#King Arthur is the crippled brother

[nightswatchdisbandmentera]

It’s about the second sons finishing what the elder sons couldn’t. It’s about the unlikely candidate rising from the uncertainty that comes with a young heir’s death and destruction. And look how that’s reflected with Jon and Bran, two characters who put a spin on king Arthur’s tale. Sure they’re going to be kings, but they weren’t meant to be. Not initially. Their older brothers were. Aegon was meant to be the king, he was meant to be the promised prince. Yet he was cut down before he could even live. Robb was the honorable king, the valiant hero destined to save House Stark. Yet, like Prince Aegon, he was cut down before his prime - a sixteen year old boy. In any other tale, Aegon would live and Robb would win. But not in this one. Aegon died, and Robb died after him. But their legacies and the hope they carried remained, to be picked up by their younger brothers - their unlikely heirs. Aegon can’t be the promised prince because he died, but Jon can. Robb can’t rebuild House Stark, but Bran will. Aegon and Robb were born to be destined for greatness, but Jon and Bran had greatness thrust upon them. And see how they rise to the occasion!

[queer-ragnelle]

Why do you hate the Once and Future Knight? I decided not to pick up the book because of personal preference but I’d love to hear your rant on it

Hi anon!

I’m assuming you mean The Once and Future King by TH White?

There’s nothing I could say that hasn’t already been said before I’m sure. But I didn’t read the series until I had already read many other Arthurian tales and I really don’t understand the love the series gets. The negatives don’t outweigh the positives, and worse, the lasting impact of TH White’s characterization choices on subsequent retellings is a stain on the literary tradition that set us back too far to comprehend. Putting my rant below a cut because I went off and the subject matter is disgusting.

First and foremost, the bigotry is astounding. The racism, the misogyny, the ableism and every other prejudice and cruelty you can think of are staggering in their variety and magnitude. It’s vile. It’s inexcusable. I don’t read modern Arthurian retellings to be bombarded with that in every single chapter. TOAFK is not “a product of its time.” It’s a product of a deeply unhappy and hateful man. Plenty of earlier writing is vastly kinder to Palomides and Guinevere and Morgause and Mordred and Lancelot or any other character unlucky enough to be depicted by TH White. Literally the Medieval source material is more nuanced than that. Morgause get behind me.

Secondly, the anachronism is an annoying stylistic choice at best and yet another tool for bigotry at worst. Why are Mordred and Agravaine likened to Nazis? Like seriously what the hell? It’s not enough for them to be antagonists, the text has to invoke the Holocaust? It’s so extreme it rips the reader right out of the story and calls to mind the most horrific parts of history for no narrative benefit whatsoever. Baffling and bad.

Thirdly, the prose just kinda sucks. It’s rambling and TH White will pause the narrative to stand on a soap box to talk at the reader about his views. He’s anti-war. Fine. But of all characters to use as a mouthpiece—King Arthur? The warlord King Arthur? Make it make sense.

Fourth, most tragically of all, so much of what TH White did in his series is reflected in stories told to this day. Every other retelling has a cover quote comparing it to TOAFK. (It’s supposed to be a compliment!) To put it in perspective…

You ever read a retelling with evil neglectful parent and rapist Morgause/Morgan? TH White’s fault.

How about added incest between one of the Orkney bros and their mother (which sometimes results in someone other than Gaheris killing her, say, Agravaine or Mordred)? Thanks, TH White, that’s just what Arthurian Legend was missing, more incest.

Ever see disabled, crippled, bad seed Mordred? TH White started that trend.

What about Guinevere assaulting Lancelot when she learns about Elaine getting him drunk and raping him? TH White really said “Lol what if Guinevere hits Lancelot and spits in his face while he’s crying?”

And the racism! TH White walked so Thomas Berger could run (derogatory). Discussions of race are so intense and so frequent and so random like one minute the narrator has paused the plot to talk about how war is bad and now it’s slandering Native Americans? Brother this is Medieval England what is even happening right now? Oh, look, another N bomb. The antisemitism! Weren’t you just comparing Mordred to Hitler? What do you mean the Orcadian/Scottish characters are evil because of *checks notes* “the incalculable miasma which is the leading feature of the Gaelic brain?” [Queen of Air and Darkness chapter 5] Thanks TH White for stripping Lot, Morgause, Gawain, Agravaine, Gaheris, Gareth, and Mordred of all nuance, a condition from which they have, literally, never recovered. Of course there are some retellings since that write one or two of them with a crumb of nuance, but they’ll never be like they were in the Vulgate. Not all at the same time. I feel sick.

It goes on and on. I have to stop listing examples or I’ll get pissed off. But frankly, more people should be pissed off about it! I’m tired of seeing five star reviews on storygraph and goodreads accompanied by a review excusing the most bigoted garbage I have ever read in a children’s book. It’s vile and everyone should feel bad about defending it. It’s inexcusable. This wasn’t a case of good-intentioned inclusion with dated language, this was an author going out of his way to be hateful. Period.

Big names in the fantasy book community like Daniel Greene should not be awarding five stars and leaving an uncritical review.

Far too many readers acknowledge the racism and then rate it five stars anyway. Go to Hell, Spencer.

Here’s some from storygraph with, of course, praise for Marion Zimmer-Bradley’s pedophilic power fantasy Mists of Avalon, another piece of hot festering sludge everyone should stop talking about. Kill the legacy already. The real life victims have suffered enough.

There also seems to be a trend in these reviews that excuse the texts bigotry by referring to how “old” it is. Which is crazy to me for many reasons. TOAFK in its final form was published in 1958. That wasn’t that long ago. Also racism has always been racism, misogyny has always been misogyny, ableism has ways been ableism. Plenty of authors came before this and really make TH White look like a clown.

Let’s promote them. In reverse!

John Steinbeck wrote The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights in 1956 (published posthumously in the 70s, don’t go by that date). His depictions of Morgan and Guinevere are nuanced and fascinating, not to mention some original characters including an old granny who teaches Owain to be a warrior! This book also has a morally gray sun-powered Gawain without insulting his heritage, an emotional and thought-provoking Lancelot without marking his sin with a facial deformity, and a really sweet Marhalt who doesn’t often get much spotlight!

John Erskine wrote Restoring Palamede in 1932. He does exactly what the cover says, and writes a story about the Muslim knight Palomides beginning in his own country, living with his parents whom are both named, and follows him as he learns the ways of the world and finds an ally in his friend Brangaine! Tristan and Isolde are compelling here and while Tristan can still be a jerk to Palomides, it’s not the mask-off bigotry we’ve seen…elsewhere.

Howard Pyle wrote one, two, three, four books between 1903-1910. Two thumbs up from me. No notes. He drank his respect women juice, drew them with loving care, named so many previously unknown, and gave them voices. He was kind in his portrayal to Palomides and even some other knights of color from India. Morgause survives the narrative! We love to see it!!!

Henry Newbolt wrote Mordred: A Tragedy in 1895. A fascinating examination of family ties, all five Orkney brothers here AND their wives Lyonors, Lynette, and Laurel! (Minus Ragnelle bc life is unfair.) Guinevere and Lancelot are tragic and heart wrenching. Arthur struggles against his son Mordred and their destiny in a way that doesn’t outright demonize either side. It will rewire your brain.

Richard Hovey wrote his poetry between 1891-1900. A complex and interesting Guinevere and Elaine who are not enemies, Lancelot close with Galehaut during the war, destroyed by his torn loyalties between Arthur and Guinevere, Gawain who loves his friend Lancelot with all his heart, and so much more without tearing anyone down!

Oscar Fay Adams wrote his poetry between 1886-1906. Here we get a wide variety of character focus, with title-featured names from King Lot to Dagonet to Lamorak to Lionel. Each one is more fascinating and nuanced and fresh than the last, from a tour of Lot’s castle and meeting each inhabitant to Lamorak on Grail Quest learning to forgive himself from “sweet” Sagramore.

William Morris wrote his poetry between 1856-1910. All of it is on the Camelot Project but I also have this scanned book. Here we delve into Guinevere’s trial as she calls out those who have wronged her, lonely Galahad on Grail Quest relating to his father Lancelot and praising Palomides in his steadfast hunt of the Questing Beast, there’s even a poem named for Palomides himself!!!

Anonymous wrote Moriaen in the 13th century. It follows Aglovale’s illegitimate son Moriaen, who is of African descent. As he travels around Britain looking for his father, Moriaen meets many people who are afraid of his dark skin. BUT! All the Knights of the Round Table leap to his defense, even threatening townsfolk who try to demonize Moriaen for the way he looks and refuse him service. It is, essentially, an anti-racism story from the Medieval era. Not to mention healer Gawain’s care and attention given to the sick and disabled. That’s not even the moral/focus of the story so much as Moriaen’s journey, but it’s there and worth mentioning.

So here we are with a whole list of stuff to read that predates TOAFK and surpasses it. The last one is only sort of a joke. But it’s there to make a point about how inexcusable TH White’s racism really is. If Anonymous could give a black knight like Moriaen the narrative respect he’s entitled to for existing as a representation of real human beings that look like him, then TH White was capable of it too. Progress is not linear. This is not to say Medieval times were “better” than society today. But to write off any problematic story of the recent past as “a product of its time” as an excuse to make oneself feel better about liking it, well, I don’t know what to say. Maybe reflect on that. And while that marinates, read something else.

[triviareads]

What are your favorite Scottish romance novels?

I stuck to books that are mostly set in Scotland because I do have a few more favorites that have Scottish heroes and heroines but they don't have that Scottish setting that, imo, make a Scottish romance *Scottish*

Hannah and the Highlander by Sabrina York: This was recced to me by @jeanvanjer and it's one of my favorite underrated Scottish historicals; the hero Alexander aka THE WOLF OF DUNNET is this quiet, gruff laird who's so intimidating he just grunts at the man attempting to assault the heroine and he flees. Then Hannah tries to kiss Alexander as a thank you but then HE flees because he's wildly turned on and doesn't want to speak because he has a stutter, crippling Hannah's self-confidence and leaving Alexander with no doubt he's going to marry her without even knowing her name. He also misguidedly paints her bedroom walls brown because her eyes are brown and he thinks they're beautiful. And on TOP of all this, he houses orphans impacted by the Highland Clearances and quite frankly, idk how much better of a romance hero you can get.

In Bed with a Stranger by Mary Wine: Another gruff (but more rough) laird who's perpetually threatening to catch our English heroine every time she tries to run (including when she just steps out to fill her water bottle), but like, in a hot way. He also has a bit of a breeding kink. The plot itself is actually kind of bonkers— the heroine is illegitimate and her dad's wife devises a scheme to send her to marry the Scottish laird, and when she's preggo, she'll give the baby to her legitimate half-sister and the sister will take her place with the laird........ and he's just not supposed to notice??

Scandalous Passions by Nicola Davidson: A Scottish throuple consisting of James IV's ex mistress, a super repressed knight who's also a switch, and an innocent but horny debutante. Nicola isn't afraid to Go There when it comes to sex stuff, and her style is very earthy, bodice-ripper explicit, if that makes sense, and this is one of my favorites by her because of it.

Bed Me, Duke by Felicity Niven: The rare Scottish HEROINE rep! Helen is a Scottish countess in her own right and her land is in super dire straits so she asks for sex lessons from this random rake guy she comes across so she can seduce the local duke into getting money for her people, but she doesn't realize the guy is the duke.

The Chief by Monica McCarty: This takes place in medieval Scotland during the time of Robert the Bruce; Tor is the leader of a secret group of *elite* soldiers serving Bruce. The heroine Christina is forced to compromise him so they're hastily wed and while the chemistry is great, he's hiding his extracurricular soldier activities from her.

The Saint by Monica McCarty: So every title in the Highland Guard series refers to the hero's nickname and Magnus is nicknamed the Saint basically because everyone thinks he's tragically celibate and I'm pretty sure he is after being rejected by childhood sweetheart Helen, who is now betrothed to one of his fellow comrades. The vibes are very King Arthur/Guinevere/Lancelot with a side of Persuasion.

The Recruit by Monica McCarty: The hero is Helen's brother Kenneth who did the most for me early on when the heroine Mary caught him having sex in the stables with another lady and he MAINTAINED EYECONTACT while finishing. Mary is a widow but basically hasn't had good sex before until Kenneth arrives on the scene.

