KAYLEY SAYER

Mostly sharing my writing, infrequent updates! KayleySayer on AO3 as well

[kayleysayer]

A Christmas Carol - Arslan Senki

Dear Reader, 

Christmas is on its way! And in order to honour Christmas not only because it may be of religious importance to some of you but mainly because it is a feast of gratitude, joy and giving, we decided to create this piece for the Arslan Senki fandom.

We have prepared 24 doors of an Advent Calendar that shall delight you the wait until Christmas Eve.

If Tumblr allows, I will try to do the uploads here, otherwise, you may find them at AO3:

A Christmas Carol - Arslan Senki - KayleySayer - Arslan Senki | Heroic Legend of Arslan [Archive of Our Own]

Here’s a little preview on what awaits you: 

You will accompany our beloved Christmas elf Etoile while she experiences mystical encounters and learns to look at the world through different eyes. 

It was originally a collaboration started in 2017 between myself and a dear friend of mine who unfortunately wasn't able to finish the "new edition" from her end. Therefore, we decided to give you the story version only in advance this year, and will be happy to receive any feedback you would like to provide! You may already stay tuned for the re-vamped upload in 2026

We hope we can sweeten your time with it!

With lots of love and season’s greetings, 

KayleySayer

Tumblr Masterlist:

1st Door, 2nd Door, 3rd Door, 4th Door, 5th Door, 6th Door, 7th Door, 8th Door, 9th Door, 10th Door, 11th Door, 12th Door, 13th Door, 14th Door, 15th Door, 16th Door, 17th Door, 18th Door, 19th Door, 20th Door, 21st Door, 22nd Door, 23rd Door, 24th Door

[acheneya-blog]

Лайнарт + Джимса хд

[kayleysayer]

As I know you love these (and there are some new aspects below), this is for you: @importantdestinydefender Thanks for the tag!

Last song: If we're being precise, that is "Can Do" and "RIMFIRE" by GRANRODEO, the first and second opening to the anime Kuroko no Basuke as I've started a background noise re-watch while working on other projects.

Favorite colour: Every blue-green mix: turquoise, seaweed, teal.

Currently watching: Re-watching Kuroko no Basuke as background entertainment (I sometimes hate how quiet the house can get and feel more comfortable with having something run in the background, so that's that). Otherwise we have just finished The Pitt Season 2 and are on the hunt for the next thing to watch - happy to take recommendations!

Current obsession: Going food for this one - and I know opinions are 50/50 on this - but white rice with tuna and mayo. This is the quickest recipe that belongs to the category 'comfort food' for me.

Currently reading: Manga - Spy x Family Vol. 14 (I love the series, it's one where the anime is actually worth watching) Book - Ikigai by Ken Mogi (I got this from my partner for National Book and Roses Day (I didn't know that was a thing, but apparentely it's a Catalonian (Spanish) tradition, so, thank you, Tik Tok for getting me another book for my pile of shame!) Otherwise I'm stuck reading scientific research papers for my master's degree.

Current project / currently working on: In terms of fanfiction currently only working on Arslan Senki ones (I guess I'll do a separate post on those.)

I'm also working on (practising) the accompanying piano part of an arrangement for piano and cello of Rachmaninow's Op. 34 No. 14 'Vocalise'. The cello teacher at music school approached me and asked whether I could accompany her student for their A-level exam at school 'as you've played this in the past'... Well... I did. I know, but my fingers don't, so we'll see how much time that will eat away of my schedule.

Otherwise, I have just placed an order for some materials for another Arsen-related little project I've chosen as a procrastination project while finishing my thesis papers. As I'll be stuck writing a lot I wanted to be prepared in case fanfiction writing will be out of the picture for that time. And if we're being honest, I'm really invested in this right now, so it might as well be done before I even start with the final thesis paper.

Last Google search: Recipe for cream puffs. I was shocked about the price nowadays and thought I could simply make them myself. Turns out I can. Turns out store-bought cream puffs will now forever be banned from the menu as they taste better if you make them yourself.

Not sure if any of you are up to it, but maybe you'll also find this a fun exercise over the first morning coffee: @hydrangeas-and-groves @innerchorus @acheneya-blog

[acheneya-blog]

Откормил Исфан птичку (он сам не знает, как так получилось - вроде не так много вкусняшек давал (ага в сравнении с волчатами)). Теперь недалекий блондин ломает голову над тем, как вернуть птичку обратно в форму, пока ее хозяин не спохватился. Кишвард, конечно, очень терпеливый и добрый (один из самых доброжелательных марзбанов), но даже у него есть пределы доброты и терпения хд

Если Исфан не успеет исправить свою оплошность с ожирением Азраила, то Кишвард первым ПОТРЕБУЕТ у Шапура, чтобы тот выдал своего младшего брата замуж - этому блондину явно не на кого (тут Шапур мог бы с Кишвардом поспорить) тратить свою дурную энергию и заботу! Вот и пусть обзаведется супругом и детьми! (Вот тут Шапур с ним целиком и полностью согласен) И вообще соколы - не куры! Как можно было так раскормить хищника?! (на самом деле Исфан виноват главным образом в том, что понятия не имеет, сколько еды (и какую еду) можно давать соколу, дап, ну и добрый слишком (к животным))

[kayleysayer]

Let's hope Isfan can get Azrael back in shape before Kishward joins Shapur in his endeavour to find the perfect partner for Isfan! xD

[acheneya-blog]

И групповое фото хд

Кубард и Шапур срутся как обычно.

