as king leads him to the brink of catastrophe–killing one’s own child is the most heartless crime one can commit. What sort of subject nods agreeably to his king and raises the knife to slaughter his child? Not a subject, but a slave. Not a proper human being, either, but a detached scholar, whose favorite child is theology.” Percy took a breath. “Therefore, I suggest that this tale is read at the new year as a caveat to the coronation; God is king, but a human being ought to revolt here and there.”

Moshe smiled slightly when Percy had finished.

“No outside citations?” he asked.

Percy continued to stand with his arms formally behind his back.

“I plead illiteracy,” he said. “Apologies for the home-grown philosophy.”

Moshe nodded.

“Alright,” he said. “Pass.”

The exam had attracted a small crowd of students who wanted to delay going back to their studies after dinner. They made an uproar as Moshe took out the key to let Percy, Gawain, Cassidy, and John up to the next floor. Gawain had slept through Percy’s speech; carefully, John lifted him from the bench and carried him to the door. 

Cassidy said something to Moshe that had the boy pushing them bodily through the open door. Percy followed after, then John with Gawain.

“You did great,” Cassidy said, ruffling Percy’s hair as they climbed the steps. “A man after my own heart; I have a midrash you should read, it’s a great piece that puts Hagar in contrast with Abraham…”

The following floors took all night. After the initial surprise of the first two floor masters, the others had apparently gotten organized. John didn’t like their common decision. Each floor insisted that Percy had to test for all of them rather than Cassidy. It didn’t make much sense to John. Cassidy explained that the kids would probably all be in trouble with the rabbi later, but since Percy had managed to pass the second floor as a non-Jew without any background in the language or philosophy, now the other floor masters were curious to see how far he’d make it.

“If Percy is allowed to represent all of us, you should be, too.”

“Yes,” Cassidy said. They talked over Percy’s bent head. It was nearly midnight, and he was studying the Tanakh yet again. “You weren’t privy to all the nasty things I’ve been saying about these brats’ mothers, but they won’t budge. We could sneak up through the back stair, obviously, but I don’t like that idea, even as a last resort. Some things shouldn’t be violated.”

John was almost too tired to recognize the fleeting scrap of sincerity, but he did catch it before it was buried under more bullshit. Cassidy chattered on, Gawain slept on, and Percy studied on.

Percy had to give up on the seventh floor. The floor master failed him twice, he burst into hysterical laughter, and he stalked off into the bookshelves. John carried Gawain over to check on him, and found Percy asleep on the floor. That settled it. John lay Gawain down next to his brother and went back over to Cassidy.

“Asleep,” John said.

“Good idea,” Cassidy said. They groaned as they got up from the bench, their back popping. “I’ll ask around for some blankets, go ahead and join them.”

“Adults and children should sleep separately,” John said.

“Sure, in ideal circumstances, when the moon is full, no one wants children underfoot,” Cassidy said. “But John, I thought you’d turned me down.”

It was nearing four in the morning and John’s patience had frayed to nothing. Without acknowledging Cassidy had said anything, John set himself up in the middle of the study area, behind the table where Percy’s books were still sitting open. There was an armchair and ottoman, which he claimed. Cassidy wandered off, and returned a few minutes later with their arms full of bedding. John closed his eyes.

John opened his eyes at the sound of Cassidy sitting down on the floor beside him. There was another chair on the other side of the room they could have used. John was suddenly plenty awake. He sat upright.

“Oh, you’re still up,” Cassidy said. They stretched with their arms over their head, catlike. “You know…I really can’t pin you down. You like to wave a knife around, you don’t like jokes, you don’t like stories, but you love kids. Is it all kids, or just these ones?” John’s horror must have been written on his face, because they said, “Ooh, that’s a scary look. Really, though. I didn’t think you were ever gonna put Gawain down. Do you have kids running around somewhere? Give me something, John, one personal detail.”

John grit his teeth. He lay back in the chair and turned his face away. He wouldn’t be able to sleep with Cassidy there. He’d be listening out all night. Annoying.

“I’m surprised you’re letting them out of your sight. You’re so protective. You and Gawain are two matching knights-errant.”

“I am protecting them,” John said. They were safe here. He was protecting Percy and Gawain from the uncertainty he’d felt a hundred times when the older boys working temporarily during the harvest sat next to him or followed him to the stream. Why make the boys wonder when they could be sure?

“Cause you love kids.”

“I don’t,” John said. “They have nothing to do with me.”

“Please, John, let me find something cute about you.”

John turned his head back to look at them.

“I liked Percy’s answer. On the second floor,” he said. “I wouldn’t have answered like that.”

“Yeah?” said Cassidy.

“He has faith in people,” John said.

“So, how would you have answered? Binding of Isaac and Rosh Hashanah, what’s the link?”

“The angel comes down and stops him,” John said. “It’s a warning. God is watching. Good way to start the new year.”

Cassidy’s smile faltered, but only slightly.

“Do you relate to Abraham?” Cassidy asked. They mimed stabbing down with a knife. John supposed they would think of him that way. It had been just about twenty-four hours ago that John had descended, exhausted, onto their boat and put a knife to them. Then their expression changed, their eyes a little too piercing. “Or Isaac?”

“Anyone can be anyone,” John snapped. “Go to bed. Over there.”

John felt relieved, and surprised, when they listened to him.

“Night, John,” they said, and settled into the chair on the other side of the library.