[dwellordream]

“During the years of Eleanor of Aquitaine’s captivity, 1174–89, she disappears almost entirely from sight. According to one account, Henry II ordered her confined in “well guarded strong places”; and she was first housed under close supervision in the royal castle at Sarum, or Old Salisbury, although later she can be located occasionally at other royal castles in southern England. As a woman, Eleanor received more lenient treatment than men captured while taking part in an armed rebellion; and Henry may have chosen Salisbury Castle for her detention as a gesture of leniency, for its residential quarters, a large quadrangle next to the keep, had been one of her favored abodes during her earlier years as queen.

According to a chronicler at Limoges, Henry imprisoned his queen at Salisbury Castle, “on guard against her reverting to her machinations.” The king’s fear was Eleanor’s continued involvement in the intrigues of their quarrelsome sons, and he tried to ensure that no communication passed between them. Yet he could not afford to treat her too harshly, for that would only have added to the hatred that Young Henry, Richard, and Geoffrey already felt for him. Earlier, both Anglo-Norman monarchs and counts of Anjou had not hesitated to imprison defeated nobles, including near-relatives, for years, often under such harsh conditions that they lost their health, if not their lives. 

A queen’s long captivity was startling, but imprisonment of great ladies was not unprecedented. In medieval vernacular literature, tales were not uncommon of aristocratic ladies locked away for years, many of them by their own families, and history records many noble maidens whose fathers were forced to turn them over to their lords as hostages. Henry II could have made other choices for ridding himself of the threat presented by Eleanor to the stability of his rule. She could simply have disappeared during her captivity at Chinon, but young Arthur of Brittany’s mysterious disappearance from Rouen Castle later during John’s reign shows that such a solution would have created more problems than it solved. 

Rumors that John had murdered his nephew with his own hands quickly spread, and it sapped his subjects’ loyalty to him, crippling him in his contest with his archenemy Philip of France. Certainly rumors of Eleanor’s death while in Henry’s hands following his suspected role in the murder of Becket would have had a similar effect. His wife’s murder would have aroused revulsion throughout Europe, and it would have so enraged the Poitevins that Plantagenet rule over them would have been impossible. In any case, Henry’s character had little in common with that of the insecure and overly suspicious John, and although severe and vengeful, he lacked his youngest son’s depraved cruelty that surfaced once he was king. 

An option that great men had often chosen in earlier centuries for dealing with wayward or unwanted wives was immuring them in convents. Henry II considered such a step in 1175–76, when his adulterous affair with Rosamund Clifford was at its most passionate stage. A contemporary writer claimed that Henry, having imprisoned his queen, no longer tried to hide his adultery, and publicly displayed as his mistress, “not a rose of the world (mundi rosa) . . . , but more truly might be called the rose of an impure husband (immundi rosa).” 

Apparently Henry was not worried that dissolution of his marriage to Eleanor would threaten his authority over her duchy of Aquitaine. Despite Louis VII’s loss of Aquitaine as a result of his divorce, Henry seemed confident that Richard’s formal installation as duke of Aquitaine and count of Poitou would keep Eleanor’s lands safely in Plantagenet hands. Henry saw an opportunity to secure a divorce from Eleanor at the time of a mission to England by a papal legate, sent from Rome to settle one of the endless quarrels between the kingdom’s two archbishops. On the papal representative’s arrival in England in autumn 1175, the king received him with honor, showering him with gifts and flattery. 

Henry assumed that the cardinal would agree readily to a dissolution of his marriage on grounds of consanguinity, since Louis VII had won a divorce for that reason, and Henry’s kinship to Eleanor was even closer than her relationship to her first husband. The English king allegedly offered his queen release from her captivity during his Easter court at Winchester in 1176, if she would agree to enter a religious house, no doubt Fontevraud Abbey, probably with the prospect of becoming abbess there. The abbey had a reputation as a residence for noble ladies seeking refuge from wordly affairs, but Eleanor was unwilling to join them, not even if installed as abbess, and she and her sons resisted Henry’s plan. 

She even appealed to the archbishop of Rouen against being packed off to Fontevraud, and he refused to give his consent to Henry’s plan. As the archbishop of Rouen’s role shows, the Church’s opposition was another obstacle to Henry in ridding himself of Eleanor, and his projected divorce was not to be easily accomplished. After Becket’s martyrdom, the English king had little credit with the papacy or with churchmen in England or elsewhere in Europe. He was in no position to pressure a pope firmly opposed to approving a divorce, particularly one who was doubtless aware of rumors that he desired the divorce in order to marry his mistress. 

Whatever the possibility of Henry II setting his queen aside and taking Rosamund Clifford as his wife, events intervened to prevent it, for his beloved mistress died late in 1176 or in 1177. His fair Rosamund was buried at Godstow Priory in Oxfordshire only a few miles from their trysting place at Woodstock. Around the time of Rosamund’s death the patron of Godstow, an Oxfordshire baron, assigned his patronage rights over the house to Henry in order that it should be held “in chief of the king’s crown, as the Abbey of Saint Edmund and other royal abbeys throughout the kingdom of England are constituted.” This elevation in Godstow’s status reflects Henry’s deep feelings for his mistress, a desire to honor the convent that housed her tomb and to place the nuns watching over it under royal protection. 

In the years following Rosamund’s death, Henry showed great generosity to the Godstow nuns, making them cash grants and giving them timber for their building projects. Soon gossip was circulating that Henry II’s desire for an annulment of his marriage was not in order to wed Rosamund Clifford, but so that he could marry instead the sixteen-year-old Alix of France, a maiden whom he had already “unchastely, and with too much want of faith, dishonored.” Alix’s father Louis VII had betrothed her to Richard at the Montmirail settlement of 1169, and he had handed her over to be raised at her future father-in-law’s court. 

Henry’s ravishing of young Alix was far more shameful to contemporaries than his affair with Rosamund Clifford, for he had taken advantage of a girl entrusted to him as his ward when she was only nine to remain in his household until she reached the proper age for marrying Richard. In taking her to his bed, he had not only violated her trust, but also the trust of her father, his lord the French king, as well as that of his own son. This affair had begun during the queen’s absences from court, but given the rapid circulation of rumors from the royal court, Eleanor heard of the scandal almost at once, whether still in Poitou or sequestered in England later. 

The queen would learn that Henry did not limit his adulterous affairs to Alix of France while she was in captivity. He sired another illegitimate son by a Welsh woman, Nest, married to one of his knights from southwestern England. He acknowledged the boy, named Morgan, who became a cleric and eventually was named provost of Beverley, Yorkshire, a lucrative ecclesiastical living that English kings often granted to high-ranking royal servants. News of the king’s liaison with Alix must have left Eleanor appalled, for the king’s conduct not only grossly violated aristocratic standards of honorable behavior, but also betrayed and humiliated her favorite son. 

It gave both Eleanor and Richard yet another grievance against Henry. According to a courtier’s hostile account, the king hoped by means of new heirs born to his new favorite that he might “be able effectually to disinherit his former sons by Eleanor, who had troubled him.” The story of Henry II’s seduction of Alix is not simply another scurrilous tale told by his enemies, for several sources corroborate it. Henry was curiously reluctant to carry out the princess’s long-delayed marriage to Richard, despite periodic protests from Louis VII and Philip II and from high-ranking churchmen including the pope complaining on their behalf. 

Strongest evidence for the accusation’s accuracy, however, is Richard Lionheart’s own resistance to marrying Alix. Roger of Howden, a chronicler with access to court circles, records Richard’s excuse offered to Philip, her half-brother, for refusing to marry his betrothed of many years at the outset of the Third Crusade. He quotes Richard as telling the French king, “I do not reject your sister; but it is impossible for me to marry her, for my father had slept with her and had a son by her.” Richard then added that he could present many witnesses capable of testifying to the truth of his statement. 

At the time, the English king was in the embarrassing position of preparing to take a Spanish princess as his bride, and he needed a potent excuse for breaking off his engagement to Alix. The Lionheart’s most respected modern biographer finds it difficult to discount Howden’s “explicit statement.” Furthermore, the Lionheart need not have lodged such a bitter accusation against his own father in order to justify his rejection of Alix; he could simply have declared that she had borne another man’s child without naming the father.

…As years passed Eleanor was allowed to make sojourns at other castles, certainly to Winchester and Windsor and perhaps as far west as Devonshire, where she had held substantial lands. Within Winchester Castle was a series of buildings that together formed the equivalent of a royal palace; and during Henry II’s reign repairs and additions to the residential quarters were constantly under way.  At Winchester, the queen probably encountered her daughter-in-law, Margaret, wife of the Young King, who was a frequent visitor there, for works undertaken in 1174–75 included construction of an addition “where the young queen hears mass.”

In 1176, Robert Mauduit received a payment of almost three pounds by the king’s order, apparently for Eleanor’s expenses during Henry’s Easter court held that year at Winchester. That court marked the last time that she would see all four of her sons together. Richard and Geoffrey had crossed from France for the feast, and they returned to the Continent with their father. Henry the Young King and his queen also left England after Easter, and he would be away from the kingdom for three years before returning for another Easter court at Winchester. 

The dullness of Eleanor’s life was brightened by the betrothal of her youngest daughter Joanne in 1176. The captive Eleanor had no voice in negotiations for the eleven-year-old girl’s hand, but she would have been filled with pride at Joanne’s selection as the bride of William II, king of Sicily. William’s kingdom was the creation of eleventh-century Norman adventurers incorporating both Sicily and the southern Italian mainland and heir to traditions of the island’s previous occupiers, Greeks, Romans, and Arabs. 

Years earlier Eleanor had seen first-hand the island’s splendors at their height under King Roger II, when her ship from the Holy Land, blown off course, landed her at the cosmopolitan city of Palermo in 1149. By the time William succeeded to the throne, however, Sicily’s greatness was fading into a sort of “Indian summer.” Henry II had sought a Sicilian marriage for one of his daughters earlier, and the project was revived in May 1176, when ambassadors from the Sicilian royal court came to England. They were entertained at Winchester, where Joanne was residing and where Eleanor had remained for a time after the Easter court. 

The young princess’s beauty impressed the envoys, and Henry agreed to her betrothal to the young Sicilian ruler. English emissaries set off for Sicily to negotiate the marriage settlement, arriving at Palermo in early August. Perhaps the queen helped in readying her daughter’s trousseau and prepared her for life at the Sicilian royal court by recalling her own visit there years earlier. After Joanne’s departure for her new home, her mother could not have expected to see her ever again, but chance would reunite them on two occasions many years later. In September 1176 Joanne left Winchester for Palermo, loaded with clothing, gold and silver plate, and other impressive gifts to take to her new island home; the cost of one of her robes, no doubt her wedding dress, was over £114.25 

In February 1177 in the Palatine Chapel at Palermo, she married William, a young man of twenty-two, and her coronation as his queen quickly followed. Joanne’s Sicilian marriage aroused greater interest among the English than had her two elder sisters’ marriages earlier to foreign princes. English adventurers journeyed south to seek their fortunes, attracted by accounts of the island kingdom’s riches. Artistic and literary inspiration flowed northward from Sicily; mosaics in Sicily’s Byzantine-style churches influenced English wall-paintings and manuscript miniatures, and the Sicilian kingdom became a setting for English romances.”

- Ralph V. Turner,  “A Captive Queen’s Lost Years, 1174–1189.” in Eleanor of Aquitaine: Queen of France, Queen of England

[fanficlibraryposts]

Game of Thrones/ Song of Ice and Fire Fic Recs

Cripples, Bastards, and Broken Things by The Queen of Thornes

We know no King, but the King in the North whose name is Stark. [Time-Travel AU]

*Being Rewritten*

A Burning Realm by LuckyCookie

The Dragon Prince, Rhaegar Targaryen is betrothed to Lyanna Stark to secure the loyalty of the North in a marriage that seems catastrophic for both in the beginning, but as time passes, they might just discover they were born to be together.As King Aerys' madness covers the realm, a plot is taking place being lead by his own heir to topple the Mad King and free the realm of it's suffering.

Life in court is everything but a fairytale.

Marked From Beneath the Weirwood Tree by Mocking_point

Soulmates were rare in Westeros, so when every single Stark child gains a soul-mark Westeros becomes instantly curious. Now while taking his role as the New Hand, Ned Stark brings his brood to King's Landing with him and Westeros will be changed forever.

Dragonstone by Danivat (DannieU)

After the death of his brother, Robert Baratheon needs a loyalist Lord on Dragonstone. He also really wants back in Ned's good graces.

Or, the Game goes on after the Rebellions. The Starks still won't play, but everyone is playing the Game all around them, and Jon Sand has somehow become an important piece. Robert Baratheon, unknowingly, is the Targaryens' greatest asset.

