#tragic medieval husbands

[that-nerd-who-writes-fanfiction]

I had an idea where Arthur returns, but he’s been watching the world change from the lake. Everything from Camelot was magically preserved but he knows about the modern world.

When he finally wakes up on the shores of Albion, he sees Merlin sat on a bench, watching the tower in the middle of the lake. Merlin doesn’t greet him immediately so Arthur hesitantly goes over.

Merlin says he’s never seen Arthur around and asks if he’s passing through or new to the area.

Arthur says he was waiting for a friend.

Merlin asks if he didn’t call first, and Arthur explains that it was a long time ago that they lost contact, but he last saw him by the lake.

Merlin says he understands that, that he lost someone there too. And Arthur is hopeful, maybe Merlin just needs a reminder, so he asks what Merlin’s friend was like and who he was. He doesn’t remember, but says he was the other half of his soul and he expects that he’ll remember whenever he sees him again because he couldn’t possibly forget.

Arthur doesn’t want Merlin to give up just yet, so he wishes him luck, but seeing the old well-worn hope in Merlin’s eyes as he watches the tower and the futile patience, he realises that the old Merlin is as lost as Camelot. He stands up and turns to walk away, saying that he doesn’t think his friend will be coming back any time soon.

Merlin yells that he shouldn’t be giving up already. He waited 1500 years and he’d wait 15 hundred more if it meant he could find his friend again.

Arthur hesitates, trying to stamp out the spark of hope before it becomes something all consuming and obsessive. He says he’ll try again tomorrow and leaves, not knowing if it’s a lie or not.

Anyway, just a thought.

[markantonys]

i've got to put out an attempt to spread the good word of wheel of time to some of my new rings of power followers!

are you hankering for a new fantasy show to fill the void of ROP? look no further than wheel of time! it's also on amazon prime and is something of a sister-show to ROP. there are 2 seasons out currently, and season 3 is in post-production and slated to release sometime in 2025.

here's what WOT is about:

in a world that has reincarnation, rosamund pike's character who has been described as lesbian gandalf learns that an apocalyptic figure called "the dragon" who broke the world 3000 years ago has been reborn as a new person. accompanied by her platonic work-husband to whom she's psychically bonded, she narrows her search down to 5 potential candidates, a group of 20-somethings from the same little village. the group embarks on a quest to figure out which one of them is the dragon reborn, but even the ones who are not the dragon have nevertheless been chosen out by fate to have their own remarkable powers and key roles in deciding the fate of the world.

here's what makes WOT similar to ROP:

multiple-storyline ensemble show with a variety of personalities among the main characters, so you'll be sure to find Your Blorbo in somebody (and there's a pretty big variety among the fandom of who everyone's faves are, which goes to show how good ALL the characters are!)

epic fantasy that earnestly and wholeheartedly embraces its genre and the inherent whimsy and fantasticalness therein, without acting like it's embarrassed about having fantasy elements or like it considers itself too good and too prestige for the genre

it has some truly dark and harrowing stuff, but it never feels like it's gratuitous/just for shock value and never descends into cynical grimdark territory. it centers on the importance of hope and togetherness to fight against evil (tolkien was a primary inspiration for the WOT books' author robert jordan, so some of the vibes and themes are similar)

incredibly in-depth worldbuilding and world history

gorgeous costumes, sets, scenery, soundtrack, and production value. i could wax poetic about the soundtrack all day but will restrain myself and just say that it's a similar approach as ROP of specific character themes rearranged ad infinitum to suit the tone of different scenes and that it has a very unique soundscape that stands out from traditional orchestral fantasy. the costumes, especially in the second season, are some of the most unique and distinctive i've ever seen in a fantasy show, using lots of sharp/modern silhouettes to evoke a different feel from your standard medieval-inspired fantasy costumes. and vibrant colors!!!

absolutely Perfect casting across the board, with every actor from the most seasoned veterans to the newest-comers delivering wonderful performances, embodying their characters perfectly, and clearly having the time of their life making this show.

major character recast between s1 and s2 haha but like with adar, both mat actors are wonderful and it's impossible to wish one was the other while watching their respective performances.

Wholesome Boy Besties, and overall a lack of toxic masculinity and a total comfort with letting men be tender and kind and emotional (in fact, i'd say WOT does even better at this than ROP)

mesmerizing villains who run the gamut from tragic to Sexy Fun Evil to straight-up bonechilling (oftentimes multiple categories all rolled into the same villain). what if sauron was a sexy sexy lady whose top hobbies were serving cunt and gaslighting her boytoy? watch wheel of time to find out.

on that note, what would you get if you took the toxic hero/villain/villain polyeroticism of galadriel/sauron/adar, dialed it up to 11, and made it borderline canon that they used to be in a throuple that ended badly? one of the major dynamics of WOT s2, that's what.

a slower, establishing first season followed by a bombastic second season that raises the stakes, lets the villains out to play big time, and generally knocks it out of the park. so if you're on the fence while watching s1, keep going to get to the glowup!

and here's what makes WOT better than ROP:

while they both improve in their second season, imo the first season of WOT is quite a bit better than the first season of ROP (anecdotal evidence: i started both shows as a complete show-only with no prior familiarity with the source material (bar having watched the LOTR movies), and WOT had me hooked by the end of 1x01 whereas ROP i watched 2 episodes and abandoned it for 2 years before coming back for another try and successfully getting hooked)

i'd say the main reason for this is that the story of WOT s1 is fairly simple and small scale and laser-focused on just our 7 main characters who all share a single storyline together (breaking up into 3 sub-storylines for the middle portion of the season, then coming back together again), and it holds off on expanding the scale of the world & story until s2. this was much more effective at getting a newcomer like me assimilated in the world, hooked on the story, and invested in the characters than ROP starting out with a massive sprawling cast and story right off the bat and kind of overwhelming me with too much going on. WOT s1 was also very clear in establishing Here Are The Stakes And Here's Why You Should Care immediately in the pilot episode, whereas i struggled for a while with seeing what the Point of ROP was or why i should care about these characters (because there are too many of them and not enough time spent on any).

WOT is better at character depth and development, in large part because its main cast is about half the size of ROP's so there's just a lot more breathing room. like with ROP, some characters/storylines are naturally more important than others in a given season and thus everyone's prominence ebbs and flows, but unlike ROP, the characters who are in their "off-season" still get proper season-long arcs and never feel like they're getting neglected. no primary WOT character has ever been wholly absent for more than 1 episode per season (except for mat absent from 2 eps in s1 for recasting-related reasons).

following off of that, i'd say WOT is better at handling multiple storylines, because of the above point of fewer characters and also the earlier point that all the characters start together, then separate. this ensures that all the different storylines feel connected to each other, unlike ROP where there are some groups of characters that have never even met anyone else. the Found Family and Power Of Friendship themes are extremely strong in WOT, and the bonds between the core characters are unbreakable! and this makes all the storylines feel connected and cohesive even when they're taking place across the continent.

another similar point: WOT strikes a better balance between epic scale and narrative intimacy. i can't describe this any better or think of specific examples, it's just a Vibe i feel that ROP sometimes gets lost in its own scale whereas WOT always keeps us very firmly anchored in the characters and the personal stakes no matter how vast the world or conflict becomes. i might exemplify this by saying that if you enjoyed the sauron-celebrimbor scenes in s2, you'll love WOT because it is a huge proponent of "2 characters in a room talking to each other" scenes that further the larger plot while also keeping things intimate and personal and fleshing out the characters.

