#sir-galahadnt

[tainbocuailnge]

okay im like. actually curious about anime girl arthuriana. youre the only person ive ever seen posting abt it and you told me abt it once and like.... i kind of Have To Watch It.. do you know where i can find it. also is it like good in a bad way OR is it bad in a good way. should i watch it

well as I have personally been an avid fan of anime girl king arthur for 10 years now obviously I think it's good in a good way. however it has a lot of what is most aptly described as "anime fanservice" baked into the series roots, and a quick look through your blog archive suggests that you don't have a lot of anime exposure, so I can't really say how easily you'll be able to like... look past some of the more distasteful elements of the genre. arthuriana itself is also weird and horny and ~problematic~ though so i'm not saying this because I think you can't stomach it I just feel the need to add a disclaimer because fate/series started with a porn game and never really let go of those roots it just also has bonkers lore. personally i think the good is so good that it more than overshadows the bad and you should definitely give it a try

fate/ is also a bit of an odd series in that translation projects for it are under some kind of curse so despite it's immense overseas popularity a lot of it never gets localised, or gets bad localisations, or fan translation projects for it drop halfway through, or turn out to have been partially machine translated, and so on. I'm sure this is a struggle arturiana can relate to lol. as a result for a lot of fate/ content you have no choice but to pirate it if you want to read or play it at all. there are a lot and i mean a Lot of different entries but individual entries of it are often pretty loosely connected so there's not really a fixed reading order, just a few sets of entries that are directly connected and the rest tends to follow in themes more than setting, and later entries tend to assume you already know how the magic shit works so it stops explaining it. this is also very arturiana of it.

the easiest way to test the waters and see if you'll enjoy fate/ is to watch the anime "Fate/Stay Night [Unlimited Blade Works]". this is an adaption of the second route of the original game, as such it is missing a bit of context from the first route but it should still be easy enough to understand and it's imo a good representation for the overall vibes of the series (both good and occasional bad). last I checked it's available to watch on crunchyroll and netflix. after Unlimited Blade Works comes the movie trilogy "Heaven's Feel", which adapts the third and final route. alternatively you can watch "Fate/Zero" instead, which is on the same streaming platforms. Fate/Zero is the prequel to Fate/Stay Night and has a darker and edgier tone to it which may or may not be up your alley. both of them feature the original anime girl king arthur as one of the protagonists so they're good to see if you'll like her as well

there's a bunch of other fate/ anime on netflix, but none of them are good introductory points. the "Fate/Apocrypha" anime is a notoriously bad adaption, and if you're interested in that one I strongly strongly suggest looking for the manga adaption instead (Apocrypha is particularly cursed, the original novels never finished fantranslation and the manga is still ongoing so the shitty anime adaption is the only way to get the full story in english currently). the "Fate/EXTRA Last Encore" anime is a kind of spinoff slash alternate ending to the PSP game "Fate/EXTRA" and is likely to be incomprehensible without playing that one first (which i recommend because it's a personal favourite). the "Fate/Grand Order" anime are probably fine to watch after Stay Night, just be aware that they're pretty mediocre as adaptions and take place a good chunk into the story of the game with the same name so you're missing a lot of buildup. the "Fate/Kaleid Liner Prisma Illya" anime are unapologetic pedobait and not worth the trouble

if you like the Stay Night anime I would suggest reading the visual novel as a next step! as said before the original has three routes, and it's actually the first one that hasn't been adapted properly that focuses the most on anime girl king arthur's character. in this post I explain how to get the game. the nature of animated adaptions is also that they can't possibly convey everything in the original text, so even after watching the adaptions the visual novel will still offer a lot of fresh material.

another good next step is to pick up the mobile game Fate/Grand Order, it's the current flagship title of the series and is still ongoing. it's a gacha game (i don't know if that means anything to you. it's got glorified gambling basically. think fortnite lootboxes but for playable characters) so you might not want to touch it but I like the gameplay and story a lot so I'm still going to suggest it because it has a shitton of round table figures as playable characters and they feature heavily in parts of the main story as well. if you don't want to engage with gambling mechanics you can easily look up the story on youtube instead

i could go on for a lot longer because there simply is a lot of it lol but i think this is already more info than you really need to get started and if you have more questions I'll gladly answer them. I hope you enjoy it!