Ghosts and Dreams by Miss_Sketchi

The Ghosts of Winterfell have woken to help the living fight against the Army of the Dead and magic has begun to shift the tides of the coming Winter.

*Warning: On Hiatus*

Sun and Snow by W1ngs

Arianne Martell and Jon Stark are polar opposites of each other. One is of summer, the other of winter. Yet when Jon is sent to squire for Oberyn Martell on his seventeenth nameday, the princess of Dorne finds that he might just be the Ice to her Fire. Meanwhile, Ned Stark plans to place the son of Lyanna Stark on the throne, and danger lurks beyond the wall. Arianne/Jon ship fic

My Honor Goes Only So High. by alperez

Jon Arryn realizes the truth Ned Stark's bastard, disgusted with the events during and after the rebellion, he makes a backup plan in case his fears for the realm prove true.Jon Snow is to be raised until old enough by the Starks and to then Foster in the Vale, how does this change the game of thrones, when a falcon and wolf fall in love.

A Question of an Heir by LizaGreen

Many years into the future, Westeros has moved on into a period of relative peace. King's landing has expanded, the suburbs becoming home to many Lord's second homes. And hidden within one of these houses, lives Lyanna Stark's only son, Jon Snow. He lives with only five servants, at the mercy of the Lady Catelyn Stark.

But now things are about to change, starting with a single dinner hosting the King and Council. Jon is thrust into a world of politics, intrigue and dragons. His only allies: one half-sister and a cousin just as clueless as he.

*Regency AU !*

Howling at the Stars by AugustStories

Born with his father's eyes, Jon grows up as the son of Arthur Dayne in far away Essos and protective Dorne.Supported by the love of his family and friends and aware of the tension in the realm, Jon over the years faces some truths, some choices and a lot of adventure.

*This one is a series of one shots or really short chapters*

Dynasty by  Persephone_Lancaster

Dynasties rise and fall but the 300 year old Targaryen dynasty has prevailed. With some arguing the dragon monarchy is rotting and has had its day, a teenage boy is thrust into the most senior position of power and must assume responsibility of an entire realm whilst juggling his family, foreign powers and romance. He must preserve his house's authority and make a name for himself that lives up to his ancestors.

Or after the death of his father and brother, Jon Snow ascends the Iron Throne - becoming the King of the Seven Kingdoms and the head of House Targaryen.

Disclaimer: The fanfiction above were not written by me for I am not nearly as creative. However, I am an avid reader and movie buff so these are some of my favorite fanfiction within the fandom. I politely ask that you read the tags attached the fanfiction beforehand so that you know what you are getting yourself into, there may be crossovers. If you don’t like it then don’t read it. In addition, I ask that there be no bashing, the fics are based on my preferences and what I like. Lastly, if there are any specific genre or fandom of fics you want me to get into let me know through my ask box.

[arcadian-legacies]

CHANGES & UPDATES on my series!! There will be some Tear Jerker moments in Arcadian Legends, where certain side characters are offed for real!! And the main protagonist Choriacirith slowly develops PTSD, thanks to the actions of Valefar (later revealed to be his older brother) and Zeus.

@greciandamselindistress @hxuse-of-muses

Teak Jerker #1 Over the course of Season 3, Cho's best friend Helen grows increasingly scared, uncertain, and generally nervous around the Greek Gods she once wholeheartedly trusted and respected is hard to watch. And is seems on the verge of tears as she speaks with her best friend/brother and her human parents; a far cry from her normally composed demeanor. She might have been the most beautiful woman in the world., but was still an innocent 17-year-old girl who was happily enjoying her everyday life with her friends - and the weight of her coronation to Queen of Troy is clearly something she wasn't prepared to face. 

Tear Jerker #2 Helen's execution scene. Despite putting up the most impressive fight anyone could have imagined, ultimately, the witch falls in the most awful way imaginable: she's painfully crippled, and then shot through the heart. She doesn't go out with a boom or in a blaze of glory. She can only whimper breathlessly in front of Valefar as she starts to lose consciousness. Cho is then forced to watch as Valefar gently touches her head, disintegrating her into the wind and leaving behind only her tiara. Which pushed the theme that there's no victory in strength, and the beautiful Helen fading into light is such a sad, feeble way brings it home for everyone.

Tear Jerker #3 Just the look on poor Cho's face when Helen is disintegrated right in front of him. He already had lost one friend earlier that very same day. This time however, he has front row seats to the loss of one of his closest companions, and his eyes couldn't look more broken. When Cho later recounts what happened to his friend Achilles, there's an audible note of pure hatred in his voice when he says Valefar's name. Cho's usual happy and optimistic self, who always sees the positive side, no matter how bad things get. Now, however, he's been brought to the darkest point anyone has ever seen.

ANNNNDDDDD...

A little factoid on my main protag OC. He is King Arthur, or at least the one that inspired such legends to be recorded during the 5th Century. In truth, the sword was forged by Hephaistos, the God of Fire and Blacksmithing and was later hidden away somewhere in England. No one ever found it, well until Cho did anyway during one of his adventures.

And another factoid on him is that he lived from 600 B.C. until 537 AD, where he fell to his son, best friend, and wife. And he left a lasting legacy upon the world for centuries to come as an important part of folklore all over England.

[disappearinginq]

If you're still doing these: Top 5 fictional characters? Top 5 books?

I like avoiding chores, so yes - definitely still answering asks: 

Top 5 Fictional Characters: 

1. Sherlock Holmes - I will admit, the more recent versions of this character with Benedict Cumberbatch and Robert Downey Jr. are probably my favorite versions of Holmes, but I will read or watch pretty much anything about this man. I have even Young Sherlock and Moriarty sitting on my shelves, and even House of Silk (when I get the time). I just...I like characters that are the smartest in the room, and while I appreciate the surprise of a humble smart character, I am much closer to Sherlock and his “you can’t really be this dumb...oh. Shit. You are.”

2. Robin Hood - again, I will read or watch pretty much anything about this character, though I will always love Kevin Costner’s Prince of Thieves - and I actually did like Taron Edgerton’s portrayal in the most recent one, even though both versions were absolutely panned by critics. Probably because I wholeheartedly subscribe to taxation is theft, but also because I like any character who rips off people who have it coming to them. 

3. Merlin - I should say the mythology of King Arthur and Knights of the Round Table and anyone associated with it. But anyone who knows me likes a bit of subtle magic and either snarky secret wizards or cantankerous old wizards, and to this day, Sword in the Stone is my favorite iteration of this storyline. 

4. Tony Stark - Probably for the same reason I like Sherlock Holmes, I like Tony Stark, especially in the MCU. It’s one of the few times that someone is shown with a relatively not pretty version of CPTSD, and how it can alter your brain chemistry to the point of making wildly poor decisions because in your mind, it seems perfectly rational. (Do I like how Steve and everyone else just compacts the problem by complaining that Tony tries to control everything but also that everything is Tony’s fault? No - but that, in a way, is also accurate). Tony is also one of the few characters that witnesses fallout to his decisions, and learns from them. Again, not always the right lesson, but his character does learn. 

5. Aliena of Shiring from Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett - I will admit, I added her after wondering why I had no women fictional characters, but I realized most of it has to do with the terrible way that women characters are written. Aliena manages to be what I would call unconquerable. The amount of crap that woman puts up with for 1000 pages and still manages to not break, keep strong, think and out maneuver life is truly awe inspiring. I love her character so much.  

Top 5 Books. 

Hmm. Well, we already said I would read anything about Sherlock, Robin and Merlin, so...let’s branch out. 

1. Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. Follett primarily wrote spy and action novels, so this historical epic about cathedral building in a small town in England in the 12th century. It has epic everything. The characters are fantastic - True Good and True Evil, there’s a nun who places a curse on the bad guys and becomes a witch who lives in the woods. It has everything that is good about the church and everything that is bad about the church. It deals with the every day peoples’ dealings with the constant change between rulers (Empress Matilda and Stephen of Blois were going at it in a civil war after the death of Henry’s only legit son). It has a literally epic love story between Jack and Aliena, to whom every love story will forever pale in comparison, and Aliena legit walked across all of Christendom to find her True Love. Movie counterparts are Eddie Redmayne and Hayley Atwell. Everyone who is good gets a Happy Ending. Everyone who is evil gets their goddamn comeuppance in the most horrible of ways and they fucking deserve that shit.  

2. Okay, so on the heels of “the most epic story of all time”, I present to you a “It’s not the greatest but I love it anyway” - Rise of Renegade X, by Chelsea Campbell, which is in fact a series, and I love the second and third installment the most, but it’s about a made up city where there are superheroes and supervillains and that’s just how life goes. Heroes are marked with an H on their thumb when they turn 16, villains with a V (it’s a plot point to explain why, but it’s a genetic thing, like a finger print), and on the main character’s 16th birthday, he expects a V and instead gets an X. He eventually tracks down his super hero dad who didn’t know that he existed, and convinces the kid to come live with his family - where he has three other children, and a wife who was permanently crippled by a supervillain. As it goes along, the series deals more and more with prejudice, racism, classism, Good versus Evil compared to Right versus Wrong, and the MC, Damien is the first person narrative, so you get all of his snarky sarcasm first hand. 

3. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. 100% because of the world building, the fact that it is a fantasy version of Ocean’s Eleven, but also because I truly and deeply adore Kaz Brekker. One of the few characters with no particular power, he’s perfectly human, and absolutely terrifying. And while he has a character arc that I adore, it does not fundamentally hinge on him changing who he is. At the end, Kaz is still a fucking cold hearted, brilliant and scheming bastard, but the audience has an insight to him that maybe Kaz doesn’t even have himself. His issues don’t magically go away. He doesn’t have a Scrooge moment. He has his own set of principles and he stays by them, and what is so lovely is that the love interest accepts that. 

4. Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater. Murder horses based on Irish/Scottish Mythology, and a horse race with said murder ponies. Need I say more?  

5. Book of Lost Things by John Connolly. This is going to sound weird as a recommendation, but this book is the book of fucking nightmares. I read it for a class on Ireland because we had to pick either a story about Ireland, takes place in Ireland, or was written by an Irish person. I read this in I think an afternoon and I didn’t sleep that night. Despite the main character being like 11 years old, I would never let a kid read it. It’s a dark, true-to-Grimms’-source fairy tale that is like the twisted version of the Chronicles of Narnia, and a psychological trip and a half. I loved it. It is a true fairy tale - the kid, David, mom dies in the first chapter, and David feels like he failed her because he’d developed this SEVERE OCD ritual that he believed would keep his mother alive (it obviously doesn’t), and his dad, months later, remarries and has a second child, whom David hates. The baby cries all the time, the young mother is preoccupied with a baby and no husband (he’s off fighting in WWII), and David is left to occupy himself most of the time. They move out of London because of the Blitz, to David’s mother’s family estate. It’s old, and creepy, and the garden seems like something is calling to him, that sets a dread in the pit of his stomach when he goes near it. Enter the Crooked Man, a man who offers to give David everything he wants if David tells him his brother’s name. David refuses, and that night, a German plane crashes in the garden, and it turns out, that’s the portal/wardrobe to another world, and David gets dragged into it. And it just goes from there. 

Thanks for the asks! They’re always fun! 

[steve0discusses]

Yugioh S4 Ep 24: Someone Actually Called the Cops.

So recently I was like, “I should do something different than my usual” and I decided to open up a little thread for critiquing ppl’s short stories, and I kid you not, the very first story I got was someone’s Seto Kaiba erotica. Which, even in erotica form, did not have very much romance in it. So, now that Yugioh will apparently haunt my every waking move forever until I die, lets get back to S4. Lets desperately get back to canon. I miss canon.

Last we left off, Kaiba lost KaibaCorp...again. Really feels like he loses this company once every couple of years (weeks if we count season 1-3). Except, this time, Dartz didn’t read the fine print in the legal files that says the company must be run by a member of the Kaiba family. While that was a huge plot point with Pegasus, turns out that Seto and Mokuba’s memories have been blended so thoroughly, like a very fine Shadow Realm smoothie, that they just...forgot.

And like I’m positive that Roland remembers, but Roland’s not gonna say something and accidentally reveal he’s the 4th Kaiba brother and have to get abducted all the time and actually work for a living. Anyways, they forgot why Pegasus abducted them in the first place in Season 1, and honestly, so did the writers of this season 4 years later. Not like it mattered, because if Seto and Mokuba did take Dartz to court, the world would end before their case would even start.