oh also, focal episodes! every season, WOT does 1 or 2 episodes that focus in deeply on one particular main character (different one every time) at a key point in their journey and deliver some amazing in-depth characterwork (while still furthering the story and allotting time to the other characters & storylines too). characters truly are one of the strongest aspects of WOT, both books and show, and i love that the show takes the time to give us episodes like this. it is so so good at balancing character & plot, and understanding that we won't care about the plot unless we care about the characters.

there is a HUGE cast of female characters, and a very varied cast too. the main cast is 50/50 men and women, and the supporting cast is at least 50/50 too if not majority women. in both the source material and the adaptation, women are integral to the story and so many of them are huge players that drive the narrative, rather than feeling like afterthoughts the 2020s adaptation is fruitlessly trying to cram into source material that was not designed for them as is often the case with ROP imo.

branching off of that: one of the major institutions in WOTworld is an all-woman wizard faction, complete with a lady wizard pope. this gives us things like battle scenes and political scheming that's mostly or exclusively between women. it's awesome!

edited to add: might be obvious from the point about there being a lot of women, but WOT also has lots of female friendships! and female mentorships and rivalries and romances too. just so many relationships between women, quite a contrast to nori and poppy struggling to singlehandedly make ROP pass the bechdel test.

canon queer characters and relationships. and queerness is not only present in WOTworld, it's normalized!

and finally, you'll have to wait til s2 to get her, but WOT is better because it has elayne trakand and thus is better than every show that does not have elayne trakand (can you tell who my blorbo is)

[beyondmistland]

In your opinion, would Princess Viserra's fate have changed if she had been promised to Lord Manderly's heir, and not to him?

That is to say, if marriage to the Manderlys were necessary to formalize a pact with the North, perhaps a handsome husband of the same age who would make her Lady of White Harbor would be more interesting to the young princess.

I won't hold back. NOTHING about Viserra's storyline makes any sense short of all the characters having a stroke.

Perceptive and compassionate Alysanne, who previously demonstrated considerable matchmaking skills, suddenly becomes very bad at it. (Don't get me started on Elio Garcia's attempt to defend Alysanne's OOC behavior as her being jealous of her own daughter's beauty.)

Jaehaerys suddenly becomes an absentee father from the 1950s rather than, you know, a medieval king for whom his daughter's marriage is of the utmost political importance.

Septon Barth? Grand Maester Elysar? Both MIA.

Theomore Manderly? If he was truly canny, he would have seen the offer for what it was and declined it.

Its true, the best way to tie the North closer to the south (and more specifically the Iron Throne) short of House Stark is House Manderly. However, marrying Viserra, a princess (and the prettiest one at that) to Theomore entirely defeats that purpose. One, a fat man old enough to be your grandfather is hardly appealing on a personal level, especially to a teen princess who knows just how attractive she is. Two, any children Viserra had would come behind four wives' worth of stepchildren, practically guaranteeing that the future Lords of White Harbor won't share any direct blood ties to House Targaryen, which brings me to my third point. Marrying Viserra to Theomore more or less dooms Viserra's line to obscurity and she herself to a life of dependency on the charity of her stepson.

What, then, would have made way more sense? Marrying her to Desmond, who, as Theomore's great-grandson, would probably be fairly close in age to her, not to mention higher in the succession.

Now, to answer your question, yes I absolutely do believe Viserra might have lived a longer (and perhaps even fulfilling) life if her parents had picked someone other than Theomore Manderly to be her husband. Remember, the whole reason she was even out and about the night of her death was because she wanted to have fun one last time before resigning herself to her fate. If she had instead been looking forward to her wedding she wouldn't have had any incentive to sneak out, which makes the chances of her suffering a tragic accident the way she did in OTL astronomically lower.

Thanks for the question, @diegoedil

[angrylittletrashpanda]

On "alysmond" and "helaemond"

For some reason, there’s a petty war going on between fierce “helaemond” and “alysmond” stans. Fr, I totally don’t understand why should those ships be mutually exclusive? If “helaemond” actually becomes the show canon, I can totally see Helaena breaking up with her brother-boyfriend after B’n’C. IMO Aemond’s recklessness and long-harbored, ill-concealed hatred for Luke , contributing to Jaehaerys’ tragic death is a reason enough for Hel to stay away from him, never mind how dear the siblings (with benefits) used to be to each other. In this scenario, Aeamond could pursue a relationship with Alys, never mind his previous (more or less romantic) engagement with Helaena…

In addition, if “helaemond” is confirmed, this subplot doesn’t necessary have to be some fabulous love story. I mean the siblings *may* have been getting along with each other pretty well , and I really enjoy the idea of young Aemond having a crush on his big sister. I find it really cute, that’s all. In my opinion teenage Aemond, doubtlessly familiar with the idea of “courtly love” (I’m guessing this concept could exist in the quasi-medieval Westeros), might have enjoyed performing the role of righteous knight, worshipping his “future queen” from afar , as if there was a “secret RPG session”, going on but in his head. Frankly speaking, the young !Knight Aemond and his !Lady Helaena don’t even have to get sexually involved and their “forbidden love” could remain just cute, childish crush, as the time goes by turning into mature friendship, mutual care and understanding. Perhaps older Aemond, driven with his sense of responsibility, would want to become a proprer father figure/ role model for his little nephews and niece? I like to think well-educated, smart  Aemond, familiar with the story of Daenys the Dreamer, and keeping his sister company more often than her joke of a husband, found out Hel was a Dragon Dreamer.

On the other hand, we cannot rule out Helaena and Aemond becoming lovers, but IMO such a scenario would be pretty dark. It seems to me it could happened only if the show version of Helaena remained childless after two or three years of marriage (yet again, I am speaking about the show counterpart of the FnB Helaena, who canonically bore the twins about a year after she had wed Aegon) and Aemond started to fear someone like Larys Strong would simply get rid of Hel, so that the WIDOWED crown prince could take another bride. So, Aemond shared his fears with his sister, and the siblings agreed they ought to cuckold Aegon in order to secure Helaena’s position as the future queen, and thusly save her life… It’s possible the righteous prince Aemond , loathing the mere idea of fathering bastards, could have secretly married his sister (it could have been a traditional Valyrian ceremony, which still wouldn’t make the whole situation any romantic).  However, even as a “secretly married” couple, who could grow to quite enjoy performing their “conjugal duty”,  Aemond and Helaena could remain but “siblings with benefits” (which sounds awful, but given they’re Targaryens, it kinda makes sense) and never develop romantic feelings for each other. In this scenario, they could be still sleeping together after Aegon’s heir had been born, just out of sheer need for comfort, closeness or affection, or simply willing to reduce stress, feel better or have fun.  Messed up as Helaena and Aemond seem, they could have perceived sex as yet another form of bonding…  Whatever could have been going on between the siblings, their breakup after Jaehaerys’ death appears inevitable.