[staff]

tumblr tuesday: carina’s cosmic cliffs

Cosmic cliffs, our beloveds. ICYMI, @nasa​​ recently shared some neat new images from the James Webb telescope. So, of course, you all got to work. Whether it's plonking your faves on a star-birthing nebula or celebrating the sparkle in its uncolonized state, there's art for that. 

@cassieoh imagines Crowley lazing around Carina in his snake form:

@sir-galahadnt styled the nebula in inspirobot chic using a quote from Hamlet (click through for the full quote):

@whatlizardry in oil pastels:

@assassin1513 just made it all sparkle a little more:

@jupitertheegg gave Starfire the perfect cosmic couch:

@richo1915 just said what everyone else was thinking:

@aesthetic-sweaters made a Kirby version:

@bird-wells214​ another loafer loafing on Carina’s cliff couch: 

@troisenator​ in watercolor:

And finally, some pixel art of the deep field in all its multitudes by @kekness​:

[tragicbackstoryenjoyer]

WIP Introduction: Blood Of Gods

a dark, sapphic, adult political fantasy novel

Blurb

Ashala av Khilaya is a Mystite; one of the last followers of humanity’s ancient religion. When noblewoman Amata Ambrosius is murdered by foreign infidels, the king declares a holy war and violently expels the Mystites. The act leaves Ashala orphaned and forced into hiding, nursing a dream of retribution. Alas, a dirt-poor peasant like her could never touch the high, holy king.

But when Ashala finds Amata’s corpse hidden in the wilderness, she finds no evidence of foreign involvement. Instead, all signs point to Vesta, Amata’s twin sister and the king’s betrothed. Desperate to keep her deception hidden, Vesta strikes a deal that changes Ashala’s world forever.

In exchange for her silence, Ashala is knighted. Gifts of fame, fortune, and the king’s audience are promised to her. All the while, she finds herself further drawn into Vesta’s dangerous and captivating web of intrigue. However, if Ashala fails to hide her past amongst her oppressors, a death worthy of a heretic awaits her.

In order to exact revenge, Ashala must first survive- lest the bloody politics of the king’s court kill her before she gets the chance.

Themes

revenge, forbidden love, religion, oppression & solidarity, grief, and war.

Excerpt

Ashala reached a hand under her straw-filled pillowcase and procured a single copper coin. Enough to buy her a single meal, maybe more. Even in her starved state, she had no intention of spending it. For on the coin’s face was minted a profile of King Lucius Caelus. She no longer prayed. Instead, every night and every morning, Ashala would stare at that coin and fantasize about choking him out as he begged for mercy. She drew a fingernail across his neck, imagining the heat of his blood spilling out upon her hands.

She had spent enough years blaming herself for what happened. It just happened to be that Lucius Caelus was the one to carry out such divine injustice, all to earn quick money to fund a war with the Saarun Empire that had been fought a hundred times before.

But when Ashala had saved his life all those years ago, King Lucius had inadvertently incurred a debt. A debt of blood; a debt that only he could pay to her. She had given him the gift of life, and it was her right to take it back. She could never reverse the fates of his countless victims, nor could she reverse her own. But she could reverse his. If only she knew how to.

Status

4th draft/beta reading

Taglist (ask to be added or removed)

@sir-galahadnt @dropsoftheuniverse

[dreamertrilogys]

i was tagged by @mircallasgrave to post my mid-year book recs <3 my fav out of all of these was definitely radio silence but that might just be because i’m obsessed w stories revolving around friendship. anyway i’m tagging @lesbianboyfriend @carfuckerlynch @chnt @angelwingspdf @shamemp3 @hagmorgana @boymagnolia @sir-galahadnt & any mutuals who want to <3

[tragicbackstoryenjoyer]

Character Introduction: Vesta Corvinus

19 years old. pale and full-figured, very long wavy blonde hair, amber eyes, fine features, and an ornate mask that always covers the top of her face. the deuteragonist.