23.9 || 23.11

[yanderu-deredere]

if darling challenged them and was trying to sabotage them, who would get through no nut november and who wouldn't? also, who would try to sabotage male darling if he was trying to get through no nut november?

a/n: THIS IS SO FUNNY i literally died writing this! this is my favourite ask of all time, i'd frame this if i could loool thanks so much for this wonderful ask!

i cut this ask in half so the second half will be in a second post and that'll be the one with the male darling! also, put everything under the cut cus, though there's nothing explicit, there are sexual themes becos it's no nut november

warning: female reader who comes off a little bratty and mean, mentions of cigarette use, mentions of violence,

eun-jeong yoo ★ profile ★ succeeds

Eun-jeong would be willing to do almost anything for his darling, even if it meant going through the torturous month of November without a single orgasm. It'd be even worse if you were teasing him but he'd still power through, especially if there's a reward from you at the very end. Expect him to spend extra long hours at the vet clinic and for him to smoke through a lot of packets of cigarettes though.

liam arieh ★ profile ★ either two weeks or succeeds

It's a surprise that you even convince Liam to do it but it could go either way. It's either he stops like a couple weeks in, already bored of the challenge, or he goes all the way. Its truly a 50/50 random chance. But it'll be funny either way. He'll definitely be the type to be frustrated by it to and, if he quits early, his reason is because he doesn't care about it, it's just some stupid month! And, if he goes all the way, he gets stupidly cocky about it.

gavin byrne ★ profile ★ two week

Gavin has absolutely no self-control by himself but, with you, he has slightly a bit more. You're lucky if he gets past one week, two weeks is a miracle. Hey, it's really truly not his fault! You're just so irresistible!

ayaka yamato ★ profile ★ succeeds?

The Queen Bee herself? Of course she makes it all the way through. Barely. Its definitely not an easy road. Ayaka goes into it super confidently, cocky even, and thinks that it'll be a piece of cake. Halfway, she starts sweating it. By the last week, she'll be really struggling. But she'll make it. And then she'll make sure you make it up to her.

ryuunosuke yamamoto ★ profile ★ succeeds

Another boy with no self-restraint. Ryuu is vastly different from Gavin though in that he'd do anything you asked of him without complaint, including not touching himself. He'd have to maybe indulge in a bit more of his violent side, take a few extra shifts at his ol' job, but he'll make it through the month or he'll die trying.

fujio watanabe ★ profile ★ one day?

Literally, Fujio cares so little about the challenge that he might make it till the next day because he forgets about you telling him about it the day before. What? You think you can dictate when he can cum? Ha, you're very funny.

gawain byrne ★ profile ★ succeeds

King of self-restraint. Which is funny because his twin brother is the exact opposite. Gawain wouldn't even sweat it and it would be more frustrating for you because every single time you tease him, he just turns the tables on you LOL but he's willing to do whatever it takes to be rewarded at the end of the month by his precious darling

ryouta watanabe ★ profile ★ half-way

Goes into it strong but actually fails spectacularly. Ryouta has the best poker face in all of Lovelock so you'd think he's not even struggling but he's very much struggling a lot. You don't even get any hints that he's struggling with the challenge until you're suddenly bent over the bed because he's had enough of your teasing

yeong-bae kigal ★ profile ★ either three weeks or succeeds

Yeong-bae is nothing if not a good boy and he's going to make it through this month because he needs that reward like he needs air to breathe. But damn, it's definitely a struggle. It's honestly a 50/50 chance that he succeeds but he definitely gets super duper close. It doesn't help that he tortures himself a little bit by watching home-made sex tapes the two of you did together

soren kumar ★ profile ★ one week

Pretends to give it his all but, in his head, Soren gives himself a week. What? As a popstar, he already has limited time with you. He's not going to waste an entire month of it not fucking you. So, he'll let you have your fun, let you flaunt your victory of teasing him to the point that he 'gave up' because he loves you. He'll have his own victory lap though when he's fucking you into the mattress while everyone else in Lovelock struggles with No Nut November LOL

[arrows-asks]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love 💗

Oh hey, Jay! Fancy seeing you in my ask box! ^^

Also, a chance to talk about my own fics! Why, yes sir! And in no real order, besides numero uno!

Lost Memories (AO3/reworked version) / Lost Memories (FF.net/original version) - Sonic the Hedgehog, Knuxadow

To probably no one's surprise, this thing is my baby. I am slow as fuck with it and I don´t think we even hit the half-way mark yet, but I really do love this story. I definitely bit off more than I can chew with it though. It's a slow burn from hell and believe me, it probably kills me more than it does any of you, but... it's still my baby. However, someone please make these two fucks kiss already! Pleaaaaase!

2) Not quite as planned - Sonic the Hedgehog, Knuxadow

I dunno, I just think it's neat. Really liked how it turned out too.

3) Between dusk and dawn - Sonic the Hedgehog, Lancewain

Some spice for the sinners here. 👀 But underneath the detailed horizontal dance, it's just Lancelot and Gawain being in love and tender and just wanting to be with each other. Sadly, their time period didn´t allow for their love to be open... also, this idea haunted me for two years until I finally had the skill to write it down!

4) There for you - Sonic the Hedgehog, Knuxadow

To quote our lord and savior Shrek the third "Ogres have layers" and so does our boy Knux. Honesty, this was just me being fed up with how underappreciated and often unrespected Knuckles is. He's a complex character that deserves far more than the scraps he's been given. (This was before Movie 2 came out btw and since then I'm pretty happy with how he's been handled. Now give him his own damn game!)