 As far as Aemond’s relationship with Alys is concerned, I wouldn’t call it an overly romantic love story, either. Let’s say it out loud – in spite of her sharp wits, charms and whatnot, Alys was a prisoner of war and even if Aemond had fallen madly in love with her, I would risk saying she wasn’t in the position to truly reciprocate his feelings. Thanks to Alys’ good looks, the prince “generously” spared her life, there’s no two ways about it, BUT however “besotted” Aemond was with Alys, becoming his “war bride” literally meant she was chosen to be a freakin’ sex slave. In my honest opinion, the woman deserved better and I don’t believe she reciprocated his love. Alys certainly was not in the position to fully consent to be the prince’s paramour, although I can totally see Aemond developing genuine romantic feelings for her – however twisted it may sound. It seems to me in the very beginning, it was just about lust, but later on, the prince could have taken to the “witch” because of her personality and even become fascinated with her supernatural powers. Frankly speaking, I am not the fan of the “Alys casting a love spell on Aemond” theory. She might have been using her totally prosy, feminine charms in order to endear the prince to her, and thusly make sure she would be treated as well as she could possibly be under so dire circumstances. And no, I don’t mean Alys was just offering Aemond sexual favors. Intelligent person she no doubt was, the “witch queen” could do her best in order to forge an emotional bond with Aemond, too. For instance listening to what the prince had to say and showing him affection. Paradoxically, learning Aemond’s story could make Alys take to the prince at least a little, since in this scenario, she could realize in spite of coming from different social backgrounds, they shared a bunch of experiences. For instance, earlier in her life, unwed and pregnant Alys, born out of wedlock herself, had been no doubt an outcast – just like Aemond the Kinslayer, having blood of his close relative on his hands. Could it be a reason enough for Alys to start sympathizing with Aemond? Yes, indeed. In addition, the “witch” had lost both her child and their father – even if  we are not familiar with the details and the moment she met Aemond Alys was probably over it. If the “helaemond” theory is confirmed, Aemond gets involved with Alys when his first “girlfriend” is also like dead to the world, not to mention the fact his son and/or nephew died gruesome death.

Here, I would like to admit I am not a fan of fetishizing Alys’ age and deeming her a “milf”. The woman was certainly more than just her looks and age. If Aemond had actually loved her – which I find highly probable  - there must have been something more than just physical attraction! In addition, in the quasi-medieval world of Ice and Fire, girls in their early teens are considered eligible maidens, so in this universe, it isn’t out of usual for women in their late, if not mid-twenties to become grandmothers! Taking the fact FnB is supposed to be a historical source by a bunch of unreliable narrators, we don’t actually know how old Alys was. If we rule out the ageless witch/ red priestess theory, we could safely assume she was, for instance, in her 40s or 30s, but knowing the Westerosi customs, well, it is still possible she was just a few years older than then-twentyish Aemond. There is also an option Alys didn’t even exist and all the war bride/captor romance was made up by pro-Black maesters and scribes, willing to paint the prince in a negative light. After all making some lowly born wet nurse his wife, Aemond would insult House Baratheon, impudently breaking the pact which had to be sealed with his marriage to Lord Borros’ daughter. You just keep in mind both the Witch Queen and Aemond’s bastard son disappear  from the “historical chronicles” shortly after the Dance ends. In addition, stressing Alys’ alleged “old age”  could have made him look ridiculous in the eyes of Westerosi readers.

Personally, I prefer to imagine Alys existed, had prophetic skills and played a significant role in Aemond’s life. Perhaps at some point, she even developed some sympathy and twisted fondness for the prince (still her captor and, yes, her rapist) but never had second thoughts about having kept it to herself that Aemond would meet his end in God’s Eye and no one could blame her for it.

To sum up, I think shipping Aemond with Helaena does not automatically make the shipper anti-“alysmond”. In my view, adding one more (for want of a better word) romantic relationship to Aemond’s arc makes sense. It could be an interesting way to show how the character’s attitude towards his love interests and his interactions with them evolve as various experiences are shaping his personality. I would never pit Helaena against Alys. They’re two different women and the fact at some points of their lives, they happened to get involved with the same guy does not make them natural born enemies. In my honest opinion, if the show version of Helaena had a chance to meet Alys (here, I mean my own idea of this character, since we don’t learn much about her from FnB and her show counterpart is still a mystery), they would become… good friends.

[erosdoceamargo]

Paolo and Francesca, by Ludwik Wiesiołowski / Revenge of the Sith (2005), dir. George Lucas / Revenge of the Sith's Concept Art by Ian McCaig /Paolo and Francesca by Amos Cassioli

If anyone is looking for a direct link between Attack of the Clones and the world of Dante and medieval romance, Padmé’s former suitor’s name is, tellingly, “Palo.” This neatly references the tragic lovers of Paolo and Francesca, who Dante encounters in one of the circles of the Inferno. Francesca was reading the story of Guinevere and Lancelot with Paolo, who was her husband’s brother. The two were so swept up in the tale of forbidden love that they passionately wrote one of their own. - The Star Wars Heresies: Interpreting the Themes, Symbols and Philosophies of Episodes I, II, III by Paul F. McDonald

[atopvisenyashill]

I don't know if you can talk about Aerea and Rhaena, their whole relationship is horrible, but a lot of the fandom tends to label her as a simple bad mother and not see beyond that.

I find their relationship very tragic largely because I think under normal circumstances, Rhaena would have been a very loving and present mother. I also think "well she's a bad mother" is very disingenous framing. For the first several years of her life As A Mom, she and her daughter are being held hostage by her insane uncle. Then, she spends the next several years trying to cope with the fact that she was maritally raped, her brother-husband was murdered, any and all power she has is derived completely from how her younger brother is feeling on that day, oh and, ya know, being a LESBIAN IN A MEDIEVAL ESQUE PERIOD. cannot stress enough that Rhaena has a lot of shit going on that impacts her ability to take care of herself let alone take care of a child. And none of that is Aerea's fault - again, Aerea's childhood is spent in an unstable, sexually abusive home where her mother is being maritally raped by the man who murdered her father, she has no freedom to decide where she wants to go because she's a hostage while simultaneously being heir to the throne, and then she's just unceremoniously sent to Dragonstone because her mother decides it must be so.

And I think Rhaena really tries to make things better for Aerea! She encourages Aerea to claim a dragon, she clearly tries to set up a sort of court on Dragonstone, but she doesn't even know her daughter much less understand what would make her happy. They've been separated for years! Rhaena herself clearly wants a break from court to just be left alone to live her life, but Aerea has spent so long being shuffled around, being a hostage, (perhaps even training as a Septa...), that of course she doesn't want to sit still. Then Rhaena gets divorced and Aerea's stepmom leaves, and there's no other children to play with, and the ladies Rhaena keeps don't know how to care for a child nor are they interested in learning.

This is an unbelievably tense and unstable first decade or so of her life! There's just very few scenarios where these two have a healthy, stable relationship due to the incredibly instability they're in the middle of. I always go back to Rhaenys at points like this - Rhaenys who claimed a grown dragon at 16, Rhaenys who taunted her husband that she'd get to the end of the world first because she'd be flying, Rhaenys who is probably the most well adjusted Targaryen we have information on. Rhaenys has a father who likely encouraged her ~headstrong ways~ and a mother who supported and loved her. Rhaenys who had cousins to play with as she learned how to socialize with others, Rhaenys who had a grandmother to teach her. Rhaenys had a stable environment to grow up in. Rhaenys had an education befitting an heiress. If Aerea had lived in a normal (ish) environment where she has two parents, aunts and uncles, cousins all around, a dragon she's allowed to claim, status that is protected by her mother and father's own status...it would be night and day! And if Rhaena had a spouse she trusted, mentors and advisors who had even a lick of sense, a brother more interested in her happiness and less interested in completely upending her claim to protect his own...again, think of Rhaenys has a mother! Think of Laena claiming a dragon before she's 12!