Excerpt

“Once we win this war- and we will win this war- we will return to this great city and take this beautiful, honorable woman to be our queen and the mother of a new Salisia.” The King spread his arms, smiling. “Good citizens, your future queen, and the most beautiful woman in all our kingdom, Her Worship Vesta Corvinus.”

The great, black doors that guarded the entrance to the Palace opened to reveal a woman made of gold. Lucius was much too far away to see in any detail, but Vesta, who ascended onto the platform, now covered with a fine carpet that rolled out in front of each of her steps by guards, was visible in all her glory. Close enough to touch, her pale skin seemed to be decorated with all the riches of Salisia itself. The rich brocade of her dress, from the puffed shoulders to the train that fell to the ground, was a rich, if untimely, ebony black. Rich strands of pearls fell across her breast, and the mask that hid all but her crimson lips was embedded with rubies. Thick hair like hand-spun flax fell in great, loose waves down past her waist. Ashala’s heart seized in her chest. Lucius was a liar on every account, but he did not exaggerate her beauty. His words seemed too simple, too quick, to truly describe a woman who seemed nothing less than the finest de Filagro portrait come to life. Vesta held her head high and did not smile as she looked out over the sea of those she would rule soon enough, the perfect picture of royalty.

The people gasped and cooed with wonder, but for Ashala, to look upon her was sickening. Even her beauty, won by a life of privileged leisure, was a foul thing to gaze upon. If the war that drove Ashala’s people from their homes and killed her family was in the name of Amata Corvinus, Vesta had to be her sister. If she remembered correctly, her twin, younger by only a few minutes. While wars were started in her family’s name and the citizens of her country starved to death, Vesta paraded around a city of drunkards adorned in more wealth than this entire city was worth. She’d be perfect for him, Ashala thought. The king who killed and the queen who ate of the winnings. Ashala thought that if she killed King Lucius with the first bolt of her crossbow, she’d use the second to kill her.

Description

Vesta Corvinus is said to be a pure-blooded Descendent of the Hundred Ancestors, the gods that most of Salisia worship. Though granting her immense religious authority and the power to conjure fire from thin air, she must wear a mask over her face at all times as a reminder to others of her holiness.

Due to being from a less prominent Descendent family, she was initially trained to be the Swordmaiden, or female knight, of her twin sister, Amata. But when Amata was killed, kicking off the war between Salisia and the Saarun Empire, Vesta was betrothed to King Lucius Cato. While well-loved by the Salisian people, a few suspect the extent of her involvement in Amata's death.

Taglist (ask to be added or removed)

@sir-galahadnt @dropsoftheuniverse @ladywithalamp @ashen-crest @laufire-writes

[tragicbackstoryenjoyer]

Character Introduction: Lucius Cato

27 years old. muscular, shoulder-length black hair, light skin, hazel eyes, a short beard, and a mask that always covers the top half of his face. the antagonist.

Excerpt

“It wasn’t until I was a young prince, on what I thought then might have been my deathbed, that my Ancestors came to me," King Lucius spoke to the crowd of adoring citizens. "In the hazy land between the material realm and the Ancestral Halls, I was shown a vision. One hundred golden forms, blindingly brilliant, commanded unto me: ‘be righteous, and live by Our light, and you shall be the one to reconquer your ancestral kingdom of Aweria, so that you might banish the infidels that corrupt its lands. For you shall be a great king.’ When I woke up, I was entirely healed.”

Ashala could have laughed if it didn’t make her so angry. Bullshit.

“Henceforth, I have lived a life of piety. I sleep only from sundown to midnight, so that I may spend the remaining hours of the night praying. I have abstained from the imbibement of alcohol, and have remained uncorrupted by carnal sin. I am a testament to the purity of both body and soul. As soon as I took this throne, I knew what I had to do and set out to prepare for it. I had no idea that I would be forced to take action so soon."

Description

King Lucius Cato is the last remaining direct Descendent of his namesake, a god and and member of the holy Hundred Ancestors. As he is such, he lives his life in dedication to them. While he uses his power order a great holy war to reconquer the Saarun Empire for the worshippers of the Hundred Ancestors and expels the religious minorities of Salisia, make no mistake: he is no hypocrite.