5) Sweet treats are made of love - Sonic the Hedgehog, Knuxadow

It's sweet, it's domestic and simply slice of life. Also, I unintentionally made Shadow funny and that's more or less the reason it's here XD

For some honorable mentions.... one currently in progress (not Knuxadow, shockingly enough) and one new multi-chaptered Knuxadow fic I plan on starting once LM chapter 13 has been written! Stay turned for that one, because I'm excited 👀

[astarab1aze]

Viresca's Family

     Her family has no clear origin, as her grandmother has kept many a secret, often quickly hand-waving any questions about family heritage, tradition, and bloodline with simple, uninteresting, and ultimately unhelpful answers; "I don't remember," or, "I don't know," or "What family?" 

     Her parents were never around long enough for her curiosity to get the better of her, unlike with her grandmother, and the truth was never revealed; Mandragora is her paternal grandmother's maiden name, but her grandfather is an unknown variable of equally unknown lineage. Perhaps she is somehow a distant relative of Enfurious Night himself? Or, perhaps she should be grateful the truth is obscured. About all she's been able to uncover is a faint, broken whisper in her grandmother's sleep, "A lesser man... Snake-charmer... (your) putridity knows no bounds..." 

     Presumably, Grandma hates Grandpa, and he appears to have been a 'snake-charmer'. Perhaps, one day, she'll discover the meaning behind that.

     As an aside, both the Blackwoods and the Mandragoras are made up of idiots of varying degrees. Petty, selfish, pointlessly squabbling, closed-minded, impatient idiots. The few with any hope are of the younger generations, from Veldora to Viresca and every Mandragora in between. The same cannot really be said for the Blackwoods, as Lutesce had perished horribly, taking much familial confidence with her. Both families have been fractured since the deaths of Lutesce and Agrivayne, though there are some who keep working toward restoring their respective families - this ideal has been more or less a staple in the recent three generations. Viresca has also adopted this goal for herself (among some other, expressly naive ones).

Paternal Family

Great-Grandmother, Viscera Lorraine Morgana**  & Great-Grandfather, Morvayne Athur Mandragora (both deceased)

Great-Aunt, Gliona Mandragora & Great-Uncle, Will Wildewood (deceased)

2nd Cousin, Rivyn Wildewood (deceased?)

2nd Cousin, Regulus Wildewood (deceased)

Great-Uncle, Gawain Mandragora 

Great-Uncle, Vrain Mandragora & Aunt, Caoimhe Murphy (divorced)

2nd Cousin, Veldora Murphy 

2nd Cousin, Calliope Boone (married)

Grandmother, Gwyndolin Mandragora & Grandfather, Unknown (divorced)

Aunt, Vanessa Mandragora & Aunt, Ophelia Winterburn (married)

1st Cousin, Victoria Winterburn (adopted)

1st Cousin, Vicente Winterburn (adopted)

1st Cousin, Sinistyria Mandragora

Uncle, Morteatum Mandragora & Aunt, Andromeda Flynn (married)

1st Cousin, Vera Leanashe Mandragora-Flynn

1st Cousin, Valkyrie Mandragora-Flynn

1st Cousin, Valravn Evander Mandragora-Flynn

Father, Agrivayne Mandragora & Mother, Lutesce Blackwood (deceased)

Herself, Viresca Mandragora

**Viscera Morgana, her great-grandmother, is distantly related to Sortia Morgana; An insignificant detail, truly, but something to keep in mind, as this means she's technically, very distantly, both Sortia and Furie's cousin.

     It was once in utter disarray: A family of ‘pruned leaves’ - those of impure familial blood. Many of its members believed strongly in keeping pure bloodlines, but due to extenuating circumstances, were cut off from those of purest pedigree and promptly disgraced. Ultimately, this proved a blessing in disguise, as the larger the family grew, the more… open-minded they became. Viscera Mandragora was the last of the truly ardent status obsessives, where others have come to a less frustratingly fixed disposition. Most who have anything to say about its either don’t care about it, no longer care about it, or have adopted a ‘keep with yours, I’ll keep with mine’ attitude and do not talk about it openly.

     Some members of the family are more or less disowned for one reason or another. In the case of Corvinus, it is entirely because he’s a liar, supposed “relative” of Enfurious, and a criminal of grave degree. Unfortunately, due to certain uncharacteristic discriminatory attitudes, Vanessa was disowned when she married Ophelia Winterburn; Her children, however, are in contact with Valkyrie, Valravn, and Viresca. Gawain is also disowned by the family at large, having been heavily invested in practicing forbidden Necrosis and openly. The overall logic is not evenly applied to all, as Viscera was not disowned and instead… tolerated, until her death, despite the severity of her beliefs. The same can be said for Vera, who is both harsh in her stance on status and a secretive practitioner of forbidden Necrosis herself, much to the dismay of her siblings.

     In a few ways, the Mandragora family is of course related to other well-known and respected or afeared families in ridiculously convoluted, vexing, and strange ways. It’s unclear where the line begins or ends, but there are outliers and secrets that ought to be considered. For example, Corvinus Sanguis, who is so shrouded in mystery and countless lies, there simply can be no way to verify his lineage. It could never be seen as a mark of pride to be related to Enfurious, if the liar is to be believed, as there are too few Mandragoras who espouse his beliefs anymore. Shunned by families and peoples they once belonged, spite is largely the reason - and a pinch of heart.