Rhaena isn't ~a bad mother~ anymore than Aerea is ~a bad child~ they are simply two people who lived through stressful, traumatic situations and reacted imperfectly to those situations. They had no real support system. They moved around constantly. This was never going to end well for either of them and it's not really either of their faults.

[imaginesmai]

Once upon a fairy tale - Ubbe Ragnarson

Enemies to lovers, forced-marriage and based on the Disney movie The Swan princess. Here is what is probably the work I’m proudest of. Things you need to know before reading:

- As a medieval fic, there will be typical misoginist behaviours, racisims at some points and stereotypes. 

- In this fic, Ubbe is from Mercia, not a viking, but a prince. His whole family is ruling that country, while yours rules over Wessex.

- Ivan doesn’t exist. I had to erase a brother for the plot I’M SORRY.

- It hasn’t been proof-read. So, if you find any mistake, please let me know!

Ubbe Ragnarson knew three things: that he would inherit the throne when his father died, that he should get married soon to assure that throne, and that he hated Y/N Ealhmunding. And those three facts were related. Because your hand had been promised to him since you were young kids, and now it’s time to fulfill that promise.

As princess of king Ecbert Ealhmunding, you also knew three things: that the laws for a kingdom ruler weren’t fair, that your father had done everything he could for you and your future, and that you hated Ubbe Ragnarson. Not only you hated that they had decided your future without you, or that you were expected to leave every braincell behind once you married, but also that the same boy who you had hated since childhood would be your husband.

Every summer, Mercia and Wessex try to make you both fall in love. And they fail.

But this summer is different, because a series of tragic and unfortunate events brings you closer to Ubbe than ever.

You’re no longer mischievous kids pulling pranks on each other, but responsible adults looking for what’s best for your country. And trying to survive in the meantime.

Preface:  Ubbe and you meet for the first time, foreshadowing what your relationship is going to be like.

1st part:  Just like any other summer, you have to leave your country. Just like any other summer, Ubbe has to open his to your annoying presence.

2nd part:  your sixteenth-first encounter goes as good as planned.

3rd part:  Aslaug tries to push you closer to Ubbe, leaving you in a vulnerable situation. When faced with a group of soldiers, they don't hesitate to make their opinion about you crystal clear.

4rd part:  The soldiers’ attitude forces your father to make a decision, and you finally see an end to your engagement. Only that, when presented with the chance, you’re not so sure.

5th part:  No longer under the pressure of an arranged marriage and with the hunting raid around the corner, you can almost taste your freedom. But something new awakens and neither Ubbe and you know how to deal with it.

6th part:  The morning of the hunting raid arrives, and new feelings are revealed.

7th part:  Ubbe and you take important decisions, about your future and the future of your kingdoms, not knowing that something bigger than you is happening outside the castle’s walls.

8th part:  tragedy strikes when you least expect it.

Want to read more? Check out my side blog @imaginesmaimasterlists, where I keep all the masterlists! Feedback is always appreciated

[setrija-nibelungenfangirl]

Day 7

Fanon OTP(s)

My favourite fanon ships are Hagen x Volker and Hagen x Gunther – which I prefer changes every now and then.

Hagen x Volker:

These two share such an intimate bond as brothers in arms: they always support each other and their declarations of friendship and love are some of the sweetest moments in the Nibelungenlied. Hagen getting mad with rage after Volker is killed by Hildebrand is the tragic cherry on top.

Another main reason why I like them lies in a major theme of the second Nibelungenlied part: the portrayal of heroic exorbitance. There is a value shift in the text after the Burgundians cross the Danube: Starting from Hagen the Burgundians increasingly orientate their behaviour towards a warrior ethos, according to which the one way to increase one’s honor is to not shy away from a fight – to rush towards the opponent instead – and to inflict as much damage as possible to the opposing side (= kill as many enemies as possible). To accept their doom, to provoke fate, becomes the new agenda of the Burgundians. This is a really toxic mindset from a modern perspective (probably already from a medieval one), but it’s really fascinating to me and a very big and dark appeal of the Nibelungenlied, I haven’t mentioned yet.

And the pair of Hagen and Volker exemplifies this aspect of the Nibelungenlied in a big way in my eyes. They encourage traits of exorbitant heroism within the other by supporting each other in their aggressive behavior: Hagen rushing to Volker’s aid after the latter murdered one of the huns during the tournament, Volker aiding Hagen when he makes a widow cry by presenting her the sword of her death husband. Also, Volker is just like Hagen a master in the art of provocation, which makes him further the perfect match for mister ‘Yeah, I killed your husband, watcha gonna do about it, hm?’.

I also like the fanon interpretation of Volker being a more free-spirited person, who likes to enjoy life (and maybe to also flirt xD) due to him being a musician – maybe even with a somewhat sensitive, artistic side? Which is a great contrast to Hagen, who I like to imagine to be more occupied with his duties and therefore more stuck up and less likely to just relax once and a while.

Hagen x Gunther:

Their power dynamic is just so interesting to me. Normally, it is assumed that the king is the one with the clearly greater power and decision-making authority. But this dynamic often seems to be turned on its head with the two of them. Hagen is often the one who makes decisions independently and convinces Gunther of them or simply enforces them over Gunther's head (in the second part of the Nibelungenlied). However, Hagen does not seem to do this to disempower Gunther, but on the contrary to promote his interests and strengthen his position as king. Nor does Gunther seem to be bothered by the fact that Hagen has this great decision-making power as a vassal. On the contrary, he seems to be used to it and even consciously wants it – at least that is one possible conclusion that can be drawn from the stanza 119 of the Nibelungenlied:

Hagen actually acts appropriately when, as a vassal, he does not interfere in the dialogue between two king’s sons (Gunther and Siegfried) – but this is exactly the kind of interference Gunther wants and expects from him here. Which, I think, says a lot about their everyday dynamics.

There are also tensions and differences of opinion between the two in the Nibelungenlied (there are one or two scenes, where they do seem to get a bit rude towards each other), but despite these differences they stick together. I kinda really like the scene of Gunther defending Hagen at the Cruentation – despite it being only one line (probably because of the mental image I have of that scene). And of course, further moments demonstrating their bond are the scenes of Gunther and his brothers not handing over Hagen to Kriemhild and Hagen not revealing the hiding place of the hoard to Kriemhild.

Hagen's backstory, that he spent his childhood and youth as a hostage at Etzel’s court in Gunther’s place, also adds an interesting aspect to their dynamic. And the Waltharius can provide further material for additional angst between the two.

Hagen x Walther:

I also like Hagen x Walther for being childhood friends and comrades in arms, who share a deep and intimate bond: Hagen almost not being able to leave Walther’s embrace, before fleeing to Worms. Walther lamenting, where their famous harmony went. The sight of Hagen letting Walther forget about his father and not caring much about his home.

Them spending their childhood and youth as hostages in a faraway land as well as the events of the Waltharius itself leave plenty of room for angst and complicated feelings between these two. Their friendship surviving and these two laughing together, despite mutilating each other mere moments ago, is a bitter sweet ending in the Waltharius.

[imhereonthekitchenfloor]

Rating Taylor Swift songs based on how they would be perceived by medieval peasants*: Debut

*context: I'm imagining showing medieval peasants how awesome the future is by playing them the greatest music of our day and age (Taylor obviously). I am also trying to have them not go insane nor have me be accused of witchcraft.