Which is how, after one talk with Roland, Seto and Mokuba just sort of laid prone on the metaphorical ground and let it wash over them that yes, KaibaCorp is gone.

I really like this extra-long helicopter, PS.

Both members of Kaiba’s Sunglasses Army decided to align themselves with Kaiba, although honestly, I don’t think anyone else in this company has realized that they’ve been bought. It happened...1 hour ago. Like what do you even do if your company randomly gets bought in the middle of a workday? Like no lead up, no indication, just BAM you’ve been bought?

And if Duke works for Pegasus who got bought out by Dartz and then Dartz bought Kaiba Corp-------What does that make Duke? Is he gonna have to start wearing sunglasses inside?

Anyway, Roland knows better than to tell Seto Kaiba he doesn’t work for him anymore while still in the same helicopter as Seto Kaiba, who already crashed one plane today and will crash yet another plane before this episode is through.

(read more under the cut)

Seto decides to align with Yugi since he needs to confront Dartz eventually. Which is when we find out that Seto always planned to align with Yugi and was just giving him a really hard time.

Because over the last several episodes, Seto has had an entire team at this random museum in Florida in order to take some pictures (that really should have already been on the internet but wtv, it was 2003 so maybe it wasn’t?)

It’s like most of the way through s4 and the biker ninjas still send me. How did he make SO MANY biker ninjas? At what point was Dartz like...and now...all my mooks...will be ninja bikers. Or orcs. Mostly Ninja bikers.

Did Alister or the others ever tell him “hey, Master Dartz, I get that your 10000 years old but like...do you not understand what a biker is?” and was Dartz like

“clearly bikers are the most evil thing in the world, obviously.” completely unaware that most bikers are just 45 year old accountants.

In these scenes we also get a gander at their laptops and, if you ever want to see high level life crippling OCD anxiety in picture form, it’s illustrated very clearly right here:

Not only did they draw this keyboard in 1 pt perspective, they used like a ruler to draw all those letters so they were the same size. Some artist put so much time getting this nice and crisp and smooth...and then this happened.

And I’m pretty sure they died after that. I’m pretty sure this scene killed an artist.

It’s at this point that Yami kinda puts two and two together and was like “WE BOUGHT PLANE TICKET’S, YOU ASSHOLES.”

(It’s been such a long time since we’ve seen Mokuba smile like this, and it’s because he’s been hiding the fact for So Many Episodes that he and his brother prepped like hours ago to get this huge dunk on the rest of the party. He just wants to dunk on them so bad. Look at him. His company was bought today. BUT he gets to spend time with his bro dunking.)

Serious question, will Delta refund your flight if the Great Leviathan appears in the sky and tries to eat your soul to reboot the world from the ground up?

Of course not. They will never refund your flight. Trick question.

We switch back over to Rebecca and Duke, who have been absent from this show for so long, I actually forgot what Duke’s name was and had to think for like...5 entire minutes until I remembered that his nickname sounds like a poop and I was like “oh man, what name of poop would it be???” and then I recalled “Dookie. Yes. His name is literally Dookie. Wow that took way too long!”

Then we start a story arc I’d to call “My Kingdom For a Sharpen Filter” where, much like King Lear, the Yugi crew splays themselves on a battle field just strewn with different ways to sharpen an image, but can’t for the life of them use any other one, but the one deep in the heart of what is now DartzCorp.

And so yes, we are going to fly to San Fransisco, hop into ye Olde KaibaCorp, and log into proto-Noah in order to read a language that Arthur Hawkins can already read.

This is nonsense, but they put it there because it’s something to do. And honestly, it’s not a card game, so I’m down for this change-up. Lets go visit a version of Noah’s brain. At least they won’t drop an orichalcos for the 12th episode in a row.

On the way, Seto decides to try and egg on Yugi.

This backfires as you expect it will because Yami doesn’t freakin care. Like he’s not Yugi, he doesn’t care who the King of Games is, he harnesses freakin Dark Magic. The Wizard never cares if he’s King Arthur or not, and in fact, he probably prefers it....

..................Except in that spinoff where they had Yugi as a reincarnation of King Henry VII.

...................................................never mind.

And then Seto Kaiba says this actual line and I just...

WH.

WHHH

WHAT?

This entire show is just watching Yugi desperately cling to his scary ass hobbies. The tagline of Yugioh is “1001 reasons to go back to school and get a real job.”

What does Kaiba think Yugi does when he’s not around? Does he actually think Yugi attends school or sleeps at night or works an actual job? Like...he thinks Yugi has...NO HOBBIES.

Very interesting insight into what Seto considers a hobby and not hobby.

Especially since this Yami, who spends most of his spare time farting around his scary ass brain castle and getting lost. Occasionally he is forced on a date with Tea and wipes minds. That’s it. That’s all the things Yami does outside of hobbies.

Anyway, what is Dartz doing during all of this?

After this, Dartz pulls back the literal curtains on this room to reveal these candles that each hold the soul of someone he’s murdered.

There are not NEARLY enough candles for this segment.

A very brave man to have candles littered on the floor when his hair is down to his ass and all of his mooks have floorduster coats.

I really want to know what the local arts and crafts store thought when Dartz strode in there and bought every single tiny styrafoam skull during the Halloween sale and was like “can I put souls in these? You sell the kind I can put souls in, right?” and then immediately pulled out like a dozen 50% off coupons like a complete asshole.

Anyway, using this candle hocus pocus, Dartz uses the Orichalcos powers to take advantage of something Yugi did in the first episode. We distantly recall there was a giant eyeball in the sky--turns out if you bust up the eyeball with, lets say, a card that has a dragon on it, the eyeball will explode into many tiny Orichalcos pieces that will fall all over planet Earth.

So apparently Yugi didn’t save anyone at all when he busted that eyeball, because he instead set in motion Dartz’ evil plan to eventually use these many tiny Orichalcos pieces like the one seen here, to kill the hell out of people.

Good job, Yugi. Too bad you missed the Actual Bakura.

In fact, actual Bakura is probably the only one who survived this incident because I guarantee that Ryou Bakura is too busy eating all the contents of his fridge out of stress. He’s probably opened his window at this point, seen the crazy lights in the sky and in the street and was like  “Blooooooody nope nopenopenopenopenope” and just locked the windows and doors, turned up Hercule Poirot to max volume, and stuffed his face with cookies.

(Or biscuits, I guess.)

WELL.

I don’t know how to tally that.

Yugioh not only broke the tally I was using to measure the distance they spent commuting this season, it also broke the tally on the amount of people who have died on this children’s show.

That’s a really big number.

We’ve had real duel monsters for a couple weeks but youknow...this time they’re extra, extra, extra real. More so than the last times. Also they’re all Orichalcos versions of their cards so their extra edge now. They’re the hot topic versions of what were already pretty hot-topic ass cards.

MMM. We come full circle, back at a dock, a warehouse, and some huge ass boat.

Right where we belong. Where all friends meet, where we can all finally be one.

Yugioh found one of the only cities that has a very famous and tourist heavy pier/warehouse district in it just so the Yugi gang could finally feel comfortable in their natural habitat. HOWEVER, there’s just one tiny problem in this scene, and it’s that it’s not overlaid with the actual soundscape of a SF pier, which is that of 100000 screaming seals

I don’t have a seal problem, you have a seal problem.

Anyway, the only healthy adults here attempt to follow the children into danger but someone on the animation team was like “we just lost the keyboard drawing guy to that capslock! We cannot lose any more interns to a crowd scene with 9 people in it and 2 dead bodies!” and they uh...

And we immediately eject Roland and whoever that weird sunglasses guy is out of the script. Mokuba gave them a longing glance as they helicoptered away. Maybe because he missed his Dad stand-ins that he went through such efforts to call in the first place. Or more likely, because Mokuba would have preferred to be on that helicopter and far away from whatever the hell is going to go down on this dock.

Honestly the rest of Joey’s storyline this episode is him going rogue because of Mai rage, and it both comes out of nowhere and also seems very on point for him.

Meanwhile, Rebecca’s unbridled rage towards Yami Muto is still low key hilarious to me.

Witness the only character here who thinks Yami should suffer actual consequences and witness Yami just appear to not give a single damn about it.

Nearly spat out my own drink watching this.

The...

...police...

...exist in this universe?

Anyway, while Tristan and Tea try to locate a payphone to dial 911, Seto and Yugi decide to invade Seto’s own company by going through an elevator that you have to reach through the sewers.

Straight up I don’t think SF even has sewers. At least, not in the sense that you can walk in em like New York or Paris or other cities that have sewers. Our sewer systems are very small cuz we got something called “liquefaction” which means our ground is so soft (and artificial--a lot of the land is fake), that when there is an earthquake, certain parts of the city will...liquefy. It’s Terrifying. We kind of...avoid going and building underground except in certain stable places. (like even BART gives me the heebies.)

I just have a very strong distrust of basements, caves and other underground places in general and it’s not because of spiders, or ghosts or whatever, I’m just afraid of faultlines. It’s like having an active volcano, but you just don’t see it, and we haven’t had a Big One since 1989 so...any day now (I mean, 2020 has been such redic content, that I think we’re finally ready)

Again, Japan has way more intense Earthquakes than we do, and yet they have a billion underground subways and very, very tall buildings, so like, this is mostly a big cultural difference between the two of us. And the bedrock. They probably have better bedrock than we do (honestly, I just have no idea).

MASTER HACKER SKILLS.

Almost as good as that time he hacked into Pegasus’ company by dropping a satellite on it. I’m starting to think Seto actually doesn’t know how to use a computer.

Anyway, Seto is faced with...real cards, real monsters, indisputable evidence, and he decides, it’s time. It’s time to finally face facts.

So, while these two are just flinging cards around willy nilly, Tea and Tristan are ...actually talking to police.

4 seasons. They’re actually doing it.

Although, TBH, they probably should have gone to the Japanese Embassy first? Just throwing that out there.

Ah Yugioh, the only kids show around that tells you point blank not to trust cops. Timeless.

U.S

In some weird underground earthquake hazard, Rebecca proves that she is smarter than Seto Kaiba. She’s maybe even the smartest person on this show. Nice that we gave her nothing to do this season but pine over Yugi who is already taken by Tea who he is also not even dating.

Not that I love Rebecca or anything, I actually have a hard time with her voice, but like...they really dropped the ball on Rebecca.

If she does end up joining Kaiba corp as their back up Felicity Smoak while Seto just runs around aimlessly punching stuff that really is just offbrand Arrow but with cards. And with slightly less resurrections.

So, lets get a gander at that computer.

We didn’t get to see Kaiba pull out 12 other discs to complete the installation process for these all these Hard Discs. Maybe the lure of throwing a very aerodynamic CD across the room like a paper card was so strong that his dev team forced him to switch to these defunct squares?

PS, I am a true millennial, OK? But, I don’t remember Hard Discs.

Hard Discs were SO long go. I stopped using these damn things in Elementary school. The last Hard Disc I ever touched was in college, when I had to put my art portfolio on a disc to submit it to my degree. I don't know even why. Everyone had a mac, so I knew no one’s computer in the department even...HAD a disc drive so it was like...whomst among you has this damn computer from 1997? Whomst among you is still using Windows 95? WHY would I put IMAGES on a floppy when I can just email them to you?

Anyway, I had to get a USB hard disc reader, and to get that reader, I had to call my Dad who had legacy software because he’s a computer engineer, and he had to mail it to me.

In that same portfolio review, PS, I also had to submit my portfolio as slides.

I didn’t even know where to produce slides so I had to ask all these old people and go to the last photo processing store on earth to get digital pictures turned into negatives and then turned into freakin slides.

SLIDES.

I honestly think they just did that to weed people out of the art degree.

Anyway, I tell you this story just to say that there is no way in hell that Kaiba was using a hard disc during the height of the CD era. We were CD or go home since 2000. We had pretty decent jump drives at this point. We had wifi. It was realllly bad wifi, but we had it. Your phone could connect to the internet. It would charge you 50 bucks, but it COULD connect.

Who on the Yugioh team DID this?

Anyway lets see these pictures that for which, we spent thousands of dollars in unused plane tickets, destroyed a Caltrain, killed 2 ancient Atlanteans (and their dog), killed 3 random mid-villains, walked across the entire Peninsula, crashed an international plane, and left both the plane and the train to rot gas fuel into the nearest lake which is right next to a ghost graveyard?

Yeaaaaaaaaaah!

