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Arslan Senki blog! Expect a lot of sobbing over my favourite characters and infrequent meta. This blog is NOT spoiler free (though I do tag/warn for spoilers). Please feel free to send any questions!

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It's not WIP Wednesday but I'm excited to share that the first draft of my Kubard/Shapur pre-canon fic is complete! This one is set in Year 317 of the Parsian calendar, where the Parsian army have just come to Maryam's aid and defeated the first Lusitanian invasion. Wish me luck with editing!

[kayleysayer]

Wolves, Ears and Tails

An Isfan/Jimsa ficlet series — Arslan Senki canon-divergence AU

@acheneya-blog Rest assured, there is more to come! Please feel free to point out any errors I made while trying to fit all our shared conversations into this little compilation ;-)

@acheneya-blog and I may have cooked a bit too much in the comments and this is what came out of it!

This might come as an unexpected pairing to some but we hope you're ready for our full presentation of evidence as to why they are a perfect match! It might yet surprise you as much as it surprised us.

Please feel free to share your comments, thoughts, hopes and wishes.

The first set of ficlets is currently with a friend of mine for beta-reading. I hope to share it soon! For now, please find below a little teaser:

Shapur survives Atropatene because Kubard, faced with a man who would rather die than retreat, solves the problem by knocking him unconscious and carrying him off the battlefield.

Later, Jimsa ends up responsible for a pair of wolf pups.

He has no idea what to do with them. Isfan does.

The pups take to Isfan immediately, and watching him handle them with such instinctive gentleness forces Jimsa to reconsider the blond Parsian he had previously regarded as irritating, dangerous and far too serious.

Unfortunately for Isfan, reconsideration soon becomes admiration.

Then attraction.

Then infatuation.

Jimsa has never doubted his own strength, skill, attractiveness or worth as a prospective husband. Isfan deserves the best, and Jimsa is entirely prepared to argue that this includes him.

Shapur, meanwhile, decides that Isfan must find a suitable partner.

Kubard offers to help.

Gieve joins in because Isfan’s annoyance is entertaining.

This goes exactly as badly as it sounds.

At its heart, Wolves, Ears and Tails is about Jimsa recognising Isfan’s worth with complete certainty while Isfan is still learning how to believe in it himself.

The wolves recognise him first.

Jimsa follows.

Everyone else interferes.

Some of what to expect from Wolves, Ears and Tails (definitely not in order):

Jimsa openly courting an increasingly flustered Isfan

wolf pups who appoint Isfan their mother

Shapur expressing love through an unbearable quantity of jewellery

Kubard becoming the camp’s suspiciously popular unofficial therapist (Farangis is called upon when actual reason is required)

Kubard and Shapur behaving far too intimately for two men who refuse to explain themselves

Isfan seeking therapy from Kubard because of Shapur

Kubard deciding that Shapur is the one who truly needs therapy

Gieve spreading rumours for the benefit of absolutely nobody

Kishward telling Isfan stories about Shapur, then revealing his hiding places whenever Shapur comes looking (retaliation for Isfan feeding Azrael fat)

Narsus taking revenge on everyone who interferes with his best night operative

Daryun watching that revenge unfold and regretting his proximity to it

Jimsa guarding Isfan like a dragon guarding treasure

Shapur objecting while behaving in exactly the same way

jewellery for Isfan, Jimsa and eventually the wolves

braids, earrings, ponytails and decorated tails

Shapur and Jimsa competing over who can fuss over Isfan more aggressively

Azrael and the pups fighting over who gets to feed scrawny Isfan (in comparison to Kubard, Kishward and Shapur, he is, just look at this piece of evidence)

Jimsa trying to push Kubard and Shapur together, despite the possibility that there is very little left to push

Isfan learning what he wants from a partner

Jimsa learning that care also means respecting Isfan’s need for solitude

pet names, failed pet names and one simple nickname that means far too much

adoption, found family and a steadily expanding pack

The overall tone will be domestic comedy, affectionate interference, slow emotional development and far too much gold.

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Autocorrect turning 'farsangs' into 'Farangis'.