Tim McGraw: Jeans? Chevy truck? Radio? Georgia??? There hasn't even been a king named George let alone a state or country.... but that moon really DOES shine like a light on the lake and provide light to dance to all night. The vibes of the song are still there. 5/10

Picture to Burn: redneck? pickup truck? The relationship status is VERY confusing here because she is telling his friends he's gay (jolly) and then striking a match with someone (in a romantic sense?) and then admits to adultery ("goin' out with all of your best friends"). Fairly unsettling. 3/10

Teardrops on my Guitar: what's a guitar and why are you crying on it? Also a car? You have his picture and yet he's in love with another girl??? This is scandalous and tragic. 7/10 for relatability.

A Place In This World: a girl traveling down a road not knowing where she is headed? She must be a traveling performer! Maybe a jester! Good for her! How freeing life must be without a master. Although who knows what a radio or blue jeans are? 9/10

Cold as You: She was in love with an an artist (he painted his walls gray) and he rejected her? I wonder if it was social class differences or something else? This song hits hard regardless of the age. 10/10

The Outside: So has she been shunned or does she simply not have a master? Is this the traveling performer from a couple songs ago? Tbh it all makes sense but its pretty unrelatable. 4/10

Tied Together With a Smile: the waters high and you're jumping into it and letting go😳 and no one knows 💀 I knew serfdom was bad but wow it's BAD bad. That's depressing but relatable 8/10

Stay Beautiful: jungle and radio? Weird start but Cory seems highly sought after. I wonder who will pay the highest dowry for marriage? He seems like a wonderful muse. 7/10

Should've Said No: So I don't know the situation... your class will greatly affect this... but you know women may legally divorce their husbands for adultery, right? I do reccomend it. 3/10 because the vibes are NOT like the normal medieval music

Mary's Song: Brava!!! An arranged marriage that's also a love match? Unheard of! After the marriage, the property is even inherited!!! What a lovely start for family life. There was one confusing word? Truck? Idk the romance was so perfect I didn't even notice it. 10/10!!!!

Our Song: Half those words don't exist and the ones that do don't really make sense. Good job respecting the sanctity of God. The Church ™️ would approve. Still it's a 2/10

I'm Only Me When I'm With You: What does crazy mean? What do you mean you're flying? We're missing context but this could be a lower class marriage? :/ 6/10

Invisible: There's a fire inside him? She is invisible spying on him? This SCREAMS of witchcraft. Please do not play this song for a medieval peasant. You will be collateral damage in the trial and will likely also be burned at the stake. 1/10

A Perfectly Good Heart: First loves! What a luxury! You know very few people marry for love as relationships are to further the agenda of God🙏 apologies for the betrayal but hopefully your parents can pay the dowry for a better man. 5/10 just because this song isn't pleasing to the ears of the time

[gaywarcriminals]

hello! how are you going? do you have any svsss fic recs you enjoyed?

Aside from the usual Horrors, I'm quite well!! I hope you are too ^^

Oh wow, It's a bit hard to pick just a few because I've read a lot of SVSSS fics in the past few years, but here's the ones that came to mind/ I've been thinking about recently! (I'm excluding ones that I already recommended this week for the ask game, you can check out my "ask fish" tag to see those. Edit: I made a "fish recommends" tag too.)

Qijiu:

"i bury my voice for you" (series) by lithali. Space opera AU, Shen twins, everyone is aliens, intense qijiu longing, SJ’s unending font of angsty internal dialogue, and kinky qijiu sex feat transmasc SJ. I need more people to read this one!!!!!!!

"Palimpsest" by Azzandra. YQY loses his memories and tries to piece together how SJ fits in his life from what others tell him. I adore this fic, it's a really interesting examination of both their characters and why they love each other intrinsically. 

"You Were You, And I Was I" by MissMegh. Deaged qijiu being feral, clinging, and horny teenagers. Super cute and funny!

"what thing it is (that people most desire)" by Jinxed_Ink. A vaguely medieval AU based on an Arthurian legend where SJ disguises himself and blackmails YQY into marrying him for Revenge. SJ has Absolutely No Other Motive There. I didn't know how much I needed this particular brand of qijiu marriage shenanigans until I read it.

"I'm just as exposed (when i take off my clothes)" by owoxian. Qijjiu being weird and horny (as they deserve), being misinterpreted as abuse by accidental voyer MQF. 

"The Sect Leader’s Husband" by AMereDream. Canon divergence where YQY came back for SJ on time, and instead of becoming the QJP head disciple, SJ married YQY and became the power behind the throne. Cute power couple qijiu!!!

"The Heart Is A Sword" by Moonsheen. A-Su, a boy who is a sword, the emperor's weapon, is appointed personal attendant to the emperor's new consort Shen. PIDW post-canon.

Bingqiu:

"Rehearsal" by Prim_the_Amazing. Binghe, fresh from the abyss, uses a dream realm to run through all the ways his reunion with SQQ might go. This one is basically pure angst but it's SO good.

"How to Meal Prep - Household Tips, Recipes, and Ideas for a Better-Organised Life!" By x_los. Character study of 17-year-old preeminent housewife Binghe. It's cute, it's weird, and it's terribly tragic on account of the Dramatic Irony.

"Futility in Practice" by TGP. Time loop fic with a REALLY cool style of story telling. Repetitive but iterative text from Binghe, the non-looping character's POV as SQQ desperately tries to find the right answer to end the loop. Very angsty!

"it's not gay if you don't touch my ass ... unless?" by azunshi. Modern AU, SY wants to have sex with Binghe but ofc that would be gay, so instead he puts a cocksleeve up his ass for binghe to fuck instead. This fic is so deeply stupid (positive/complimentary), I love it, it's the exact brand of unhinged this whole fandom is slowlyy becoming.

"Songs of a Wayfarer" by foxflowering. Ballet AU with young prodigy LBH and his teacher SY! 

Binggeyuan:

"to find an intended (a bit unintentionally)" by nyoomerr. This is the classic. Wandering cultivator SY accidentally doms Bingge into being a good boy. 

"broken glass, swept away" by aaeph. Modern AU, SY buys a home only to find it haunted by the centuries old ghost of a demonic emperor. Bingge tries so hard to push SY away over and over, but SY is a stubborn man.

Jiuyuan:

"Jump To The Left" by ValiantBarnes (Cimila). I'm not sure quite how to describe this one without spoilers, but essentially, older Shen Yuan finds and saves SJ in the era he was following WYZ. SY takes SJ as a traveling companion/sort of disciple. CW for mentions of incest/psuedo-incest (no actual incest though).

"Immortal Shen Does Not Do Online Deliveries" by Anonymous. SY, a young cultivator and scholar, goes to ask the reclusive immoral master SQQ for an elixir. SQQ toys with him a little <3. Mean SQQ and flustered SY.

Gen/ No Ship:

"Rat Trap" by Azaisya. LQG & SJ. LQG and SJ are kidnapped, they get truth serum-ed, and they're forced to confront their different background and conflicting morals and methods that stem from that. I think this is my favorite execution of "LQG learns SJ's backstory and Has Regrets", because their conflict is explicitly framed as a class divide rather than just misunderstandings, and it addresses the flaws in both their resulting worldviews to some extent. 

"Sit With Your Soul" by Tossawary. SJ & SY. This is a fusion with His Dark Materials, but no knowledge is required. Basically everyone has an animal companion that's connected to and represents their soul, and SY transmigrates into SQQ's. 