     As a family, they have worked hard to more or less earn their way back into a respectable light by ‘collecting’ talents over the years. For example, Viscera was a multishifter; Morvayne was a transformative Memoria (multishifting memory-eraser, basically); Gwyndolin, Gliona, Vanessa, Vera, Valkyrie, and Sinistyria were or are multishifters, and a good handful of them were or are talented in the handling of both beasts and alchemy/herbalism (though a couple chose to focus on one over the other). Valravn is purely an herbalist, where Vicente pursued Memorian talents, and Veldora went after alchemical mastery. The list goes on. It should be noted that Agrivayne kept secret his natural ability (without specialization) to speak to most animals, not knowing where it came from, but had gone on to become a multishifter and carer of beasts alongside his wife Lutesce.

     In an effort to emulate the Mandragora family’s talents and fulfill its expectations, Viresca has endeavored to discover, learn, and fine-tune her abilities in herbology, beast care, and become an animagus; This effort will extend to other magical subjects and talents as she moves forward in life. All of this is so that she may become a highly valued sorcier, following in her parents’ footsteps, and put a stop to the cruelty of any poachers she may come across. Additionally, she is unafraid of employing what forbidden magic she knows, not unlike the great-grandmother she was named for…

Maternal Family

Great-Great-Uncle, Apollyon Blackwood (missing / presumed deceased)

Great-Great-Uncle, Nicodemus Vaude Blackwood (deceased) & Unknown Women 

3rd Cousin, Nicholas Vale 

3rd Cousin, Niamh Narroway (deceased)

3rd Cousin, Marina Wycombe

Great-Grandmother, Lamia Sylvia Blackwood & Great-Grandfather, Thaumas Blackwood (deceased)

Great-Aunt, Lydia Wright & Great-Uncle, Percy Wright (married)

2nd Cousin, Magnus Wright

2nd Cousin, Letty Wright

Grandmother, Lacuna Grace Blackwood & Grandfather, Virgil Blackwood

Aunt, Lyssa Bernice Blackwood

Aunt, Lorraine Patrice Wheating & Uncle, Harold Wheating

1st Cousin, Jareth Wheating

1st Cousin, Jeannie Wheating

Uncle, Lynceus Blackwood & Aunt, Bella Fleur-Blackwood

1st Cousin, Blake Blackwood

1st Cousin, Lisette Blackwood

1st Cousin, Eleanora Fleur-Blackwood

Mother, Lutesce Mandragora & Father, Agrivayne Mandragora (deceased)

Herself, Viresca Mandragora

     The Blackwood family is a ‘pruned branch’ and thusly distant branch of the Night family that was cut away hundreds upon hundreds of years ago and is so far removed from them that they are considered their own house, and all records proving such relations are either lost or destroyed. Similarly to the Mandragoras, they feel nothing but disdain for their ‘parent’ families, and such bitterness ultimately led to the family no longer believing they were ever related at all. Unfortunately for them, the Night Family motto more or less transcended status, and so many members of the Blackwood family retained the same beliefs regarding purity, wealth, and nobility. Such views have lasted over the centuries, with only too few adopting an accepting and open-minded viewpoint (ex. These views are so ingrained, Lyssa and Lynceus disavowed and disowned Lutesce over it, who was herself unconcerned with status and even advocated for nightfolk and human integration).  

Family Friends

Finley & Anora McCarthy

Daughter, Revina Lutesce McCarthy (4)

Son, Oliver Lucan McCarthy (infant)

Markus Campbell

Mary Heartwell (deceased)

Rita Pellinore & Ewan Kay

Daughter, Bedivera Kay

Paternal Grandfather, Corvinus Drakon Sempra Sanguis 

*A carefully kept secret; He’s basically some bastard from some bastard Night family branch with a minor, bastard claim.

     Vile, foul, rotten-tongued, scheming, no good, very fucking bad sorcerer of tenuous (or potentially non-existent) relations to Enfurious Night himself. Not much is known about him, aside from the tales of his devilish, sinister lies; He was shouted down as a charlatan, a 'man who cried wolf', as no noble sorcerer worth his salt would claim Night blood unless it could be verified; Since much of the Night family tree has been lost to time, except certain branches, it cannot be verified, and, thus...he was proclaimed a charlatan and a scoundrel. On top of this, he dabbled in poaching, intent upon finding, trapping, and bleeding a number of mythical beasts for the life-extending and empowering effects of their combined bloods - he sought immortality and ultimate power. His obsession with this cause led him to abandon his budding family, and when news spread of his ultimate capture by sorciers, he was condemned for: Slaughtering scores of haint dogs, crocodingos, a unicorn, and a dragon, poaching, cruelty to animals, illegal use of magic, use of illegal magic, 7 counts of murder, graverobbing, exposing himself and magic to humans, grave desecration, hate crimes against humans, and plenty more. He remains imprisoned at the Triangulary, and will remain there until his death.

     His parents' names are unknown, but he has a sister named Sinisteria Merrow Sanguis. She, unfortunately, perished before graduating from one of the British schools due to suspicious but otherwise natural causes. It should be noted that Corvinus was really quite handsome, and it’s possible Corvinus isn’t his true name.

     Gwyndolin would call him the 'bastard child of a bastard family whose purity has been tarnished', a snake in the grass, deadbeat scoundrel, 'filth', 'a man who, if even a moment's worth of attention is spent on, breeds only hatred and depravity', disgusting, and so on. Grandmother Gwyndolin was not a fan. She feels that even talking about him is enough to 'make her mouth taste like festering rot and vinegar', hence why she adamantly refuses to, family heritage be damned. He is not worth claiming relations to, Enfurious is not worth claiming relations to - all those blood zealots are fools with their 'heads buried in their arse-holes'.