Like he reads it and is all “They’re gonna resurrect Atlantis” and it’s like WE KNOW. Dartz and his hooligans have talked about starting their Utopia to reboot the world since Gurimo. Since Day 1.

Man.

Anyways, there was one plus to the pictures, and it was that Seto Kaiba recognized the Oricalchos logo.

just...

The Oricalchos logo is...

...This logo, Seto?

You...didn’t recognize...seriously? Not until just now? You have been inside of this logo, rearing to lose your soul to Alister 2 times, and he only recognized it...just now.

I mean Seto takes a while y’all. He’s a genius, but his memory is so, so bad, that he will Eventually get smart, but you have to wait until like episode 24. But he’ll get there. Just gotta be patient.

And, when he saw it, he wigged out in a way I wasn’t prepared for.

Y’all I feel like I’ve seen to many weird zooms on Kaiba’s crotch in this show. Or just in life in general, especially after that surprise fic. That’s all.

I don’t know why everything exploded, but maybe the logo is cursed in the same way as God Cards? I dunno.

Anyway, this is when Dartz shows up with his brand new dog.

So they run outside onto the roof.

Now listen, does every Kaiba Corp building need the same weird ass roof? Is it like a McDonalds?

Because I’m just picturing this type of roof in SF and I’m having a time.

Forgive me if I made this lemming joke already. He’s just stood on a cliff’s edge so many times I can’t keep up.

RIP Dragon Jet, who took us from S3-S4, you’ll always live on in our memory, you glorious, wasteful, beautiful death trap.

Seto and Yugi are fine by the way, they just kinda jumped out, as you do when you’re an immortal god possessing a small boy and a...whatever the hell Seto is.

It’s at this point we reintroduce Valon because Joey went rogue and has decided to take on Dartz by himself. This is what happens when Tristan leaves the party. You always need Tristan to hold back Joey by his armpits to keep him from fighting random people.

So I guess Valon’s gonna die next episode. That’ll be nice.

What’s great about this show is each arc is just watching each villain die. You know they’ll die. But...how much?

Anyway, that’s all for today. I’m still drawing a hell ton of stuff so I don’t know when the next update will be...but just now I haven’t dropped off or something. I’ll...eventually get to it.

And if you just got here, this is a link to read all of these in chrono order.

Anyway, I mentioned Hercule Poirot, (because watching a hell ton of BBC was how I spent time with my family when I was a kid, and my very Southern Grandma freakin LOVED Hercule Poirot) So here is the best subplot of that show, which is David Suchet eating stuff.

And which doesn’t want to embed for some reason. Probs can’t embed more than one video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17antzzJrzQ

[woon0]

king arthur is dead ...

mordred’s rebellion ravaged what remained of the knights of the round table .  bedivere was one of the few to survive the hellscape that was camlann , having watched his brother Lucan die in their king’s arms .  or so he believed .  starved of adventure for his entire life , being denied the opportunity to complete a quest of his own wasn’t in the cards .  his overwhelming desire to survive , to experience life for his own sake , caught the attention of the world alaya ; offering him a second chance at life in exchange for servitude as a counter guardian .

surprisingly the transition from death back to life didn’t take much out of him , he considers the loss of an eye and a few magic circuits a small price to pay for a miracle .  however that price was enough to cripple his ability as a mage , leaving him with naught but his skills with a lance and his experience quelling the emotions of unreasonable lords to protect him .

[ofxavalon-archive]

THE DEATH OF SIR KAY. 

he wasn’t the young man he once was. didn’t have the bright eyed idealism of his youth. didn’t have the mobility of his youth. but he cared about the people he worked with. soon reports started coming in of a village under attack. it was the village where one of the cook’s daughters lived. he tried to get the knights to go to the village, to ensure it was safe, but any that would listen to him, that had known him before his injury, were not present. those that were present refused to listen to the pleadings of arthur’s crippled butler. arthur had been withdrawing from him for years in favor of lancelot, and attempts to see the man he once called brother were dismissed. 

fearing for the lives of those in the village, kay took matters into his own hands. his armor still fit, and he was still strong enough to use his sword. so kay set off for the village, and found it in danger just as he had been told. he fought valiantly, sending three of them to the grave before a fourth finally ran him through. sir kay died trying to protect the people that had been overlooked in the game of politics. 

when his body was returned to camelot, many said he died on a foolish crusade to regain his lost honor. but no knight ever had a funeral attended by so many common people. the people he had worked with for so many years, that loved arthur because kay asked them to. but it was the high king himself that was standing by the grave long after everyone else had left. 

[aviss]

If you still want prompts: The Fool!

Hi @sabakunoai​ I’m so sorry it took me this long to fill this prompt! It seems I managed to write myself into a block during nano and every time I started to write I just got nowhere, but thankfully a week of not writing and just reading has done the trick! Hope you like it. I have lifted some of the dialogue straight from the book, an alternate take on the White Tower scene

The Fool: madness, cliffs, gambling, innocence, recklessness

"Close the door and come here."

She did as he bid her. "The white cloak…"

"No longer mine and good riddance to it," Jaime said, relishing the shock on her face. He had changed his Lord Commander armour and cloak for the red and gold of the Lannister, and a weight he hadn't expected lifted from his shoulders when he'd shed it. No more council to attend, no more expectations, no more tedium. Let the people call him an oathbreaker for it, they had been doing it for almost twenty years, why should he care now. "It was the white cloak that soiled me, remember? Now I can regain what I once had."

He had thought of nothing else since the moment he had returned to King's Landing with the big, honourable wench in tow. He couldn't help it, he saw something of himself, of the boy who had wanted to be Arthur Dayne, in her. She had saved his life, then she had cared for him and finally brought him back to King's Landing the way she had sworn to do, even if there was nobody to uphold her oath to anymore. She was honourable to a fault, and it had made him believe in it for the first time in too many years.

"Jaime," she began, approaching him hesitatingly, her eyes fixed on his crimson armour. "Why? I thought you had been made Lord Commander?"

"I had and then I was released from that yoke. How can a cripple protect a King?" It had been made clear to him there was nothing left for him in King's Landing; with no hand, he could not protect his King, sparring with Addam had proven that. Cersei was lost to him, if she had ever been his, repelled now by his maiming. His brother was in the Black Cells waiting for the headsman for killing the King. 

He had gone to Tywin as soon as his sister had left him and offered him what he had always wanted; Jaime out of the Kingsguard, taking command of the Lannister Army and later taking over as Lord of Casterly Rock. Tywin had wanted to make a betrothal immediately, Jaime had managed to negotiate for one year of freedom. One year to set the Riverlands to rights. One year to search for Lady Sansa with the wench. One year to find his honour again, and maybe his own wife if he didn't want his father to choose one for him. 

He looked at Brienne, looking uncomfortable in the blue dress, though it was a great improvement from the pink monstrosity Bolton had inflicted on her. "Did you mean what you said to Ser Loras? That I had honour?" she asked, a blotchy flush on her face making her even more homely.

"You do." She was the most stubbornly honourable person he had ever met, and she made him want to be as well. "And you have an oath to uphold, same as I do. Steelshakns is on his way to the North with Arya Stark."

"You gave it to him?" She cried, dismayed. "You promised--"

"No, I didn't." Jaime cut her off before she could start criticizing him. "My father never had her, he gave him a girl to say she is Arya Stark, there is nobody left to say she isn't. Her sister has fled the city, accused of Kingslaying. If she yet lives, she's far away from here and my brother is not talking." If he knew where she was, something Jaime doubted.

The wench frowned. "Why are you telling me this? You father's secrets?"

Because I trust you with them. "I pay my debts like a good little lion," he said instead. "I promised Lady Stark her daughters, one of them is still alive. We have a chance to find her."

"We?" she almost choked on the word.

Jaime didn't answer. "I have a gift for you." He reached under the Lord Commander's chair and brought it out. Brienne approached it cautiously as if fearful it would bite her. When she folded back the crimson cloth rubies shone alongside the gold, reflected in her astonishing eyes. She picked it up carefully, reverently, but Jaime wasn't looking at her hands but her eyes, where the wonder and covetousness were plain to see. She slid it from the scabbard, the wicked black blade with red ripples in it. The wench's mouth parted, a soft exhalation falling from her lips, her eyes as wide as he had ever seen.

"Valyrian steel," she breathed, Jaime looked down at her hands holding the sword with the utmost care. "I have never seen such colours."

"Nor I," Jaime looked back up at the wench's face. He was still bitter he would never use such a fine sword himself, was angry with his father for gifting it to him now he was useless. "Take it, a sword so fine is lost on a cripple like me."

"Jaime--"

"All the best swords have names, it would please me if you called this one Oathkeeper."

"Oathkeeper," she repeated, then slid the sword back into the scabbard.

"It does come with a price, though," he said. 

Brienne's expression closed off then, her shoulders tensing, brow furrowed in a scowl. "I told you, I will never serve…"

"...such foul creatures as us. Yes, I recall," Jaime snapped, weary. Why did she always have to misinterpret everything he said? He wondered at the cleverness of his plan now, if they were incapable of one conversation while he was giving her a present, they would certainly murder each other one year on the road together. This was madness. And yet, he was going to go through with it. "That's not what I'm asking you to do. The price is my company, it's a steep one, I know. Do you have it in you to pay it, wench?" She snapped her mouth shut and blinked slowly. Like this, she appeared even more bovine and slow. "Have I rendered you speechless?"

"Why?" She finally asked, the same question he had been asking himself since the moment he left his father's rooms in the Tower of the Hand, a smugly confused Tywin inside who had been handed the thing Jaime had been denying him for years, and for such a paltry price.  "I thought your place was here protecting your--your King?" She didn't say your son, but he heard her tongue tripping over it.

"He is protected by enough two-handed knights, he doesn't need me here. Sansa Stark is my last chance for honour, I also swore an oath to Lady Stark and I'm not upholding it stuck in King's Landing." There was much more to it, but the wench didn't need to know about his fights with his sister and the death knell of their relationship. You great golden fool, of course he lies to you, same as I do. She didn't need to know how useless he was now without his hand, but he was sure she would help him regain some of the skill he once had, though all was far from his reach. She didn't know he was about to commit treason again and get his brother out of his cell. "I tire to argue with you, take the sword and meet me in the stables at dawn on the morrow, or go after Sansa on your own, it's all the same to me."

"Jaime…"

"Take the bloody sword and go, before I change my mind. I have much to do before we're due to depart."

She nodded and went to the door. "I'm sorry I doubted you, Ser Jaime." 

She left before Jaime had a chance to answer and he sat down with the White Book. He had not lied, he did have much to do, he needed to fill his page in the book before passing the mantle to whoever his father deemed appropriate, and then he had to get his brother out of the black cell before meeting with the wench.

He picked up the quill and started to painstakingly write in the book, his left-handed penmanship worse than that of a boy of five. The irritation he felt with the wench's mistrustful attitude was slow to fade. He had been beaten trying to keep her honour unbesmirched, had jumped in front of a bear for her, and taken her into custody to save her from Loras. And yet, she still doubted his intentions. 

He wondered what had possessed him to believe this was a good idea.

If they didn't kill each other, the next year was going to be interesting.

...

[toooldforgermany]

Mun & Muse Comparison

💊 M U N  | I N F O R M A T I O N  ✿❧

Name: hannah. Nicknames: i used to be called duck, but i actually hate that nickname now. it’s associated with bad times. Wishlist Nickname:  god??? an honest nickname for me??? not until i get a true fucking friend, jesus christ. Height:  5’ 4″,  though my back is pretty bad. so it’s probably somewhat shorter, due to my lack of activity. Eye Color:  hazel. Hair Color:  deep red. Ethnicity:  caucasion. Lives in:  illinois, usa. Relationship Status:  i’ve given up with love, to be honest. nobody really loves someone like me. Character(s) Most Identifies with:  arthur ernst hastings of we happy few. i used to identify with a handful of others, but no fictional character can compare to arthur hastings. Hobbies:  gaming, role playing, singing, analyzing the fuck out of characters / lore. Special talent(s):  my honest, as trashy and cliche as that sounds? i can be brutally honest to the point of a nasty truth. but to me, that’s more important than the smallest lie. if you won’t take that though, i think my ability to break down a character is pretty fucking cool -- not many people can do it as deep as i can, i think. Warning/disclaimer:  pretty fucking suicidal, ngl. can get emotional, and can say things that sound nasty, but aren’t really meaning to be nasty. defensive to a near oppressive extent. i also have a tendency to not really... understand jokes. Struggling With:  so much shit that it’s not funny. my family, my guardians, my job, my cat’s death, trying to be happy, loneliness, and just -- not wanting to commit suicide? like i know i’m saying it so casually but i’m just??? being honest.