[princesssarisa]

I'm now reading another of Heidi Ann Heiner's fairy tale collections. Sleeping Beauties: Sleeping Beauty and Snow White Tales from Around the World. Since I enjoyed Cinderella Tales from Around the World so much, I couldn't resist opening another of Heiner's books.

The first part of the book is devoted to the different international versions of Sleeping Beauty, the second part to the different versions of Snow White. This is followed by other tales of "sleeping beauties" that don't fit nearly into either category.

We start with the medieval Sleeping Beauty prototype tales from the 13th and 14th centuries.

*The earliest known prototype of the Sleeping Beauty story is the Norse and Germanic legend of Brynhild (a.k.a. Brunhild, Brunhilda, Brünnhilde, or other variations). This legend first appears in the Poetic Edda, the Prose Edda, and the Volsunga Saga from 13th century Iceland. It also appears in the German Nibelungenlied (although that version doesn't include the enchanted sleep), and its most famous modern adaptation is in Richard Wagner's four-opera cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen. The figure of Brynhild also inspired the Marvel superheroine Valkyrie.

**The Sleeping Beauty-like portion of the legend is this. The beautiful and strong-willed Brynhild is one of the valkyries, the warrior maiden servants (and in some versions daughters) of Odin (or Woden, Wotan, etc.) who preside over battlefields and bring the souls of fallen heroes to Valhalla. But Brynhild disobeys Odin by saving (or trying to save) the life of a warrior who was marked for death. (The man's identity, why he was meant to die, why she defends him, and whether she succeeds in saving him or not varies between versions.) As punishment, Odin banishes her to the mortal realm, pricks her with a "sleep thorn," and places her in a castle (or just on a rock) surrounded by a ring of fire, condemning her to sleep until a man brave enough to venture through the flames arrives to wake her and become her husband. (In some versions, she has attendants and servants who all sleep along with her.) Many years later, the fearless hero Sigurd, or Siegfried, succeeds in passing unharmed through the flames and wakes Brynhild by cutting off her valkyrie armor (or in later retellings influenced by Sleeping Beauty, with a kiss). The couple doesn't live happily ever after, however: their further adventures and eventual tragic fates are a story for another day.

**Even though it's a well-known fact that in "the original Sleeping Beauty stories," the prince (or his counterpart) impregnates the sleeping heroine and she wakes after she gives birth, no such thing happens in this earliest proto-version. If we assume that this really is the Western world's first tale of a heroine in an enchanted sleep, then it seems as if that sordid detail was a later addition.

*Next in Heiner's book come several medieval French Sleeping Beauty tales, mostly from Arthurian romances. These are the tales where we first see the motif of the heroine's love interest raping her in her sleep and fathering a child. Since few of them have ever been translated into modern English, the book simply summarizes them instead of printing them in full.

**The best-known of these stories, which most resembles Sleeping Beauty as we know it today, is the tale of Troylus and Zellandine from Le Roman de Perceforest, an Arthurian romance from 14th or 15th century France. In this tale, a knight named Troylus loves a princess named Zellandine. Then he learns that while spinning, Zellandine has suddenly fallen into a deep sleep, from which no one can wake her. With the help of a spirit named Zephir and the goddess Venus, Troylus enters the tower where she lies and, at Venus's urging, he takes her virginity. Nine months later, Zellandine gives birth to a son, and when the baby sucks on her finger, she wakes. Zellandine's aunt now arrives, and reveals the whole backstory, which only she knew. When Zellandine was born, the goddesses Lucina, Themis, and Venus came to bless her. As was customary, a meal was set out for the three goddesses, but then the room was left empty so they could enter, dine, and give their blessings unseen; but the aunt hid behind the door and overheard them. Themis received a second-rate dinner knife compared to those of the other two, so she cursed the princess to someday catch a splinter of flax in her finger while spinning, fall into a deep sleep, and never awaken. But Venus altered the curse so that it could be broken and promised to ensure that it would be. When the baby sucked Zellandine's finger, he sucked out the splinter of flax. Eventually, Zellandine and Troylus reunite, marry, and become ancestors of Sir Lancelot.

***This tale provides some answers for questions that the traditional Sleeping Beauty raises. In the familiar tale, the king, the queen, and their court know about the curse, so why do they keep it a secret from the princess? Yes, they avoid upsetting her by doing so, but the end result is that when she finally sees a spindle, she doesn't know to beware of it. Why not warn her? And why is there a random old woman in the castle, spinning with presumably the kingdom's one spindle that wasn't destroyed, and why, despite living in the castle does she not know about the curse? (It's no wonder that most adaptations make her the fairy who cursed the princess in disguise.) Yet in this earlier version, there are no such questions: no one except the eavesdropping aunt knows about the curse, because it was cast in private, so no one can take precautions against it. Another standout details is the fact that Zellandine's sleep doesn't last for many years, and that the man who wakes her already loved her before she fell asleep. Disney didn't create those twists after all!

**The other medieval French Sleeping Beauty tales are Pandragus and Libanor (where Princess Libanor's enchanted sleep only lasts one night, just long enough for Pandragus to impregnate her), Brother of Joy and Sister of Pleasure (where the princess isn't asleep, but dead – yet somehow the prince still impregnates her – and is revived by an herb that a bird carries to her), and Blandin de Cornoalha (a knight who, refreshingly, doesn't impregnate the sleeping maiden Brianda, but breaks her spell by bringing a white hawk to her side).

*All of these early Sleeping Beauty tales are just one part of bigger poetic sagas. Maybe this explains why Sleeping Beauty is fairly light on plot compared to other famous fairy tales (i.e. we're told what's going to happen, and then it does happen, and it all seems inevitable from the start). Of course one argument is that it's a symbolic tale: symbolic of a young girl's coming-of-age, as the princess's childhood ends when she falls asleep and her adulthood begins when she wakes, and/or symbolic of the seasons, with the princess as a Persephone-like figure whose sleep represents winter and whose awakening represents spring. That's all valid. But maybe another reason for the flimsy plot is that the earliest versions of the tale were never meant to stand alone. They were just episodes in much longer and more complex narratives.

@ariel-seagull-wings, @adarkrainbow, @themousefromfantasyland

[howlingday]

Yo imagine jaune, ren, neptune and sun had a job in a medieval AU.

https://youtube.com/shorts/Gx8O-4X4Cxw?si=Fu0ZPxaQNNU5Ai8o

Ren Fair~

Link

Sun: I'm sorry, Madam, but your husband has fallen in battle.

Jaune: (Wearing a dress) That's not my husband.

Neptune: Oh...

Sun: Hang on. (Slaps Ren)

Ren: (Gives smoldering look, Pops back)

Sun: ...So?

Jaune: (Sobbing) It's him!

Ruby: ...Is it weird that I was expecting this?

Nora: Eh. I expected it.

Blake: (Sniffles) It's so tragic they never banged...

[anti-tenten]

I have such a. Weird relationship with misogyny in dune. Like misogyny on arrakis is obviously on purpose, Herbert very clearly tried to make a technologically advanced but a very conservative society.

But bene gesserit being treated like ultimate girlbosses doesn't sit right with me. I actually think it is a very interesting organisation because while it does strive to keep power within hands of certain women but it's achieved through perpetuating misogyny. It's powerful women who found a way to navigate the system where they're ultimately not welcome and succeed and they do perpetuate misogyny among each other because without bigotry they might have never got the power they have now. Which is.... Actually pretty historically accurate.