[sassyshin]

Okay about the 8th reinforcement in the anni. i’m sorry if I get any card wrong though  sometimes I do mix those

-

4* Saber. God I really hope its Gawain. There are pretty good chances of being him considering he’s gonna be an event servant. If they do a rank up quest for him because of the event later I wont mind tho but I’m not counting with that so I really hope its Gawain. This man deserves it at this point

3* Lancer: God theres so many possibilities here to me. Like I dont think any AOE 3* Laner is doing very hot atm. I would really like Taiga to get something this time though. She’s still got a 10t skill cooldown that isnt really worth it. I wouldnt mind another buff for Diarmuid tho

And here’s probably one that might be even controversial but Hozouin because his skills do very very little to him. I think he could use some help

-

5* Lancer: Karna. Yeah this is me being bias. Give it to my boy. Thats all

3* Archer: Oh please buff Billy. Like if its William Tell its fine to me because I feel theres so little reason to use him over Robin but Billy is so... Outdated. He doesnt even have an atk up or np up for fuck sake

-

5* Berserker: Xiang Yu. Like straight up. He’s not even bad but out of all the 5* Zerks he’s the one that could use something more the most

2* Caster: WAIT. IS THIS SHAKESPEARE??????

FINALLY?????????????????????????

SHAKESPEARE BUFF INCOMING?

THE ONLY OTHER 2* CASTER IS CHEN GONG AND I DONT THINK THEY’RE GONNA BUFF THAT

OH MY GOD

-

5* Lancer. Lartoria. Thats all again lmao. I know I said the same to Karna but yeah. I want both of them buffed. Her last buff was so meh

4* Assassin:  May i have another Yan Qing buff pls, mistah shroom? :3

Uhhh i’d like Carmilla to get a buff. All the Lizzies got one so why was he left aside. I know she’s not bad but yeah

Kerry too though. If this buff is for Kerry I’m gonna be happy

-

5* Caster: God... Is this a Tam or Merlin buff............ Please tell me its not. I mean if its a Tam buff its whatever... But godd they might be going for Merlin here

Oh my godd

In a good timeline it would be Anastasia... But is this a good timeline?

We will see

4* Lancer: I have no idea. Would they be blasphemous enough to Buff Summer Kiyohime before the berserk one? Idk. Qiang Lyu could still something more tho i guess

-

5* Foreigner. This is gonna be Summer Abby wont it. Like people already thought it would be her last time. Whatever bruh

3* Rider. Hopefully it is Red Hare. I feel like he’s the one that needs it the most. However I wouldnt complain if it was Rick because its not like he was ever buffed

-

5* Archer: This probably should be Artemis tbh. However just like Rick if they wanted to give a np upgrade to Moriarty I would be like “sure why not”

4* Saber: Saber Alter. I want both Gawain and Saber Alter to get something

[transxfiles]

For the book ask, number 3, 13, and 24 ?

3. What were your top five books of the year?

it was a difficult time narrowing these down, but probably:

1) It Came From The Closet: Queer Reflections on Horror edited by Joe Vallese 2) Sir Gawain & The Green Knight translated by Burton Raffel 3) An Unauthorized Fan Treatise by Lauren James 4) The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle 5) Pinky & Pepper Forever by Eddy Atoms

margaret atwood's oryx and crake, tom stoppard's rosencrantz & guildenstern are dead, and sarah ruhl's the clean house are all runners-up. and there are lots more tbh,,, this was a good reading year for me!! (in terms of enjoyment at the very least)

13. What were your least favorite books of the year?

this one's also kind of hard to narrow down, because i disliked various books for various different reasons. the luminous dead by caitlin starling was a pretty low point because i spent YEARS tracking down a copy of this book, paid for it FULL PRICE, had heard so many good things about it - and then it was a massive let down. mid plot mid romance awful worldbuilding (in my opinion) and very poor storytelling/writing. like, from a craft standpoint, just not very good. it was a massive letdown and it's a situation where i can't believe i spent my own money on it, yknow?

a more recent let-down was crazy food truck by rokurou ogaki, i had some free time before exams one day so i just sat down in a corner of my local bookstore and started reading this one. i heard about it either at the very end of 2022 or the very beginning of this year and put in for an ARC on netgalley but didn't get it (probably for the better tbh?) and the one-sentence description sounds really fun - grizzled man runs a food truck in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. but the way the author portrayed his only female character was so awful i just couldn't do it.

there are definitely others, but these are the first two that come to mind.

24. Did you DNF anything? Why?

YES i used to be a completionist but 2023 was the year i started embracing the power of a good DNF. had to stop reading the troop by nick cutter bc even though it was really interesting horror from a conceptual standpoint, the graphic violence against animals and children was really starting to fuck me up, and i got to a certain point in the book where it was clear it would only get worse and i just had to put it down. thought i'd be able to get over it in a day or two (normally horror books just don't bother me?) but i didn't and i ended up selling the book to a local secondhand bookstore two days after that.

i also DNF'd something to talk about by meryl wilsner after trying to read it for like a year and a half. i picked it up a while ago at a thrift store and i was SO excited bc i never see lesbian romances at thrift stores and something to talk about specifically was a big deal bc it was the first lesbian romance novel published by a mainstream romance publisher iirc. but it's SO. SOOOOO. SOOOOOOOO fucking boring. it's not even a slow burn that shit is glacial and listen i don't mind a lesbian romance that moves at a snail's pace but the book WAS the romance. or at least was supposed to be. and the non-romance subplots simply were not strong enough to support the rest of the story. AND the two leads had negative chemistry, just like, nothing going on there in my opinion. and most of the characters had the same voice </3 so frustrating bc i wanted to enjoy this book so bad which is why i stuck with it for so long, but after a while i just said "nope i can't do this anymore" and donated it.