💊 M U S E  |  I N F O R M A T I O N  ✿❧

Name:  arthur ernst hastings. Nicknames:  artie, “friend of miss boyle’s” (from ploughboys), “victoria’s pet” (from clive), “young / lil’ artie” (from ollie starkey), “king of the parade” (from headboys), “that downer” (wellington wells dur. game) . Wishlist Nickname:  something sweet and touching from a romantic other.  Height: 6′ 1″, but known to slouch from a bad back due to sitting most of the day whilst on joy. so he’s probably taller when standing up straight.  Eye Color:  dark green / caramel brown. Hair Color:  dark brown / black. Ethnicity:  caucasion. Lives in:  apple holm, wellington wells (pre-game), wellington under (during-game), mainland / wellington wells (post-game, verse-dependent)  Relationship Status:  arthur is single, and though he would love a partner, he’s been disappointed enough that he doesn’t think he can ever find one. and that doesn’t really bother him. he is however, on the lookout, if such a romance occurs. Special talent(s):  researching, writing, comprehension, the media / journalism, poetry. Warning/disclaimer:  a very emotional / tempermental man that can say things that sound nasty that he doesn’t mean. also quite defensive at the smallest of insults, so long as he thinks they’re not really granted, if that makes sense. Struggling With:  trying to figure out his mistakes and where everything went wrong. he has been lying to himself for so long about everything because he wanted to run away. and now it’s all tossed back at him and now he’s so lonely because of it, which is what he’s been trying to avoid.

FOUR DISTINCT SIMILARITIES :

emotional outbursts --  though arthur can’t control them as well as i can, him and i both follow our emotions regardless of what’s going on. they can even change the course of our day, even if we didn’t want it to. sometimes, it can even change our course of action.

loneliness --  we have difficult times keeping people close to us and though arthur can somewhat understand why, he doesn’t really know how to fix it. and neither do i. we both just... are, and we just don’t understand what we can do to change. we want to have friends, but they either leave so quick or betray us in the end that it’s difficult to trust easily.

defensive --  both of us can take things the wrong way REALLY, REALLY quickly. doesn’t really matter what it is. if we assume one thing, we often stick to it until we’re both proven otherwise.

loyalty --  though it takes forever for him and i to trust easily, when we do, it’s super hard to break us apart. to an extent that it’s almost obsessive. arthur gets insanely jealous, and though i do somewhat, we both act out on it because of loyalty. we will stand up for the people we love and defend them regardless. no matter what happens.

FOUR DISTINCT DIFFERENCES :

arthur’s quite the jokester --  cracking jokes at even the worst of times, the man really finds his way with words in sarcasm. i’m not so good with jokes, and most of the time they fly over my head. to me, a joke can lead me to that same defensiveness i was talking about earlier. whilst arthur can easily detect a joke if the mood comes off right.

arthur’s a runner --  he tends to hide from his mistakes for a long time because he doesn’t want to deal with the crippling sadness that comes with them. not to mention he can lie about them if an opportunity for happiness arises. he’s gotten tremendously better about it, but if some mistake happens because of him, catch him hiding away for a long time. i however, like to tell the truth and own-up to my mistakes. the punishment isn’t so bad that way.

arthur’s courageous --  though as a kid he lacked the bravery to leave his own house, he gained it when thinking about his brother. as he got older, he grew thicker skin. i however, am afraid of a lot of things. if i was in his position, i probably would have just lived with the consequences of wellington wells, as sad as that sounds.

arthur’s petty --  he will get back at people. i used to do this too, until i realized how much vagueblogging hurts. but he tends to sabotage people who piss him off / sabotage him. for example, he wants to wreck clive’s work ethic by wrongly publishing articles in his redactor. he also got a coworker fired for copying his entire article. which is good beause plagairism is bad, but he did it with a smug smile and an angry glare.

IN CONCLUSION :  Same | Close as heck | Almost |  Ehh...? | Not Really  | Nope | In a Galaxy Far Far Away

[fedonciadale]

John Steinbeck wrote an unfinished book on King Arthur and there I found an apt description of what it means to wield magic or possess magical items when not everybody has them.

I do think it shows quite well, why Da€nerys seems to work so well as a self -insert for several people, why her stans simply do refuse to see the frightening power she has with her dragons. Because it is such an alluring power fantasy!

In the book Lancelot is captured by three mighty sorceresses and remembers his childhood :

[Lancelot’s childhood memory] They put bags of sand against his back to keep him still. And as he lay wedged while his wrenched spine mended, his opponent grew treetop tall in the boy’s mind. Waking and asleep, the blunt spear wiped him from his horse until he found a poultice for his price. Under his left arm there was a tiny knob so small that only he knew it was there. Three turns to the right and half a turn back with the fingers of his left hand, and in mid-course he grew to a black cloud and overwhelmed the fourteen-year old. But the secret knob could do more than that. Two turns right and two left and he could fly and hover and dart. Sometimes in the joust he left his horse and flew ahead and struck the giant bay down - and last - a straight push in and he became invisible. He would wait anxiously to be alone in his sandbags to bring out his dream. It was odd that he had forgotten all about it when his real ability began to grow. And suddenly Lancelot, in the darkness of his prison, knew about magic and necromancy and those who practiced it. “So, that’s it,” he thought. “Poor things - poor unhappy things.” [John Steinbeck, The Acts of King Arthur and his Noble Knights, London 1976, 232f.]

Later he confronts the women who hold him against his will.

Lancelot stood up and then sat down again. “I am hungry,” he said. “There was not much mean on the bones you sent.”

“Why should there have been? The dogs had them first. Nevertheless, remember them. They may be your last food. Go on about fear.”

“Maybe it’s too simple, madame. But you know how children, when they are forbidden something they want, sometimes scream and storm and sometimes even hurt themselves in rage. Then they grow quiet and vengeful. But they are not strong enough to revenge themselves on the one they consider their oppressor. Such a one sometimes stamps on an ant, saying, ‘That’s for you, Nursie,’ or kicks a dog and calls him brother, or pulls the wings from a fly and destroys his father. And then, because this world has disappointed him, he builds his own world, where he is king, where he rules not only men and women and animals but clouds and stars and sky. He is inivisible, he flies. No authority can keep him in or out. In his dream he build not only a world but remakes himself as he would wish to be. I guess that’s all. Ususally he makes peace with the world and works out compromises so that the two will not hurt each other badly. There it is, you see.” - “What you say is true, but what then?” - “Well, some few do not make peace. And some of these are locked away as hopelessly insane and full of fantasay. But there are others more clever who, through black arts, learn to make the dream substantial. This is enchantment and necromancy. Not being wise enough or kind enough, the magic manufactured world does not function and many are injured and many killed by its ill design. And then rage comes as to the child, destructive rage, vindictive hate. There lies the fear, for wizards and witches are children, living in a world they made withouth the leavening of pity or the mathematics of organization. And what could be more frightening than a child with total power? A spear and sword are terrrible, God knows. That is why the knight who carries them is first taught pity, justice, mercy, and only last - force. “I am afraid, my ladies, for you are crippled, vengeful children with power. And i am your prisoner.” [Ibid. 242f.]

I had to share this, it just reminds me so much of Da€nerys and her dragons.

[kaylichun]

Inspiration/ King Arthur Legends, Moon Princess, legend of Zelda, Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms, Black Butler

The True Goddess- The Fallen Goddess.

Kay grants wishes and luck within the world, while Kai contains the darkest in wishes. Kept the hidden from the light of the world’s hope. But there’s always the middle grounds, Father of Gods themselves Quinn. He is the balance of the middle grounds of realm, wise in watching over with his godly children. He had fallen in love with a mortal women by the name of Meryl and died with her by heartbreak. His depression of his fawned love. He separated and passed onto the world his life near the grave of his only wife. The descendants of his 5 children became the beacons of what became gifts of many traits of men and magic. One over will and might, one over animals to be able to tame or become authentic animal/ shifter within, powers of nature the overgrowth of plants and trees through healing, knowledge by the books; elemental sorts of magic, and last the dark arts symbolism of death.

Kay and Kai, along their vital follower, Sōseki. The servant blessed by her to watch alongside her and keep her company. The day saw misery of the two couples, so she fell off and mortalized into another life a human birth with an infertile mother, who saw it as a blessing. Named the vessel Kay, after the said goddess. Her blessed form prefaced within the mortal, as it attracted the many eyes. She was the first blessing of the true Oracle. Foretold many fates tied and needed in the future. She settled off to seek them.

There was the calico cat who followed close to the Oracle. Small and speckled in brown and yellow eyes. He was insistent in following her, so she has taken care of the creature. She needed to find her reason being entrapped in this form. She had searched for the man she needed to complete the prophesied. Fukuzawa Yukichi will be king of the Full Moon. The Moon was a Lunar symbol to the Goddess. He denied any interaction with the Oracle, as spoke the future of the home of his. Corrupted by the calamity that will befall upon them, as their King is Dying and the Kingdom of the sun will take the chance to seize dictatorship over them. In which, he agreed after realizing the prophecy is an unwilling risk he’ll take.

On their journey to the kingdom of the sun, Mori Ogai a healer and talents of the dark arts. The dark arts were frowned upon, the man begged to be set along the journey to prove his worth. Their Party grew, Yosano Akiko a child gifted with life, but blinded by death, and Ranpo Edogawa blessed by Life. Illusioned his luck and intelligence to be a Seer himself. Their bonds grew, even if Yukichi wanted nothing do with it. He fell for their Oracle, as Mori matched his moves.

After the war had ended, so did the oracle’s journey. She died within the eyes of the king Wolf and his fellow allies. Mourning the lost of the voice, her body set to the lake within the forest, who then became the deity of Tranquility. Kouyou The Mother of Tranquility.

Mother had stayed within the forest, as she was seen by a child enraptured by the God of Calamity. The child however was bitter after his exile from his birth, he was a child bawling his eyes, the young youth had seen no purpose in his life. A whole village decimated by the monster within himself. An elven child had lost all rights to heaven. Only to feel warmth of Mother. Mother had a pacifying effect over the hatred. He stayed by mother and mother let him in her arms.

Mother had chose to protect the location of the Summoning temple, in which she must give her freedom to the cult. The Cult of the man who had been mourned with his daughter the closest thing to the women he loved. He had kept part of her before her body was set to sink into the lake. That created his obsession of “their” daughter Elise. The man would not let go. It was unfair to him, as he slain the mad king of the country of Portima, The Crescent Crest.

Chuuya Nakahara was the village’s small cult by few worshipper of the god of calamity, Arabahaki. They live for centuries while maintaining their youthful appearance, dark elves with their feature of long sharp ears. They are the storytellers of endless times, the archives of history. Segregated by their nature of rumors as dark elves; fictional creatures. During the reign of the sun dictator’s reign, asked for their offering of their alignance by marrying one of their women to cultivate the ultimate heir. A rebellious orphan, he was seen and only one to escape with the tragedy befallen him. Given at least one day to finalize their thoughts, they went to work to their God in hopes to save themselves. They had to give up a child to leave behind; Chuuya Nakahara. Invested him to take in as the host for their god to disappear once again. Leaving him alone again.

The outside country had fooled the young child and left him within the barrier of their mage setted up. A sacrifice of an sick and scrawny, they did it in return if retribution to the goddess. Atsushi was forced to be appointed the counter guardian by the Goddess, as his appointed role of the goddess temple protecting the resting place of hers. As it was made under her name and she blessed it. However pitted the young child and gave it a holy form. What the mortals irresponsible actions did not speak for the goddess. So she accompanied him within his slumber. Her warmth has protected him, till his forgotten centuries and one day he is needed.

Kyoka Izumi, was the Heir of the imperial princess of snow and the warlord sun. Her mother was intended to be arranged to keep the two allied. The man was a feared by many who crossed his path, instilling his power over her and her mother. She lived to fear her ancestors who follow binded by spirit to protect her. In fact the grandmother; the imperial mother. Each generation must bond with an ancestral spirit, her abilities alongside summoning.