Okay, at least this one is ArSen relevant but a random canon character showing up like that basically jumpscared me.

[yyyqqe]

And once again, I remain—one more of those nights, waiting desperately for the dawn, yet moments only twist, the night grows longer and sorrow creeps in. I do not sleep. Thoughts steal sleep from my eyes and keep calling: how I travelled a long road, only to realize now that all that effort, all that longing, all that meaning, has been scattered to the wind? I never understood why my life became so tangled in mistakes. With every rise, I sank deeper. I lost. The fire inside me burns mercilessly—destroys. I am not fierce-tempered, nor am I mad, but no one hears me unless I cry out. No one will ever understand how I can feel so wretched in this position of power, and yet look back with a vague longing at the hard days of the barracks. When there was still a glimmer of hope—for what I wanted to do, for what I wanted to be. I will not look to the sky anymore, yet I am too ashamed to face the earth. Is this what I fought for? Tonight, I threw the Golden Lion badge—once my pride—into a corner. I do not want the badge that weighs heavy on my heart. I want nothing anymore, except to be freed from this loud, deathly silence of the night. I will murmur an old song to the flickering light of the candle, until sleep takes me. Perhaps I will dream of home, of the mountain meadows, of wild flowers, of a white mare with hopeful eyes, perhaps...

[buckth6rn]

hilmes senki

[buckth6rn]

The latest chapter unalived me… had to finish this ASAP🏃🏃

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Soon it will be time to play the 'how many words of Shapur angsting about his ex am I gonna have to cut from this WIP' game. 😔

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Chapter 153 is out on MangaK! Thanks to @foulpirategentlemen for letting me know about this site.

[importantdestinydefender]

アルスラーン戦記 – Raw 【第153話】 | Manga Raw

Chapter 153 Raws are here!

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Should be a new ArSen chapter today, but I won't be here for it! I may not have a chance to catch up for a couple of days so please enjoy the new chapter without me.

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A honest question... how many childre do you think Kubard has? I sometimes wonder about this, he may have even a dozen and not even be aware of it?

I've wondered about this a lot, too! Considering his reputation he's got to have some out there, right? While there may have been some methods of contraception in Pars they wouldn't be anywhere near as effective as modern versions so statistically it feels like a certainty that someone like Kubard probably fathered multiple children he's not aware of.

And, I mean, I don't think he'd want to be aware of them. He certainly wouldn't officially acknowledge it if anyone does claim to have a child by him, and doesn't care about having an heir whatsoever (well, this is my headcanon, anyway). (He'd probably use an excuse like "They don't look like me, they all have two eyes!". Obviously nonsense but I don't think he has any desire to be a father, just like he has no desire to get married.)

Maaaaybe, if I'm being charitable, I could see him slipping some money to someone raising a kid that's likely his if they're struggling, but honestly I mostly think he doesn't see it as his problem and likely doesn't tend to sleep with women who would try to make a child his responsibility anyway.

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Trying to write in this heatwave is a special kind of hell. My brain feels like a thick soup where I'm struggling to bring words to the surface, yet this is the most free time I've had in ages and I want to make the most of it! (If you're wondering where I've been, it's outdoor climbing season but it's too hot to climb today. I'm camped out in the kitchen which is the coolest room in my house.)

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This might be a silly question, but how do you read on Mangago? Every time I try to click the arrow for the next manga page, it opens up a new site page for suspicious looking ads. The same thing happens if I click anywhere. I’m thinking maybe I’m supposed to click somewhere specific to be able to read the whole manga chapter, but I’m not sure where? I’m sorry if it’s something obvious and I’m just missing it, I’d just really like to be able to read the latest ArSen chapters!

It's not a silly question, unfortunately it's a terrible site riddled with ads. I don't actually read it there, I read it in KManga but you have to pay for the chapter there (or earn points) and it doesn't work in all regions.

For Mangago, make sure you're not opening the website in the Tumblr app. Copy the link to your browser instead. When you click the arrow for the next page it will indeed open a new tab with a dodgy ad, but you can just close this and return to the tab with the chapter and you should find it has loaded the next page.

I did briefly check and it doesn't look like it's out anywhere else yet but keep an eye on Weebcentral, hopefully it will be added there soon.