Abstaining from sex, alcohol, and even sleep when prayer is more necessary, he believes the strength of his rule comes from the purity of his self. Beloved by his people, he must now win his war against the much stronger Empire, and produce an heir to his kingdom. When one is as pure in spirit and breeding as he, how could one fail?

Taglist (ask to be added or removed)

@sir-galahadnt @dropsoftheuniverse @ladywithalamp @ashen-crest @laufire-writes

[tragicbackstoryenjoyer]

Character Introduction: Ashala av Khilaya

21 years old. tall and dangerously thin, curly black hair, golden brown skin, a thick unibrow, brown eyes rimmed with dark circles, a sharp, curved nose, and a jagged scar across her left cheekbone. the protagonist.

Excerpt

In Ashala’s pocket, she kept a single copper coin. She called it her “emergency fund,” but that was a lie. On its face was minted a profile of King Lucius. At night, Ashala would stare at it, dreaming of choking him out as he begged for mercy. He had taken everything from her and her people. He had ruined her life and the lives of the thousands of others within his country that forgoed the worship of his Ancestors to worship the old human goddess - Ahara. The people that called themselves Mystites but outsiders called heathens. All to fund a war that had been fought a hundred times before. This bloody, impossible fantasy of revenge was the one luxury Ashala allowed herself in her solitude. She would never get close enough to take back the life that she was owed, but she could dream. For only when he is dead would Ashala have the bravery to leave her hermitage and look for her parents. She knew well enough that she would not live long enough to see that happen, though. He ruled with an iron fist. No one dared speak out against him, for he was worshiped as the living Descendent of gods. He would rule until he is a withered old man and pass down his bloody values onto his kin. Ashala knew that her parents were likely dead, anyways. Just like her brother, Ivren. Just like Sarra.

Description

The daughter of the religious leader of an isolated community of Mystites, Ashala grew up sheltered, happy, and oblivious to the oppression her people faced. A deeply religious girl with a talent for healing, she could never have dreamed of hurting another human being.

But when the fanatical King Lucius Cato took Salisia's throne, everything changed. With everyone she once knew either dead or far, far away, she's turned into a fear-stricken cynic, living on the brink of starvation far away from society. In her solitude, she allows herself to dream of one thing only: vengeance.

Taglist (ask to be added or removed)

@sir-galahadnt @dropsoftheuniverse @ladywithalamp @ashen-crest @laufire-writes

[tragicbackstoryenjoyer]

Character Introduction: Pietro of Napora

20 years old. athletic build, somewhat short, dark brown skin, clean-shaven, and a coily black afro. a side character.

Excerpt

“Your Worships and respected guests!” The knight called out, signaling for the bards to stop their playing. “I am Ser Pietro of Napora, and I shall perform for you tonight the chivalric romance of Ser Leandrus and Lady Aellia. I dedicate this to our own generous and beautiful Lady, Her Worship Vesta Corvinus!”

Vesta paled. “Oh no,” she whispered. But before she could even attempt to stop it, the young man had opened his mouth and begun to sing.

In all honesty, it truly was not horrible. Ser Pietro was a talented singer by all accounts, and his skills at the lute were perfectly serviceable. What soured the performance, at least in Ashala’s mind, were the lyrics. They told of the courtly love between a knight and his Lady back in the Era of Magic. Nevermind that to place those modern titles on an ancient legal system was largely inaccurate. Lady Aellia was married, however, so Ser Leandrus was forced to pine at a distance. The main plot of the song dealt with him fighting in a tournament for the honor of his Lady.

“My lady has hair like the goddess sun’s rays,” Pietro warbled. “And earthen eyes made of the finest dwarven clay.” Ashala tried not to balk at the gross historical errors being made while occasionally eyeing Vesta to see if Lady Aellia’s description matched her own. Naturally, it did. She seemed less than happy about this.

Description

Pietro is a recently-knighted knight in service of Salisia. While certainly a competent combatant, he fashions himself more as a lover than a fighter. Although he comes from a wealthy and influential family, he's still a common-blood, and therefore had to quite literally fight harder than everyone else to earn his place as a knight. Which makes it all the more strange that he refuses to return to the Saarun battlefield, even after his war injury has healed.