Saint Oda Sakunosuke was gifted sight as a Seer. An Oracle is both equal to 2 seers. If he were a Seer someone else must have the same gift as he did. One thing he cannot see is how he truly ends, but only prevent minimum events. He saughted out children during the wreckage, housing them within his own church. In which he was promised protection if he did them favors. Predictions and small travel trading. He had befriended a spy Ango Sakaguchi and a man who called himself Merlin. Who trusted him with his true name Osamu Dazai. He knew to be weary around Ango, but his emotions got the best of him as he died by the other Seer. But within sacrificing of the seers was for the cause between the CULTure of Portima and the Government of the Rising Sun. Mori true purpose was to get an Oracle after two Seers dying in the same temple. Oda, his children were with him, his Goddess let him live happily with them, after

Dazai Osamu, did not trust many, after his mother left him alone after a night with a mortal mage. His Father died after that night, he was left to wear his father’s place.His mother was a beautiful succubus, who had charmed and left her son to pass on for eternity. He wouldn’t even die if anything tries, as her son taken suicidal tendencies after the father who purposely summoned his mother. Maybe it was because he aligns to light magic, purification or nullification . To die with a beautiful woman any day. Joined the cult, after being welcomed by Mori for the heck of it, felt more comfortable with Saint Odasaku. Only to be more driven to death after his human emotions affecting him deeper into depression and granting a wish/promise of the Seer. Leaving the cult to journey to the kingdom of Portima.

Ango Sakaguchi, was the double knot spy in the ranks of the government and the mafia during the dragonhead.

Tanizaki Junichirou was fated to be king of his own kingdom, that was when his Sister Naomi first prophesied his fate. They were born from the sun district, after the warlord of sun was overthrown by the villagers of the oppression.

The Central city of the rising Sun was not trusted, in which the King of Ardect; Fukuzawa Yukichi had once knew the first Oracle. He knew the Importance of the Oracle second coming, seeing that the past 2 seers set against each other. He had high suspicions of what Mori had done, in which he swiftly taken them hidden into arms of his court. He truly did become king, as Fate predicted. His shoulders weighed by the royal cloak of the past king’s spirit by his throne. He was truly lucky to have Kunikida as his scholar and his second in command. Yosano who lead battle and saved many before death. Their Wise tactician blessed by the god themselves, Ranpo Edogawa. Kenji was the representation of the friendship of the villagers of a small village, blessed highly for their youthism and strength. Junichirou was a King and Knight in training. Their purpose in hidden objective to protect both the blessing and eyes of the gods; Ranpo and Naomi.

Naomi Tanizaki was the Village Girl who danced for her passion. She was dedicated to her king; both Fukuzawa and Junichirou. Her own personification of a clingy sister to derail many to expect her to be holy Oracle. Her truth is how serious she becomes, she is wise as how she learns to change how she acts around people. She defined as a childish, bold and bright. But really, she guilty even if her brother shakes off her reasonable actions. It was the only way to not be suspected as one. After all Mori's cultivated obsession to the gods.

Kyūsaku Yumeno the prince who destroyed his own kingdom by the curse borned Q crippled his name. A prince hated by his small country. Why his mother died because of his birth prematurely. But he shared the face the king loved from his wife. He could not help decide how he felt about his only son and heir to the throne. Whether he hated him for what he was out of his control of the past or loved him for the current result of the love between his wife. He remained ignorant to the abuse and hatred of people even the staff. The boy however broken out of his broken shell to lose sense of mind. Tormented back every person with his curse, paying back what they did to him dying in pain. The last one to die was his father, he did not do anything to stop or tried to prevent the whole event to ever exist. Here all he had to do was hurt him to die for his penitence of his ignorance. He teared up, his curse did not kill his father. His father had died from a broken heart because he loved him. Leaving the prince to cry in the place of his own father “Why didn't you hit me, hurt me, yell at me and bruise me?! Why did you make me hurt in such a way!?!” Portima picked him up, grew the territory of their land.

The Akutugawa Siblings. Loving family and children blessed with a noble family. The oldest son Ryuusuke, loved his sister Gin. Gin was named after an adoptive peasant mother who was well loved for the father who was the orphan taken in by her. Ryuusuke was born sick, His lungs struggling with asthma, his respiratory failure thankfully for His father being able to get a doctor to help. Only to be prescribed doses of medication 2 times a day. Which made Gin the first to the name to the company, yet they're both able to share the title. Ryuunosuke will always be the spare to Gin. Yet happiness still born in their hearts. His father owns his success and struggle rising to his name. He saw where he stood and stranded with wealth, a childhood for his children. Jealousy ensued by other noble who saw nothing but filthy peasant with money. Waiting for their maid to give Ryuusuke his dose of medication before they both went to sleep. Their family dog Russell barking at the door, until a man in black swung at with force. You could insinuate the dog's skull was cracked from such brute force. Snatched Ryuusuke, they knew well that he couldn't go against him and struggle. His illness was his weakness, he tire easily from exercise. Which was why he relied on his magic orb tied at his hip when he needed things. Gin was the stronger and healthier one tries to take him away from the man. Only to be knocked out and over by the column of the bed. She was taken as well. So that night, the scent of ash and warm of the fire burning the manor. Ryuusuke watched as their parents burned down with the manor. He had seen dead eyes of children, their life sucked from their own leaving him with no one to even speak to him. He felt the cold prick of human contact of magic snapping him from consciousness. He found himself chained to an alter, fear bulging from eyes from the crowd of strange dark cloaks and masks. Their pupils dilating with insanity, you couldn't count how many sacrificial knives. Polished and the gleam from the candle lights from the dimming candelabra. They were speaking Latin, strange proverbs of words. The leader rose his knife over their heads with both hands and roughly jabbed into his heart. He SCREAMED! The first time he screamed, his lungs never gave out, as his air was fear and pain. Blood, Blood, BLOOD!

A demon did come to His table, he made his contract before the selfish did stole away his life. His monstrous power was called Rashōmon.

Gin was not there where Ryuusuke woken to become a corruption of a vessel to a demon dog. Who ate and swallowed him whole from his heart and soul. He made a deal to seek revenge, power and find his sister. Gin was shipped into slavery, she could have become a slave if a pirate hadn't raided the ship she was on and took away their merchandise.The Black Lizards; Ryūrō Hirotsu the captain of the ship. He had taken in the child, taught her how to live and become how she will become. A commander and assassin for the black lizard.

Higuchi Ichiyou. A spoiled brat, compared to her reliable younger sister who was closer to being chosen for her coronation instead of her. Selfish as she may be and a father who knew what was best. As their father chose to be peaceful and small nation. During the true mad king of Portima demanded the decimation and won. They had no choice but to join the Portima. Higuchi finally stood up to be responsible older sister. She cut her beloved hair and took up archery. She may have fallen for Ryunosuke Akutagawa.

[lj-todd]

Jon/Gerold Dayne. AU of the First Dornish War. Aegon, Daenerys and Jon have conquered all of Westeros save Dorne. They mount an assault and Jon is captured. He is claimed by the Darkstar as a spoil of war.

They had done what their ancestor, Aegon I, had been unable to do. They had conquered Westeros. They had united six of seven kingdoms under one banner, their banner, the banner of House Targaryen, in under a year. And now there was but one kingdom left that refused to kneel. That refused to submit.Dorne.The southernmost kingdom of sand and sun and vipers.They had waited, rebuilding their strength, before launching the campaign into Dorne.It had been a disaster.

Prince Jaehaerys, known to most as Jon and the younger half-brother of King Aegon, had led his forces in an assault on Hellholt, a southern stronghold, and had paid a terrible price for it.A scorpion bolt had struck his dragon Rhaegal, named for Jon’s late father, in the eye, not immediately killing the beast but causing it to plummet from the sky. The fall had ended the dragon’s pain but caused Jon’s own It was not clear, not even to those who had pulled Jon from the field, how he had survived.His sword arm had been crushed in the fall, forcing a maester and healer to take it high at the shoulder that first night, and his left leg had been so badly broken that, even if the bones healed, he would never walk properly again. He had wounds, burns and cuts, to the left side of his face, wounds that would leave a patchwork of scars if he lived long enough for them to heal.He was told of his injuries days later, once his fever broke and he was coherent enough to understand the words. Coherent enough to understand that he was to be a hostage. A tool that the Prince of Dorne could use as a bargaining chip against Aegon and Daenerys.He was left in the charge of the men who had pulled him from the field. House Dayne of Starfall.Despite his injuries, he was always guarded, usually by the same man. Ser Gerold Dayne, a cousin to House Dayne’s ruling lord, Lord Arthur, and he was surprised by the man’s kindness and honesty.“Should have given you a merciful death,” Gerold said one evening, sitting by Jon’s bedside, gently cleaning the wounds on his face as he had been shown by the maester days earlier. “Sort of life will you have, even as a Prince, now, hmm? Broken because of your brother’s whims.”Gerold’s eyes, a dark violet that looked like the early night sky when just a bit of the sun’s light still shone, watched him thoughtfully.“You were warned,” the knight continued. “Prince Doran’s mother told your aunt that Dorne would not bend, break or bow. She warned her that you and yours were not wanted here.”Jon grunted softly, even the slight movement caused pain to burn through him again.“I…” He croaked, wincing as he turned his head to better see Gerold. “I did…as…commanded.”“And look what it got you,” Gerold fired back. “Crippled. Left for dead. Even if you survive these wounds you’ll never be the man you were before.” He shook his head. “Your men love you, you know?” He dabbed at one of the seeping wounds. “The ones we have prisoner ask of you every day.  Some even pray for you.” He shook his head again. “That bloody monster of yours, hurt as it was, even dying, loved you enough to turn it’s body before it impacted the ground. Likely the only damn reason you’re still alive.”Gerold paused, meeting Jon’s pale gaze, frowning.“What will your brother do if we return you to him like this? Broken and defeated?”Jon wheezed. He knew what Aegon would do. The same thing he had done to their uncle when it had become clear that Viserys was mad. The same thing he had done when their sister, Rhaenys, had fallen from her horse and been left unable to ever walk again. Weakness was not something Aegon accepted or tolerated. And something must have shown on his face, in his eyes, because Gerold spat something in the crass language of the Dornish and rose to his feet before storming from the room, the door slamming against the wall in his wake.Three days later and Jon was surprised to learn from Gerold that his dragon’s head, along with a letter, was being sent to his brother. A means of ensuring peace, Gerold claimed it to be, but Jon was no fool. He knew that Prince Doran had likely written of Jon’s survival, that the younger Targaryen Prince was a hostage. Likely there was some threat contained in the letter or perhaps an offer of mercy for Jon, a quick death in the events that his wounds turned sour or a fever took hold.He was surprised again when, weeks later, Lord Arthur came to tell him that Aegon had accepted Doran’s sue for peace. The Lord of Starfall also informed him that he would be a permanent guest of House Dayne and that, so long as he behaved himself, no harm would come to him. His men, prisoners until this point, would return to their families.Lord Arthur took his leave as quickly as he had come and, sitting in the chair beside the bed, Gerold smirked.“Count your blessings, little dragon,” the knight said. “There were many who wanted your head sent to your brother as well as that of your dragon. Prince Doran’s brother among them.”“Why…Why didn’t he?”Gerold looked down and away for a moment.“Because sometimes even the rising sun owes something to a falling star,” the knight replied almost cryptically, picking up the clothe and once again tending to Jon’s wounds. “Because sometimes even a crippled dragon deserves more than a butcher’s blade.”Jon blinked as Gerold’s words, the true meaning of them, sank in. He smiled despite how it pulled at his still healing wounds.“Does this mean you’re to be my minder?”Gerold grunted.“You’re stuck with me as your second shadow, Jaehaerys, from this day until your last.” He grinned again. “Good thing I’m pretty enough for the both of us.”Jon, still smiling, reached with his good hand, taking hold of Gerold’s, clearly surprising the knight, and lacing their fingers together. He watched as the surprised expression changed to something softer, something kinder, and he decided that, perhaps, being a hostage for the rest of his life would not be so bad.