Edit: Anon, please see the useful tips from @hydrangeas-and-groves in the comments, they could go a long way towards sorting your issues out!

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Arslan Senki Chapter 152 is out on Mangago!

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Arslan Senki Chapter 152

(Maybe I'll write something up about the previous chapters soon. But for now, a few quick thoughts on the one that just came out!)

Lots of characters featured in this one but notably no Arslan (meaning we don't see him or the group he is with). I thought it was a good choice by Arakawa to focus on those whose objective is reaching Arslan instead, along with Hilmes and Zandeh.

SO nice to see my boys Hilmes and Zandeh in action in a way I can support... okay, just because their behaviour right now is heroic on the surface level doesn't mean they have fully redeemed themselves, but at least I can enjoy this.

Still so stoked to see him going without his mask. This was a nice panel.

The ensorceled soldiers struggling to make sense of their competing orders is... an interesting dilemma. It's the opposite of the cohesion we see with Team Arslan where they're, well, operating as a team, but also able as individuals to use their initiative, prioritise, or take on roles of leadership as needed. Arslan has the retainers he needs. Zahhak doesn't.

This gave me a prickle of fear... Mainly because we know Zahhak is on the lookout for a general and I'm still worried about him managing to acquire one and who that might be. In the novels, Ilterish took that role, but that seems unlikely here. It may come to nothing, Zahhak's mind-controlled forces might remain the rabble that we see right now, but if Zahhak did find someone to take command of them, imagine how much more of a threat his army would be.

Loved the 'Yashasuiin!' moment as the gate broke! Feels good to have something to cheer for, y'know?

Somehow this is cute.

So everyone gets inside the palace and splits up to look for Arslan.

Gieve running into Hilmes and deciding to cross blades with him just in case was fucking hilarious. Only Gieve could do that. And only Gieve can piss Hilmes off that badly (...no, wait, I take it back; Narsus is capable of it too).

Anyway, Gieve's smart, he sees Hilmes has been killing the Snake King's soldiers, he knows hanging around any longer will mean he'll be slower to find Arslan, so he leaves him to it. This encounter feels important; I'll go into why later on.

Relieved to see Alfarid and Merlain, especially when Elam runs into them. The situation for Merlain feels so much better now, and of course Alfarid remains to do what she can! And once again we see her quick thinking when considering how to present information to those outside the palace in order to gain their support. Team Arslan remains adaptable where Zahhak's soldiers flounder and struggle to think for themselves.

This is also cute!

And then things take a turn for the worse as one of the remaining sorcerers shows up and begins manipulating the bodies of the dead soldiers in order to prevent Hilmes from leaving, seeking to hold him there until the Snake King arrives. Fuck. Sounds like Zahhak wants to end Hilmes personally.

This... feels bad.

I said that brief encounter with Gieve felt important, and the reason it felt important is because the likelihood of anyone coming to give Hilmes aid is extremely low. Those who broke into the palace are focused on finding Arslan. They don't have time for Hilmes (and it's not like they'll even be aware he's in trouble, either). We know Sam is likely still inside the palace somewhere, but he's so badly injured I'm not sure what he could do even if he manages to be in the right place at the right time.

Which leaves Hilmes to face this alone, as Zandeh is still on the ramparts... How fast can Zandeh get down there? He'll soon see that Hilmes is in trouble, and surely try to rush to his side.

And maybe I'm a touch paranoid, but we all know Zandeh would lay down his life for Hilmes if need be. Neither of them would survive against the Snake King. If they can't manage to defeat the sorcerer quickly, they won't get away in time. I'm kinda worried (especially after that "Let us go, Zandeh!") that they won't be leaving together.

And now I have to worry about that for another month! Hopefully they'll manage to root out where the sorcerer controlling the dead bodies is hiding... it feels like they need to kill him rather than his puppets, but how feasible that is, I don't know.

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HILMES PREVIEW HILMES PREVIEW

HERE WE GOOOO

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Sometimes you sit down to write and 30 minutes later all that you've done is tentatively name an OC whose name might not even be referenced in this fic.