Think of... Maybe not medieval courts, I don't know enough about them and Christian monogamy made it a bit more straightforward (they key word is a bit) than, for instance, their Eastern counterparts, so think of Eastern harems instead (I know a bit more about Chinese history and media so I will use it as an example)

Historically, for women power often was achieved through marriage to a specific person. In harems, where the man's opinion could change on a whim about who's going to be his next spouse and separation was more easily available than in Christian world, in order to ensure a high place in harem, women (since this moment they will be referred to as "concubines" as I mostly use Chinese concubines as a vague example) a) had a child with their high ranking partner (from this point will be referred to as an emperor since, as you can imagine, being an empress would be probably the highest honour to a Chinese woman of the past and would grant one the most power possible) b) just became his favourite which is so subjective it's a one in a million chance to pull off.

The problem with having emperor's child was that the other concubines wouldn't want you to have it. A pregnant concubine could be poisoned, injured, forced a miscarriage or have an already born baby "die under mysterious circumstances". A previously favourite consort who could not give birth to emperor's son would probably be discarded in favour of someone more "fertile".

And these women weren't just lucky few out of the millions. Concubines would be rich girls groomed from the age of 13 to be emperor's future personal sex objects (I am really sick of everybody claiming that it was "so tragic" for concubines when the emperor died, the only tragic things about emperor's death for concubines were a) they would now not be able to become empresses unless someone else toppled the dynasty and took one of them as a wife (because for emperor's male relatives sleeping with emperor's concubines was considered incest. In china incest seems to be a little less common than among Europeans when it comes to nobles, partially, probably, due to the harem system) b) they would forever live as archimonks now forced to pray and grieve every day all day until they died even if they were like. 18 years old. Do you really think these women could refuse sex with a man who controlled their entire lives? Being raped was a part of their job description). They were chosen based on their physical qualities first: light skin, lack of birthmarks, foot size, body type, presence of body hair (lack of it was considered unnatural). They would spend their entire teenage years being servants after being rich girls with servants of their own their entire childhoods. They could be abused by their ladies too: like consort dun of emperor qianglong killed one of her maids, ordering her to be beaten to death for upsetting her. The emperor ordered her to pay a small compensation to the family of the victim and demoted her in rank before restoring her as a consort later.

Empresses were not known for their compassion towards women either: empress dowager lü, the widow of the first emperor of Han dynasty, was said to kill concubine qi, a lover of her deceased husband, over personal dislike, which caused her son to fell ill of shock and die, leaving her as the main source of absolute power in contemporary Han empire. HOWEVER!! Which is a big disclaimer! This happening was only reported by Sima Qian - a pretty notorious misogynist, and contemporary historians of imperial China had their main goal be propaganda in favour of the current emperor first and documentation of historical events second, and lying about actions of previous emperors and empresses especially - to discredit women as too evil, manipulative and emotional to be in power - was not uncommon.

Overall, the only way for a woman to achieve power in court was manipulation and violence towards competition. She could act as a regent, as did empress cixi while being the de-facto ruler of China while her very young nephew was considered the actual ruling emperor, and so did wu zeitan early on when the emperor was too physically weak to effectively rule, but all in all woman in Chinese history was the source of authority by the right of birth, like some princesses in the West could be. There was no such thing as a princess in China, being born to the empress meant you grew up rich but the chance of being a queen was very small - unless you were okay with marrying your brother if he became an emperor maybe, but it's unlikely anyone would let that slide.

And while Cixi, Wu Zeitan and maybe even Lü might cause fascination among modern Chinese people and history nerds around the world alike and were portrayed as cunning and brave centuries later in historical books and even fiction, they were just as guilty of "petty infighting" and harassing other concubines as everyone who didn't succeed. But those who didn't are often portrayed as "jealous girls fighting over a boy" and "evidence that women are evil" while all they did was try to achieve the power they couldn't get by any other means unless they were incredibly lucky, while men enjoyed power from the moment of birth and demonised women who resorted to fighting each other often just to survive.

At which point my pseudointellectual rambling ends and let's return to our muttons, that being dune. While due to supernatural abilities bene gesserit do have power that has nothing to do with their relation to men, their entire goal was to create a man who would be more powerful than them (by the right of being a man who can do the same stuff as them, obviously. Aren't men in female-dominated fields so exceptional?) and manipulate him, other men and other members of bene gesserit to keep power in their hands. But in order to do that, they had to often reduce themselves to breeders. In the beginning of the book Helena mohiam suggests that Jessica was probably planned to be chosen for an incestuous marriage to "strengthen" a certain genetic feature: her sole purpose was seen in giving birth to a certain child, and that child's entire existence was nothing more but a step in creating kwisattz haderach. Margot purposefully seduces feyd (and considering feyd was 17 at the time I'm concerned about what age Margot was supposed to be at the time tbh) just to keep the harkonnen clan bloodline going on the male side (since historically women don't legally inherit the clan name like it happened with Jessica harkonnen and subsequently her son Paul). In order to keep power in their own hands, bene gesserit do not just cling onto powerful men in hopes of manipulating them, but condemn themselves and each other to marriage to men they don't like, sex they don't want, painful childbirth of children they don't care about: they might have supernatural abilities, but their political power comes from sex (sometimes even rape when they're forcibly married to somebody) and breeding.

And Herbert does not portray it as good: bene gesserit do, at the end of the day, hurt each other and others for the sake of collective power which ends in creation of force that they couldn't control in the face of Paul Atreides that breaks free of their control for better or for worse. But also not the ultimate evil: Jessica cares for Paul as her son first, not as a project in making. These women are not a hivemind of giggling witches treating men like puppets and manipulating them with babies. They're composed of individuals, they're a community united by similar ideas and a common goal, but all of them are different, a lot of them are as much victims as they're perpetrators. Older women use the misogyny they experienced on younger women to show their authority. And no, it's not "girlboss queen behaviour". It's a tragedy. Divorcing yourself from your own body, using yourself as a vessel for The (possible) Man™ or another vessel, a man's toy is tragic. A lot of them didn't choose this fate, it's just all they know. Is the power really worth it, especially when your plan comes crashing down? Were those years spent with family you never wanted worth the political intrigue?

Herbert doesn't give us a direct answer as to how we should feel about this: should we despise, pity or even dismiss them as some club of crazy fanatics. He just creates a world where he shows us women who are not above not only intrigue and cultural imperialism but even just fucking over each other and themselves give up their freedom and happiness for the shred of hope their descendants might be great and powerful and they will play a role in their greatness. What we think of that is up to us. But I, personally, don't think it's anything but tragic for everyone involved.

In conclusion:

what

[isolde-illustrates]

Young Bronte

I wanted to draw Bronte as a child, so I drew him with his father. The clothing is based off medieval Europe since elves have accents close to British, and the father has a simplified version of the family crest of Bronte since his last name has not been revealed.

The actual pose and emotions are based off the idea that Bronte was the first inflictor. In this idea, tw: death, he manifested his ability when he accidentally sent out emotions against his mother, who was an empath. Not only did she feel the emotions Bronte sent out, but also her husband's, and then the fear coming from Bronte afterwards. This caused the woman's mind to fracture and split while she simultaneously began to go numb as her body's coping mechanism to the flood of emotions kicked in. Similar to how snakes cannot control how much venom they release when they are very young, inflictors cannot control how much of their emotions they give out, making doses unpredictable. In this instance, Bronte let out all of his inflicting, causing his mother's mind to splinter. She was seeming to recover for a couple of days, although her emotions were shut off, but after about a week or so, her mind completely lost its grasp, and Bronte's mother had a broken mind.

