The Great Thing About Medieval Literature Is That It Returns Us To A Time When Men Were Men And Women

the great thing about medieval literature is that it returns us to a time when men were men and women were women, *insert gritty realism gif here*, featuring such important and eternal gendered characteristics such as

(M) Why Would I Learn To Think Critically When I Could Find a Random Damsel In The Woods To Tell Me What To Do

(F) Demands To Be Brought The Heads Of Her Enemies

(M, to F) Be Mean To Me, No, Meaner Than That

(F) Meticulous Maintenance Of Social Connections And Alliances Via Writing Letters

(M) Crying

(M) More Crying

(M) Even More Crying, While Being Held Tenderly By Brother In Arms

(F) Necromancy

(M) Meticulous Maintenance Of Social Connections And Alliances Via Mistaking Friend’s Identity, Attacking Him, Then Kissing And Making Up

(F) Expert Medical Practitioner

(M) Self-Care By Episodes Of Madness In The Woods

(F) Owner Of Haunted Castle

submissive in the way a livestock guardian dog is submissive to the sheep it kills wolves for

I love truly messed up characters btw I love characters that wake up in the morning and remember who they are then throw up I love characters who will never see the light of Heaven I love characters who don't overcome their past

Thumbprint Challenge

Thanks for the tag @moondust-bard !

RULES: Look back on your work, both past and present, finished and unfinished. What are five to ten narrative elements or tropes that continuously pop up in your work? Give a list of these things!

Inhumanity as a neutral thing rather than 'good' or 'bad

Things™️ are not what they seem to be

Body horror

Fae or fae folklore inspired elements

Intricate magic systems heavily interconnected with the setting

Gods as eldritch entities

Neurodivergent characters. Everywhere.

Misfortune striking but the character is just a bit too fucked up to be bothered all that much

Distorted environments

Tagging: @sparrowrising, @violets-in-her-arms-writes, @tea-and-mercury

Whats the history of executioners as a societal class? Im ready

this article provides a pretty good quick but in-depth summary on the subject. it's a really interesting case study in social exclusion and class/caste system dynamics!

WtW Character Event - Day 2, Tropes

Trope: Monster & Maiden + Inhuman Fae + Forbidden Love

in western woods lies the Starfarer, hand in hand with her bride- Ruler of men: Andromeda.

Oh darling, you whose skin is not of bark nor bear the burbling streams beneath your veins, how do you shine brighter than even the Will O' Wisp?

✦

There was a beast of the forest, once; a great old thing, existence wrenched into being by the stars.

Each step, every pitter patter across my grove, You tangle yourself in my roots more and more; A knot so tight it strangles. Isn’t it odd, how I fear that I enjoy it? How easily you have spellbound me,  Starlight.

Then, there was a human. A girl. So fearless, so reckless. Adored the beast not despite but because of her nature. Her name was Andromeda. Each night it echoed through the woods as a whisper.

One starry night, you laid on my meadows, Fingers holding the flowers so tenderly, My heart could turn supernova.

The fae are an odd type: selfish, possessive, and greedy. Yet, they love with such strength it could tear the earth asunder, feel things so deeply it embeds into them. And oh, did Charon love Andromeda - adore her such that her forest's roots rattle and shake, blossoms burning a florid colour.

The beast yearned for eternity with her, to love as one.

Andromeda: Girl of a single life, my spark of decades Darling muse fated to fall, I yearn for so much more; for our love to outlast even the bristlecone, to eclipse the sun and devour ouroboros, My starlight. I ask once,  And twice,  And thrice; Be my bride, forevermore.

Marriage to fae is to marry their whole being - to intertwine their fates. And it seemed Andromeda's love for her beast burnt stronger than any humanity could.

I’ll plunge my fist into my chest, Just to rip out the constellations for you, Starlight. You take it from my grasp, gently, ever so softly. Searing light bathed you, each thud filled with my love. Ichor spilled out, staining the lake inky black. You let it burn and unravel your flesh with a smile, Placing my heart to yours, My very own star now yours.

In western woods no longer lies a lone beast; The Starfarer had took a bride.

Feathers burst from your skin, their mismatched tones stained the colour of the cosmos. Each breath, every thought- I could feel it all.

I’ll offer up my everything, So be my eternity, Starlight.

✦

Hope you all enjoyed my sapphic fae shit and silliness <3