[553butterfly553]

The Adventures of Arcadia and Hendrickson - 6

Fight to the Death

With a massive collision, the remaining members of the Ten Commandments appeared on the battlefield. “Meliodas?! Sir Meliodas?!” Elizabeth yelled out as she began to panic. “What happened?! Something just came out of the sky from every direction...” Arthur mumbled as he too watched horrified. “Su-Such magic power...” “It's like a tidal wave of killing intent just hit the battlefield...” Gowther muttered as he watched what was unfolding. “Th...This is the worst possible scenario!” Hendrickson gasped out as he realized what was happening. As the dust cleared, everyone was then able to see the situation Meliodas was now in. Every member of the Ten Commandments was there now, minus Galand. So, Derieri, Drole, Estarossa, Fraudrin, Gloxinia, Grayroad, Melascula, Monspeet and Zeldris all stood there around Meliodas. With Zeldris right in front of his older brother. “He's surrounded... by the Ten Commandments...” “He...hey Gil! That's...!” Howzer tried to say as he looked into the crystal ball. “Great Holy Knight Dreyfus?!” “Father...” Griamore mumbled as he held onto Hendrickson's arm. “That's the man with whom you plotted the downfall of our country, Maraiga. What are you planning this time with all of those monsters?! Answer me, Hendrickson!” One of the assassins yelled out. “Back off!” Arcadia growled at the shorter man with her power flaring up to ward off the man. He took a step back from them and went back to being silent. “It's alright, Arcadia.” “No, it isn't.” The girl argued back. However, she then turned her attention back to the fight between Meliodas and the Ten Commandments. Meliodas now had one arm and kicked at his brother. He tried to get his arm back, but Zeldris stopped it from returning to him. “Get him,” Zeldris ordered instantly. Grayroad then wrapped chains around the blond man that quickly faded into his body. Meliodas continued to fight, and when he saw a chance he tried to escape, only to magically appear back where he'd started. “These are the 'Chains of the Accursed Resentment'. Once you have been cursed, you become unable to leave this place. Death is inescapable.” Grayroad explains in her creepy voice. The next Ten Commandment to fight Meliodas was Derieri. Her attacks were relentlessly one after another. “S-Something's going on!” Hendrickson noted in shock as he watched. “The course of her blows is steadily rising...” Howzer finished for the older man. Sure enough, her attacks were getting stronger with every blow. After she attacked him, Monspeet did his part with Meliodas cutting his throat in the end. Next up was Fraudrin's turn. “It seems that your fight with Gloxinia and Drole took more out of you than I expected...” Fraudrin spoke with a smile on Dreyfus's face. “I have not forgotten the shame of losing to you at Danafor... However, not finishing me off was also the end of your luck.” “You need to send me there.” Arcadia finally spoke up. “What? You'd only die.” Gilfrost snapped back instantly. “Dreyfus or Hendrickson would not have had to ruin their lives so...” Fraudrin continued to speak as the girl argued with Gilfrost. “I'm a half-demon and half-goddess. I can handle myself!” “Arcadia, you can't!” Hendrickson commented, afraid for his friend. “Send me there. Now.” She ignored Hendrickson's words and approached Gilfrost. “Please.” “Fine. You'll probably die, so say your last words.” Arcadia nodded her head and turned to Hendrickson and Griamore. “I might not return. So, I'm sorry.” Arcadia patted the crying boy on his head and then stepped closer to Hendrickson. “Make sure you come back. I don't...” “I'll try my best to return... to you.” With that, Arcadia disappeared. She appeared right in between Meliodas and Fraudrin. “Stay back!” Arcadia threatened as she pointed her sword at the demon. “Arcadia?” Meliodas had his sword in his mouth so her name was hard to understand. “Arc?” Fraudrin questioned a bit startled that she appeared there. He took a step forward only to have her swing her sword at him. “I said, stay back!” “Fraudrin, deal with your woman. She's in the way.” Derieri grumbled from the sidelines. “Shut up!” Arcadia snapped angrily at the woman. “Why are you here? Are you stupid, woman?” Fraudrin snapped showing his true colors. “I'm stopping you!” “You're shaking.” Arcadia was indeed shaking. She said nothing and didn't get the chance to say anything as the demon just shoved her out of the way and continued to talk. “You know Meliodas, trying to talk to him won't work. No matter how many times you plead to his heart. It will not reach...” However, the mark on his face disappeared and it seemed like Dreyfus came through. “Lord Meliodas...” A tear came from his eye as he raised his sword and attacked Meliodas, sending him flying backward. “Fraudrin, stop!” Arcadia yelled as she stood back up. The demon then grabbed the girl and pulled her close to him as Gloxinia began his attack. “You betrayed me.” “You betrayed me first! You killed my mother!” “She was just a reincarnation of your mother, that's all. Don't tell me, you don't love me anymore?” Fraudrin grabbed her chin and pressed his lips to hers. She instantly shoved him away and turned to see Meliodas powering up. Arcadia got the point and quickly flew out of the way. “Well, this isn't good,” Monspeet spoke as he wrapped his arms around Derieri. “Damn you... are you saying I will lose to you again?!” Fraudrin growled angrily. Meliodas then swung his sword, only to be stopped by Estarossa. Instantly the power the blond had built up was gone. With that, Meliodas fell backward and landed on his back. “Hey, Meliodas. To be honest, I don't want to do this at all. I'd rather die.” Estarossa then stepped strongly down on Meliodas. “You understand what I'm saying, right? It's because I love you.” “Stop it!” Arcadia cried out and flew back over to shove the tall demon away. “Uncle, please, I'm begging you, stop this now!” “Back off, Arcadia. Don't make me tell you again.” “Please...” “Then I'll just kill you first.” Estarossa reached out to grab the girl but was stopped by a voice. “Don't touch her!” Fraudrin snapped instantly as he stepped closer. “You are not permitted to lay a hand on her.” “If I want to kill my niece, I will.” “Arcadia... Don't...” Meliodas choked out painfully. “Get... away...” “I can't just leave you!” “Hey, Estarossa. I've got something to say, right from the ass...” Derieri suddenly spoke up, ignoring Arcadia now. “Alright?” “I take it this 'something' pertains to how you've been feeling a strange gaze upon us for quite some time now... and it's most likely Meliodas's friends and you're wondering if it's really okay to just leave them be?” Monspeet spoke next for the girl. “Yeah.” “The Seven Deadly Sins... Meliodas's new comrades...” “His new comrades, you say...” Estarossa began as he lifted up his hand shoved Arcadia away before leaning down to grab Meliodas. “So... when were you planning on betraying these comrades? You know, kind of like how you stabbed us in the back and abandoned the Ten Commandments back when you were our leader... During your reign... your strength, your ruthlessness, your callous disregard for life... it was terrifying and majestic sight to behold. In the face of that back then, even the goddesses could do nothing but cower, crippled by your presence. Everyone accepted and acknowledges you as the most worthy successor to the demon king. Even I yearned to be like you.” Estarossa was now holding Meliodas up by his neck. “Stop it, let him go!” Arcadia yelled as she stood up and moved to stop the demon. “Then, out of the blue, you blindsided all of us... leading to the evisceration the demon world... leaving it in ruins before you so deftly disappeared. To add insult to injury, you slaughtered two of the Ten Commandments in your wake...And until Drole and Gloxinia recently joined, those two slots for the Ten Commandments had remained empty. Your actions tipped the scales on the balance of power that we'd maintained between the demons and goddesses. Seeing an opening to crush the demon tribe once and for all, the goddesses leaped at the opportunity and incited the rest of the races against us. You lit the fuse that started that war 3,000 years ago. So tell me... how was it you thought up something so incredibly fun?” “Dammit, Uncle, let him go!” Arcadia was stopped by Fraudrin before she could fly any closer. He grabbed a hold of her and pulled her down. “So in the Ten Commandments stead, you've got the Seven Deadly Sins this time? You're probably so excited you can hardly bear it... trying to decide how, where, and when your net betrayal will unfold... You really are a twisted fuck.” He then dropped Meliodas onto the ground once again. “Let me go!” “I cannot.” Fraudrin sounded almost sad to have to say that to the girl. “I know you cannot stop me either, so just watch.” Melascula was yapping as she was about to eat Meliodas's soul when suddenly her neck snapped. It was Ban, thankfully, who'd appeared only moments ago. “You mind repeating that? I didn't hear you the first time!” Ban practically sung as he ripped out all her hearts next. “You goddamned idiot... why the hell... did you come here? Take Arcadia... and go...” Meliodas choked out yet again. “Idiot? That's rich coming from you... quit tryin' to act all cool.” “You truly are... the biggest fool I've ever known...” “Ah, well. You know what they say... birds of a feather... flock together” “That's the Seven Deadly Sins, Ban!” Fraudrin gasped out, loosening his hold on Arcadia for a second. She was able to break free and run to Ban and Meliodas, which was not standing together. Before she could even reach them, Estarossa already passed Ban and stabbed Meliodas. “No!” Arcadia quickly put herself in between Estarossa and Meliodas. “Stop it, now!” “After I kill you, Meliodas. Your daughter will be next, but first...” Estarossa stated as he stabbed Arcadia, right into a heart, then shoved her away to fall to the ground. She coughed up blood and got back up, putting her hand over her wound. She couldn't heal herself though, she didn't know how to yet.

“Arcadia!” Fraudrin yelled out, horrified at what had just happened to his former lover.

“Allow me to fill you in on something. We superior demons all possess seven hearts.” Estarossa then stabbed Meliodas again. “That makes two. And one for your child. No matter how powerful the demon, once all their hearts are destroyed their death is imminent.” By now, Ban was trying to choke out Estarossa, and Arcadia stood in front of him again. “Not if I break your neck first!” Ban tried hard, he really did, and so did Arcadia. However, the girl was stabbed yet again and tossed to the side. Her powers were nothing compared to Estarossa. She never even got the chance to fight. This time, however, Fraudrin pulled the girl to her feet. “Don't you dare die on me, Arcadia!” The demon yelled out as they watched another of Meliodas's hearts get stabbed. “Three, four, five.” Estarossa counted as he stabbed each heart perfectly with a new sword each time. “You'll have to kill the captain over my dead fucking body!” ban yelled out as he tried even harder to break Estarossa's neck. “Six.” “Don't do it...” “Don't kill him, please Uncle!” Arcadia couldn't move with Fraudrin holding onto her protectively. “Farewell... my precious brother... my beloved... Meliodas.” With that, the last heart of Meliodas was pierced. Ban yelled out loudly with tears flowing down his face. “You know... with all that shouting you've been doing... you're liable to pop my eardrums. Gnats should know their place...” With that, Ban popped like a balloon. “No!” Arcadia cried out, falling to the ground. Fraudrin let her go and watched as Estarossa stood proudly. “Meliodas, as of now, has finally met his demise. Britannia is now the demon tribes' for the taking... let the show begin.” With that, the Ten Commandments, minus Fraudrin flew off. “Join us. We can be like the old days again.” Fraudrin held out his hand to the crying girl. “You killed my mother, and then let my father die, are you fucking kidding me?!” She smacked his hand away from her and glared up at him with hate in her eyes. “I see...” With that, the demon bent down and kissed the girl's hair before speaking once again. “I...” “Don't even say you love me, because I know you, a demon, doesn't love me at all...” “Very well.” Then, with those words, Fraudrin flew off as well, leaving the girl all alone with the dead body of her father. The next thing she knew, she heard Elizabeth's voice calling out for Meliodas and Hendrickson calling out for her. “Over here...” Arcadia managed to call out to them. Instantly, she was able to see the man and the girl. Elizabeth quickly made her way to Meliodas, as Hendrickson made his way to Arcadia. “You're still alive... I thought you...” Hendrickson gasped out shocked as he dropped to his knees. “I'm not dead yet...” She smiled up at him, as she leaned against his body. “Please heal me...” “Of course. That's why I'm here.” Hendrickson instantly began to heal the two wounds where her hearts used to be. He couldn't save the destroyed hearts, but he could heal the wounds to stop them from bleeding. “I didn't die... I came back to you...” Arcadia whispered to the man as he healed her. “You did a good job of not dying.” “Where's Griamore?” “With Gil and Howzer. I didn't think he needed to see such a sight.” He was referring to the state Meliodas was in. Elizabeth was now crying and screaming over Meliodas's body. The two adults didn't know what to do, but they knew that they needed to be with her now. With Arcadia now healed, she stood up and walked over to the crying girl. “Elizabeth...” Arcadia started as she sat down next to the girl. “I'm so sorry I couldn't save him...” “You called him your father... Can you explain that to me?” “I can't...” “I understand...” Elizabeth didn't fully understand despite what she said, but she knew the girl wasn't going to say anything. Suddenly, Gilfrost appeared there. “Let's go. I'll take you back to Liones.” “No, take me and Meliodas to the Boar Hat... Bring Hawk too...” “I want to come with you!” Arcadia stated, but Elizabeth just shook her head. “No, you need to stay with Hendrickson and Griamore.” “I...” There was something Arcadia wanted to say, but she couldn't. So, she just turned to look at Hendrickson and smiled sadly at him. “What now?” “I... I'm not sure...” The two adults just looked at each other in confusion. They'd just suffered a terrible loss, and now they weren't sure what they were going to do. However, they knew they were going to do it together.