Taglist (ask to be added or removed)

@sir-galahadnt @dropsoftheuniverse @ladywithalamp @ashen-crest @laufire-writes @tc-doherty

[tragicbackstoryenjoyer]

10 and 20 for the OC asks!

--Joy (@italiangothicwriteblr)

Answering for both Ashala and Vesta!

10. What are some of your OC’s pet peeves? How do they handle it when the annoyance doesn’t stop?

Ashala cannot stand it when other people complain about their lives around her. I mean, who are they to complain when they have not felt the ache of hunger, the loneliness of total and all-encompassing loss, or the white-hot anger of being utterly powerless to do anything about it? Well. Maybe they have, but certainly not like she has.

Ashala generally assumes that they won't care about that, though, and therefore nods along and pretends to be interested while silently making fun of them and trivializing their experiences in her head.

20. Does your OC have any favourite games to pass the time? What other hobbies do they have?

As a kid, Ashala's favorite game was lamhash, a sort of simple gambling game using candy or toys, kind of like a fantasy version of dreidel. She grew out of it, though, and there's not many people left to play it with, anyways. As for hobbies, she enjoys music, dancing, and gardening!

10. What are some of your OC’s pet peeves? How do they handle it when the annoyance doesn’t stop?

Public displays of affection! If you insist on having some hot, passionate love affair that will inevitably end in heartbreak a few weeks or months down the line, at least have the decency to do so in private. Of course, such things don't usually occur in Vesta's current social circles, but that's not to say that she hasn't seen it before. Usually, she'll give the offending party a pointed cough, and when that inevitably doesn't work, she'll roll her eyes and leave the room. They probably aren't paying much attention to her anyways.

20. Does your OC have any favourite games to pass the time? What other hobbies do they have?

Vesta's quite familiar with most card games (both ones belonging to noble courts and those belonging to seedy gambling dens) and is fairly gifted at chess. In terms of hobbies, she enjoys hunting and, on occasion, painting. She used to gobble up books of economic and political theory, but has since outgrown that particular interest.

Taglist (ask to be added or removed)

@sir-galahadnt @dropsoftheuniverse @ladywithalamp @ashen-crest @laufire-writes

[tragicbackstoryenjoyer]

Shen, Bruce, and Yokai, for Lucius?

Shen: Do they become a self-fulfilling prophecy, or break the cycle?

This man's a self-fulfilling prophecy if I've ever seen one. He believes that there are two fundamental threats to his power: so-called heretics (Mystites and Serafens, namely) and other Catos who would kill him to inherit his power. He acts accordingly, believing that by hurting himself in the name of the gods he worships, he has the right to hurt and kill others. But ultimately, his actions piss a few select people off. You can probably guess who.

Bruce: How likely are their chances of a successful redemption arc?

Ooh, this question's a complicated one. Simply put: I think it's possible, but highly unlikely. He has twisted the tenants of his religion to excuse the violence he enacts so much that convincing him that he's in the wrong would probably require a visit from the Hundred Ancestors themselves. (And whether or not the Hundred Ancestors actually exist is really up to how any given reader interprets my worldbuilding.) Perhaps if he was positively influenced by someone with unorthodox beliefs about accepting the beliefs of infidels, he would have turned out better. But he also might have turned out dead.

However, assuming this takes place within the events of Blood Of Gods, it's probably too late for "redemption." He's already launched a war that has killed tens of thousands of people, and he's already ordered the conversion of thousands of others at pain of expulsion or death. Once we get into the later events of the novel, he takes other actions that are unambiguously morally black. It's certainly enough for me to say that I'd never forgive him, but I suppose it's never too late to start doing good.

Yokai: Was the hero familiar with them before they become a villain?

For Vesta, the deuteragonist, definitely. He was her crown prince before he became her king, and they certainly would have crossed paths. I doubt they ever would have interacted much, as she was nothing more than the daughter of a minor noble then, but they would have been aware of each other.