His father shut up himself and the boy in their house, trying to process the event while also taken care of his wife. He had acted as a knight in the war between the species (before the treaties but after Fallon's establishment of the elven claims to certain lands). More reinforcements were required, and the elves required more knights to return to the battle. They also wanted to train up the young children into skilled warriors, using some of the few with special abilities to be the top warriors.

After some debate, his father was able to keep Bronte from the track of kids trained at Exilium for the front lines, giving his son up and the knowledge of his ability in hopes that Foxfire, the school of special abilities, would bring his son to one of the leader roles instead of a knight one. At the time, the schools were boarding schools, so Bronte's father told him goodbye for the last time before going to the front of the war and dying. Less than a year later, the Council created the Peace Treaties with the humans, goblins, trolls, gnomes, and ogres.

I felt like giving Bronte a little tragic backstory while also drawing him as a little kid. This is why he could not inflict positive emotions, had known for a while that elves can die, and was so desperate to keep Sophie from being a weapon that could be used against the Lost Cities (cause he had been meant as one to protect them). He also would totally have the memories of that week stored in his cache.

Sophie, during her inflicting session: Can we look at your cache? Can we? Can we?

Bronte: What? No!

Sophie: If I get the next lesson first try, can we?

Sophie, after excelling the first time: You never said you would not, so I want to see that memory. *points to one that is red* Cause it's the color of this ability!

Sophie, after watching how Bronte discovered his ability: Yeahh, next time, I'm gonna let you pick. That movie was a total downer.

[demonmoonsupreme]

I agree so hard with your post. Something you didn't mention, is that that plot is there at all because of the source material. What do you think of Queen Guinevere compared to Gwen? Because I think that while the legendary figure may not be the passive "ideal" wife, she's endured for a reason. While Gwen, is more defined by what she didn't actually do and by Arthur's love interest.

I’m so sorry, I think I’m answering this days late I honestly didn’t see it! I never get asks. And this will probably make no sense (raging headache), but here goes.

I definitely think the only reason the bbc writers included the adultery plot is because it is such a major part of Queen Guinevere’s characterization in Arthuriana. In earlier stories she’s usually with Mordred, but in later legends she’s depicted as having this epic romance with Lancelot. One thing I do really enjoy about the historical context of that is that because she’s a married woman, she actually has the ability to pursue lovers outside of her marriage bed. “Courtly Love” was never about dashing knights and fair maidens; it was about sexual autonomy that could be afforded to married women if they found themselves sexually or romantically unsatisfied. I feel that Guinevere was in part written to appeal to women. And, I mean, I know that even within that context she’s often characterized as either a loyal and diplomatic wife and Queen, or as a usurping harlot that can’t get rid of her husband fast enough. And people will still judge her for that just as they would Gwen. So while I absolutely adore Queen Guinevere and all that she is and could be, I do find that a lot of the older legends don’t always do they very best at characterizing her as a stand-alone figure. It’s usually Arthur and Guinevere, or Lancelot and Guinevere. As though she doesn’t really exist outside of her connections to men. Thankfully, more recent literature has developed her beyond her relationships to men. And either way, old or new stories alike (well, I mean apart from the kidnapping stories that are common in Arthuriana), she is depicted as having a plenty of autonomy in choice of a lover.

BBC, for some unknown reason, decided Gwen was forbidden the dreaded ‘A’ word.

I also just want to say, I think Guinevere and Lancelot have persevered to be this cultural phenomenon in the same vein as Romeo and Juliet. People just wrote them as being magnetic; they were epic and tragic. And I remember being, like, 12 years old and seeing some illustration of when Guinevere is sentenced to death for adultery and while the flames rise around her Lancelot cuts down his own comrades to save her. Because as poetic as courtly love is, and as fantastical to a woman in the medieval ages would find this beautiful & powerful heroine who dared desire someone who wasn’t her own husband, Guinevere was kept in check by the misogynistic society in which she lived. Monogamy was really only something that it was considered integral for women to engage in; a marriage to a woman meant possession of her body (and yeah, of course this also has to do with line of succession, but I really don’t want to go into a tangent about exclusive mating rights with a figure that is most often portrayed as infertile). Which is why the rebellion that Guinevere did against that is so cool. Lancelot was noticeably not burning at the stake, and being Lancelot he, well, betrayed his king and friend (and I always figured that Lancelot loved Arthur) again and saved Guinevere because as he sees it she is no more guilty than he is and he couldn’t let her die for their shared transgression. And that illustration has fucking stuck with me for 15 years as the epitome of everything.

So yeah, unfortunately Gwen was mostly a plot device. I love her to bits, but it soon becomes apparent as the show goes on that she doesn’t exist because she must exist and her journey is integral. She’s there simply because they figured they needed a Guinevere for authenticity. Just like they decided they needed the cheating plotline: for authenticity. It was just another plot to throw in there, but because the plot doesn’t truly come from the depths of that character’s soul…it falls flat. And it’s just bad 😖.

And I know that Angel and Santiago could have eaten up that adultery arc. Every time they were on screen together I literally felt like a had cinderblocks on my chest, the chemistry was suffocating.

And to make the day! @thesongistheriver pointed out that Gwen barely passes the Bechdel test post series 1. So the writers gave her barely any women confidants, killed her family, used her as a plot device, took away her autonomy, and then had the gaul to characterize her as so one dimensional and moral that ‘she did this things but no she really didn’t, because if she really did she wouldn’t be likeable anymore’. Bullshit, the main character killed someone every episode and people swallowed it.

[albentelisa]

Romeo and Juliet

Toby and Mary Dating Advices.

and time and Space as well.

For my favorite moment from Trollhunters, it's a draw between the kiss after Jim comes back from the Darklands (the picture for this ask game) and when Claire touches half-troll Jim's cheek in Jimhunters.

Dating advice for Jim? Be more confident in yourself and your relationship with Claire. And for Claire, it's to be more open to Jim about her struggles as she definitely tends to believe that she can do everything herself.

As for Aus... Oh, I have so many Au ideas in my notes, and there's still so many in my inbox, but well, I pick three AUs I love (because picking one is too difficult, LOL):

The first one is a variation of my Mirrorred convictions AU, but with Jim being full on the bad guys' side (as Kanjigar defeated and killed Barbara when Jim was small, and Jim grew up with Bular as his only family). Jim is the one who kills Kanjigar here (as an act of revenge) and Claire is the new Trollhunter. The thing is that Jim meets Claire before that (and gets a crush on her). Why do I like it? Because it's full on Romeo and Juliet story.

The second AU features grown-up and married Jlaire. Jim has been Trollhunter for years in this one, but Claire knows nothing. At some point, things become more complicated (and Merlin happens), so Jim is forced to forsake his humanity and disappear. Claire refuses to accept it and tries to find her husband, discovering trolls' existence as a result. Why do I like it? Because it's about Claire saving Jim from his tragic hero complex (and Merlin gets punched in this one)

And the third one is Two champions AU where there are two amulets (Merlin's and Morgana's), Gunmar has never been sealed, humans are confined behind the city walls without progressing beyond medieval technologies, and both Jim and Claire are chosen by respective amulets. Why do I like this one? Because it has rival vibes and secret identities, and it's rivals-to-lovers, LOL