[overthinkingtaleblr]

what about jane/janice.... john, jane... johnny, janice, yknow??

Oooh Janice and Jane do work… I was also considering Guinevere since I remember Shoobaqueen getting around the “two Jennies” hole by having one be “Ginny”. But I can’t remember which one and while I like her doing it, it feels like my method of doing things would get things muddled up.

So the names I was considering are like. Other J-names or G-names or other royal family names.

OKAY WAIT I DID SOME RESEARCH AND THIS EXTRA THING MAY BE MORE IMPORTANT THOUGH—

So Johnny Toast is a member of the Royal family, right? And the royal family frequently names themselves after previous queens and kings? Well, John is actually a really infamous name for the British royal family, with the only recent member I can find going as “Johnnie” for this reason— and he STILL contributed to this taboo. So King John (the first?), the one who signed the Magna Carta, was known for being exceptionally cruel during his reign. See, he signed the Magna Carta because he was So terrible, including ordering the death of his innocent nephew, that his subjects rose up and Forced him to sign it, basically a document saying royals were not above the law. He immediately tried to take it back, launching the country into a civil war that lasted after his death. Prince Johnnie, on the other hand, was Queen Elizabeth the 2nd’s uncle, and he’s known as the “Lost Prince” because when his condition of epilepsy became severe, he was hidden from the public eye. He was also almost entirely separated from his parents and brothers, which sucks, before dying of a seizure in 1919, with the public only being notified of his condition then. So Johnny was basically given a taboo name, which I’m sure only made the rest of his family soooo happy—

However— in the original source I read, “King John I has a negative historiography, perhaps only surpassed by that of ‘Bloody’ Mary…” which now makes me think… Jeez, Toast uh... Johnny Toast and Mary as a couple is just. Two of the most cursed names in the royal family of Britain pairing up, huh? I wonder how happy his family was with his marriage? I wonder if that’s part of the reason why he stopped talking to his family but was easily accepted back? (Also it’s pretty likely Toast was introduced to Judaism through Mary I can’t believe I never considered that 🤔)

You could also argue that Gavin comes from “Gawain” from King Arthur, but there’s also a famous British evolutionary embryologist named Sir Gavin Rylands de Beer. Since I hc their dad as a bio-based chemist, I could see his dad thinking of another scientist when naming him. On that note, there’s also John Dalton, who introduced atomic theory to chemistry… and did heavy enough research into color-blindness for it to be called “Daltonism” in several languages. At this rate I might try to name ex-Jenny Toast after another British molecular-based chemist… So that opens Mary (Mary Somarville) [including this to include this I’m Not making any more Maries], Kathleen (Kathleen Lonsdale FRS), Marjory (Marjory Stephenson), Rose or Rosalind (Rosalind Franklin), aaaand Anne (Anne McLaren FRS) off the top of a quick google search… But I really like Janice so I might be this close to breaking my own idea I just made up.

“Don’t you think you’re overthinking this—“ YES.

[theredandwhiteknight-if]

Don't remember if asked before. ROs thoughts about babies? Do they like them? Good with them? Do they want them? Biological? Adopted?

Guinevere- Guinevere loves children and is great with them. She really does not like pregnancy though so definitely prefers to adopt. Part of the reason she took on Galahad as a ward was so she could raise a child since she and Arthur didn’t want to have them with each other.

Gawain- He’s generally pretty neutral on babies and children. He wouldn’t be remiss in having them but his siblings are enough for him. He can be bad awkward around them though since his ideas for entertaining kids is apparently “too violent and/or dangerous”.

Galehaut- Galehaut absolutely adores babies and children. He is always excited to meet them and would love to have children of his own someday, biological or adopted. He adores the way they often don’t fear him or find his size fun. He is definitely great with taking care of them.

Morgan- Morgan likes children enough, but she tends to feel awkward in their company. She’s also definitely better with older kids. She loves her son and wouldn’t be against having other children, but since he was born in circumstances she had no choice in, she’s become a bit wary about having kids.

Agravaine- Agravaine doesn’t hate kids or anything, but they definitely prefer to be out of their presence. They just aren’t sure how to act around children and don’t have a lot of patience. They are surprisingly good with them on the rare occasion they are around kids though. They’re fine theoretically with the idea of having kids, bio or adopted, but will definitely freak out over fear of doing something wrong if they do have them.

Sybil- Sybil loves babies and kids. They were always happy to babysit or to help parents in the lake and so are great with taking care of and entertaining children. They would love to have children with their partner but are also happy with adoption if their partner would prefer that.

[theroundbartable]

The Morgana take really is impressive!

And I absolutely agree that there are various similarities between both things. However, I don't think it's close enough to draw a direct connection. You didn't do that, you said there was an overlap ans you're right.

Most stories are built in similar ways. They have a beginning, an exposition, a Highlight, a turning point and an end. It's the way things are structured. And often it results in the same themes happening over and over again. Stories also, in many cases, reflect society and people's view of their own feelings and world. This can cause stories to have similarities, because people experience similar things. And therefore contain the same messages. In this case I think it's correlation, not causation. And well, you didn't say it were, so there is that.

However, if we want to connect BBC Merlin to fairy tales... Your friend should remember that BBC Merlin is literally based on a Legend. A Legend that no one really knows what or rather who it's based on, but does work with fairy tale themes. Always has, that's kind of the point.