For Ashala, the protagonist, all I can say is yes, they personally knew each other. Anything more and I would be getting into spoiler territory. ;)

Taglist (ask to be added or removed)

@sir-galahadnt @dropsoftheuniverse @ladywithalamp @ashen-crest @laufire-writes

[tragicbackstoryenjoyer]

Character Introduction: Leonarda

25 years old. long, curly brown hair, light, freckled skin, blue eyes, fine features, and an hourglass body. a side character.

Excerpt

Leonarda had no last name. She was a child born out of wedlock to a mother who was too young to treat her as anything but a doll- something to be played with and cast aside on a whim. She was a maidservant, too, and worked dutifully in the household of an aging Descendent by the name of Lord Antonius Arquetius. He could make something rise into the air with just a flick of the wrist, and his piercing blue eyes were just like Leonarda’s. When she was little, waiting late into the night in her makeshift nursery for her teenaged mother to remember her and return to her, she would spread her hands and try to make her blanket float. It never worked.

What she could do, however, was be silent. Lord Antonius would not order her to be beaten if she was. She became an object, a piece of furniture, a thing that would follow someone around all day and would fold to their every demand. She was very good at it, too. You could almost forget she was there. But she never, for a moment, stopped noticing.

So tonight, Leonarda was silent. And she noticed.

Description

Leonarda is a lowly maidservant living and working in King Lucius's palace. Oft-ignored due to her inferior status, she hears and sees many things that she shouldn't. While steadfastly loyal to the crown and the Ancestors, she secretly dreams of a better life for herself. She and Vesta were once friendly, but Leonarda has recently turned cold and bitter towards her for unknown reasons.

Taglist (ask to be added or removed)

@sir-galahadnt @dropsoftheuniverse @ladywithalamp @ashen-crest @laufire-writes @tc-doherty

[tragicbackstoryenjoyer]

Worldbuilding Lore: the history of Ya'Krath

The first dominant species of Ya'krath was the dragon- a fearsome race of unparalleled power and strength. They held dominion over the entire continent, save for the peninsula now known as Blackheart. Where the dragons roamed, the humanoid inhabitants learned magic in order to combat their natural predators. Each race- elves, dwarves, halflings, orcs, and many others- developed their own particular flavor of magic, most owing it to the god they claimed created them. Eventually, these magical humanoids hunted the dragons to extinction and became the new dominant force on the continent. They became known as the Dragonslayers.

Thus ended the Era Of Dragons, and thus began the Era Of Magic.

No longer under threat of dragons, the advanced Dragonslayers began to expand their civilizations. The humans living on the eastern peninsula, who had never developed magic, were all too easy of a target. For the next few thousand years, humans were made to live all over the continent under the subjugation of the Dragonslayers. Without magic, it was difficult to fight back.

Until, all around the same time, one hundred human children were born with the power to perform the magic of the Dragonslayers. They called themselves the Centicularum, and were widely admired by their fellow humans, but found suspicion from human priests.

Then, a plague arrived. Within the span of just a few short years, all Dragonslayers had died, and so had many humans. Nearly 90 percent of the continent's population, completely wiped out, but all of the Centicularum remained standing. They claimed that the Old Gods were dead and that they would soon ascend to take their place. They called themselves the Hundred Ancestors now. The world would be ruled fairly by their Descendents, who had inherited their inhuman magic. In the wreckage of a shattered world, most turned to worship them.

Thus ended the Era Of Magic, and thus began the Era Of Peace, or the Ancestor's Era.

Not all were so quick to abandon the old ways, however. The surviving members of the former high priests of Ahara, the Old God of humans, formed a new religious group: the Mystites. Meanwhile, the worshippers of the Hundred Ancestors formalized themselves into an actual religion- Centiclarianism- under the guidance of the Descendents.

A few hundred years passed, and eventually Centiclarians living in what's now known as the Saarun Empire tired of living under Descendent rule. They broke off to form their own sect: Serafism. Many of the Descendents they ousted in their bloody revolution came to rule the once-abandoned isles of Salisia. Centiclarian nations have been trying and failing to reconquer their former lands ever since.

Taglist (ask to be added or removed)

@sir-galahadnt @dropsoftheuniverse @ladywithalamp @ashen-crest @laufire-writes