If you read Sir Gawaine and the Green knight, you will find Gawaine faced with magic and destiny, while Arthur is the character he is trying to appeal to as a knight, as Arthur is the one who sets the ideal. If you read any Arthurian story, the least you will find is druid magic (aka science or medicine) , often the idea of magical creatures and magic in some kind of way. And Dragons, obviously. So of course BBC Merlin deals with Fairy Tale themes. Why is that a bad thing? What needs to be defended? Our imagination? Our fantasies? No.

BBC Merlin is not a gritty story. On the contrary. It may not go into detail with most story arcs, but it does take time to acknowledge their existence. Even if scenes like the dark tower don't get explained, and we don't get background information, we get to know in detail how this ruin interacts with the presence. Magic is outlawed, it's dying and disappearing and the knowledge about it vanishes with it. But the ruins are there and show the change. Memories like Cornelius Sigan who build Camelot, druid camps, magical objects like the Crystal of Neathid or the Cup of life, they all are building the world of BBC Merlin in a time of post magic. And they get explored as far as the presented level of destruction allows.

Tell me the story of your hometown. How much do you know about it's history? What makes a story gritty? The things you don't see or the things you don't care about?! Or is maybe the fact that you don't care the reason why you don't see? Or the fact that you don't see it, the reason why you don't care?

Then of course, we have the relationship arcs that make sense and that change slowly and most importanty with reason. Changes that become evidence of earlier happenstances. All except for Arthur who doesn't change much, but I believe the reason for that is because Arthur has always been the Once and Future King and Merlin does what he can so Arthur doesn't have to change. While Morgana's hatred is founded in Uther's hatred against magic, Arthur's aiding in raiding of druid camps, Merlin's betrayal and the threat of a Gwen who is loyal to Camelot more than she is to Morgana, causing Morgana to doubt their friendship and feel threatened by her former servant.

Don't get me wrong. BBC Merlin is far from perfect, but the story is neither gritty nor shallow. It explores a world and it explores it's characters and yes, it is limited in it's ability to show things and it limits itself on many interesting story lines, but it wraps up neatly and it's detailed and careful with what it portrays.

...

This may have gone a little heated. I just think your friend is wrong. :) He is, of course, entitled to his own opinion.... He is wrong though XD (jk, unless???)

Merlin BBC UK TV Show - Opinion Piece Part 13 - The Little Mermaid v/s Merlin

Thank you all for to the wonderful response I received on my post here :

The same friend and I ended up discussing the show in even greater detail.

Whilst my friend was more receptive to the "progressive sub-text" within the show his major issue was what he called a fairy tale treatment of a gritty story.

I retorted that fairy tales have universal appeal and often contain in them morals and lessons which lend to a more complex narrative upon further inspection.

As our talks went on, I could not help but find narrative overlaps between the 2008 Merlin TV Series and Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid fairy tale published during 1830's.

So I felt that it could become a Tumblr post.

PLEASE DONT CONFUSE THIS WITH THE DISNEY ANIMATED AND LIVE ACTION FILMS !!!!

Here is my attempt to outline the similarities between our protagonists and the themes.

Raised by single parents

Merlin was raised by Hunith whereas the Mermaid was raised by

the Sea King.

They both feel alienated

The Mermaid feels alone while living in the ocean forever trying to

connect with the world around her.

Merlin also feels like he didn’t belong in the village he lived in.

They both leave their childhood homes

Merlin leaves Ealdor and goes to Camelot whereas the Mermaid

leaves the underwater sea and goes to the Prince's kingdom

They end up saving the life of their soul-mate upon their initial interaction

Merlin saves Arthur's life in Season 1 Episode 1 whereas the

Mermaid saves the Prince from drowning when his ship catches

fire.

They have longer life span than their soul-mate

Merlin is an immortal whereas Arthur's death has been foretold.

The Mermaid is told by her grandmother that she could live for

300 years whereas humans live for a shorter time.

Their soul-mate is unaware of their true identity

Arthur is unaware of Merlin's magic till the very last episode

similarly the Prince is unaware of the Mermaid's identity.

They give up their identity for their soul-mate

Merlin despite being a powerful sorcerer becomes Arthur's servant

whereas the Mermaid gives up being a princess and becomes

human.

They prioritize their soul-mate ahead of themselves

Merlin convinces Arthur not to legalize magic as he thinks this

will save Arthur's life, even though his own circumstances would

change for the better.

The Mermaid does not kill the prince even though it would save her

own life in the end.

The story ends in death.

Arthur dies in Merlin's arms.

The Mermaid dies heartbroken with her body turning to foam.

Queer themes

I have already outlined magic being a methaphor in my post here:

The Little Mermaid's queer themes can be read in the article here:

Silence as a theme of repression

The Mermaid is literally silenced by the Sea Witch in order to fit into heterosexual human society.

Merlin chooses to remain silent despite seeing the injustice and persecution of queer magical creatures around him. If Merlin had expressed himself he would be arrested or even put to death. 

Sea Witch and Morgana

The Sea Witch is an antagonist in the The Little Mermaid and Morgana is the chief antagonist in the Merlin series.

In popular mythology there was a Sea Witch named Morgana who was a main contributor in luring sailors to their deaths.

I thought this was a remarkable coincidence when researching this topic

[itonje]

some medieval english arthurian texts

with the green knight (2021) coming out today i want to talk a little about other arthurian english works because i find them interesting and entertaining <3 these were medieval arthurian texts written in english, not translated into it. all of these are in middle english, though many were written in different time periods and in different dialects. if you’ve read sir gawain and the green knight, many of these have similar plot beats, feature our beloved sir gawaine in a major role, or are alliterative in the same wonderful way sgatgk is! many these come from the university of rochester’s camelot project and it is an invaluable resource! however a lot of these texts are also written in a style that may be archaic or inaccessible- i will try to link more modern translations and reworkings if i can. 

the avowing of king arthur, sir gawain, sir kay, and baldwin of britain: in which the four title characters go to inglewood and, as stated, swear on various vows. 

the adventures of arthur at the tarn wadling: this is actually about gawaine, as most arthurian texts are. featuring ghosts and a duel! what could be better? there are several copies of this texts in manuscripts, including one where it’s in a collection with avowing (see above), said manuscript being the only copy in which avowing survives. 

layamon’s brut: by layamon, of course. this is a pseudohistorical text, going off the account of wace who went off the account of geoffrey of monmouth, but is longer than both and focuses almost solely on arthurian content (including a lot of merlin if you like him). if people want to read history of the kings of britain but don’t want to get through a lot of stuff that isn’t arthurian, i really recommend this. as another draw i will say this features baby gawaine (walwain) and modred. iirc this is the oldest text on this list. 

of arthur and of merlin: a text first about the background and story of arthur’s birth and early reign, including a variety of numerous battles. very merlin heavy. has a fair bit in common with the prose merlin. the copy i linked might be a bit hard to read, sorry. like layamon and aforementioned PM, also features baby gawaine (wawain) and brothers!

sir launfal: by thomas chestre, based off of lanval by marie de france. in which lanval has a secret romance with a magical woman. in this version it’s more implicit than the original lai, but guinevere is canonically homophobic <3 love loses 

sir perceval of galles: a...i would honestly call it a borderline parody of the typical perceval story. this one is deranged. in a fun way! 

ywain and gawain: based off of yvain by chretien de troyes, has the same basic plot beats. very fun even if you’ve already read yvain though, especially (imo) for the rhyming. 

sir tristrem: based off thomas of britain’s french tristan, the latter of which survives only in fragments. based off the tristan and iseult courtly branch. have not read this so i can give little opinions on it. 

i thiiiink lancelot of the laik belongs on here iirc the text is english but it’s from scotland and has scots influence. it’s inspired a from the first part of the lancelot-grail cycle-the poem itself is incomplete. 

the stanzaic morte arthur: poem about the fall of camelot as from the prose cycles. i really like this one, if you don’t want to read le morte darthur for it’s heaviness, i recommend this instead. it has all of the longing and eerie finality of any death of arthur story, even amplified in this work imo. elaine of astolat fans will enjoy this one, she features fairly prominently in the first part. 

the alliterative morte arthure: poem about the fall of camelot, taking mostly from the pseudohistories. i’ve jokingly said i like this as an iliad fan before, but if you are intrigued by the arthurian portions of british pseudohistories, and you like modred (oh my god i really recommend this for people who like modred) you will really love this one. it’s very entertaining! fair warning if you don’t like battle scenes or duels in other arthurian works you will...not enjoy this one. but i love it <3

the prose merlin: OUR FIRST PROSE WORK YES! based off of robert de boron’s unfinished merlin poem and parts of the lancelot-grail cycle, like arthur and merlin, tells of merlin’s birth, life, and the early reign of king arthur. this features a lot of battles and a lot of gawaine and his brothers! i think in this edition of it i’m linking, there are parts cut out, fair warning. i really like this one as well. 

sir gawain and the carle of carlisle: this one is similar to the avowing of arthur. gawaine and co (the same in avowing barring arthur, actually) arrive at a castle for refuge for the night during a storm whilst hunting, and the lord within gives them various tests of chivalry and integrity. this one is fun- a text i recommend after reading sir gawain and the green knight if you liked it for the plot and so on. if you read them concurrently you can imagine that gawaine repaired his reputation post sgatgk. 

if the above text is a little too unreadable for you (which is fair), i also recommend the carl of carlisle, a more condensed version which tells the same basic story with some minor differences (there’s a beheading in this one :3)

the marquis of bath’s manuscript of a latin account of the kings of britain: now, you may be saying, that said latin! well, i guess whoever wrote this decided that for arthur’s portion he would write it in english verse as opposed to latin prose? this one is fairly obscure, but, again, tells a plot similar to other arthurian portions of pseudohistories. 

the jeaste of sir gawain: i think this one tells the story of gawaine’s son, ginglain, the fair unknown, and combines it with gawaine’s romance with the lady of lys from the first continuation of perceval. i haven’t read this text, but i know the plot of gawaine and the lady of lys ditty, and i...do not like it. and i feel like i’d like this one less. 

the wedding of sir gawain and dame ragnelle: everyone’s familiar with this one. the archetypal story of the knight who seeks to figure out ‘what women truly want’. i enjoy this one and i feel like i’ll come back to it in the future analysis wise. ragnelle is a girlboss, etc. may have been written by sir thomas malory. speaking of which...

le morte darthur by sir thomas malory: will let its notoriety speak for itself. amazing work, though long to get through. if you like gawaine, and are looking at this post for gawaine content, while he is probably presented at his worst and most repugnant here out of any other story on this list, honestly this is one of my favorite versions of his character, and that’s the main reason why this text is even going on here in the first place (it’s popular enough, and borderline modern imo lol). 

anyways, happy reading, and happy a24′s the green knight release! summer of dev patel, summer of gawaine, etc!