Исфан и Кишвард взаимно извиняются за поведение брата/товарища-марзбана хд

Азраил стек в каплю хд

[acheneya-blog]

Собрала всех в одну кучу хд

[kayleysayer]

Unfortunately my latest thesis paper for university is keeping me from finishing the appreciation post for Azrael and Soroush, BUT here you have a little snippet from (the updated) Chapter 8 of 'There is One I Could Call King' for the time being:

Azrael stiffened suddenly, feathers ruffling as a voice carried on the wind.

"Ah! There she is — my desert bloom!" Rajendra's voice shattered the quiet like a poorly struck chord on a badly tuned instrument.

Kaleiya closed her eyes. Azrael made a low, dangerous click in his throat.

"I feared you had wandered off and been spirited away!"

Azrael turned with an indignant flap of wings, feathers bristling. Kaleiya calmly patted him down.

"How may I help you, Prince Rajendra?" she asked with practised politeness, turning slowly — face calm and hands still on Azrael.

Rajendra spread his arms. "I have come to rescue you from solitude. No lady should be left alone while there is food, wine, and music to be had."

"I'm not alone," she said. "Azrael is with me."

Rajendra laughed. "Surely a bird is poor company beside a prince."

Azrael turned, feathers flaring, and fixed the prince with a withering, human glare.

Kaleiya's smile thinned. "Azrael is more than fine company. He knows when silence matters." The look she gave him was razor-sharp.

Rajendra clutched at his chest. "Ah, but I can be quiet too — though admittedly, it's hard to contain myself when faced with such radiance! You must let me tell you of Sindhura's beauty. I would compare you to the gold of our palaces, the silver in our rivers—"

"I'd rather you didn't. Your comparisons are hollow."

Rajendra faltered. "You wound me, Lady Kaleiya."

"Not yet," she said, drily. "But stay longer."

She cut in, voice colder than the wintry evening wind.

"Prince Rajendra. If I wanted to be smothered by flattery and suffocated by gold, I would stand still and let a merchant bury me in coin."

He blinked. "I—"

"Fortunately," she went on, brushing Azrael's feathers smooth, "I prefer my company sentient. And silent."

Rajendra faltered only briefly. "I could be silent."

"Leave." The word sliced through the air like drawn steel.

Azrael hissed, eyes blazing, before he fluffed his feathers and turned his back on the prince — like a silent judge delivering his verdict.

.

Azrael turned his head and gave Rajendra one final side-eye of disgust.

Rajendra blinked, startled, then wilted, swallowing his pride with difficulty. "Ah... as you wish. No need to be cruel about it." He turned and slunk down the hill, mumbling about uncultured birds and impossible women.

Do I love Azrael? Obviously. Might he have become my favourite 'character' to write? ...Probably. He's definitely become my favourite when it comes to bashing Rajendra.

[acheneya-blog]

И тада!

На самом деле это две разные картинки хд Но да, найдите отличия хд

И я не могу определиться, который из братьев мне нравится больше хд

[acheneya-blog]

И еще Шапурчик. Лайнарт и два варианта цвета. Я не смогла определиться, какой мне больше нравится хд

[acheneya-blog]

Ещё один набросок Исфана с его ребятками =)

И да, мне больше всего нравится именно блондинистая версия Исфана из манги =) Люблю блондинов все-таки XD

[kayleysayer]

I've been looking through my notes to give an update on my fics and apparently I have talked too much with @acheneya-blog because now Isfan/Jimsa is a thing and I can't stop?

(no, really, collecting these information in bullet points only has brought me to a 2.4k word count? And apparently Kubard's got the therapist's role.)

[kayleysayer]

Though I am aware about the name origins of Azrael and his brother Soroushi, it's satisfying to see it being spelled out here for once. By Isfan, nonetheless. I have been working on an appreciation post for the falcons at one point, maybe I'll get back to that...

I just want to point out here that 'angel of death' is meant in the kindest way possible. He's not a figure to be feared.

Azrael translates to "whom God helps". He's often depicted as a benevolent guide for the souls transition to the afterworld.

[kayleysayer]

I love how Jimsa's horse gives us a look of 'what the hell am I doing here' but still jumps into action on Jimsa's command. Those horses are truly special.

[kayleysayer]

Coming back to this, it's really a shame to say the horse knew exactly what was ahead...

[kayleysayer]

I have always appreciated Jimsa (though he did deserve a whack over the head every now and then as well), but this is JUST the move he'd pull out of his quiver (not sure if the idiom works in English):

So we have Zahhak pulling the arrow out of his chest, 'I believe this is yours'.

And simply using the arrow to hit Jimsa.

And Jimsa's such a quick learner.

And the only question coming to Zahhak's mind, like, wth?

[innerchorus]

Shapur waited for him.

[kayleysayer]

You know what also stood out to me? One of Kubard's last actions is pulling the Marzbān card on Zaravant after frequently denying his status ever since Atropatene.

[tired-reader-writer]

Just copy-pasting my comment on @innerchorus post and expanding on that a lil bit since my brain is kinda jumbled but—

In my heart and mind, Andragoras is very similar to Rostam from the Shahnameh. This might be a stretch, but hear me out.

Rostam is like, one of the greatest heroes in Persian mythology if I do remember correctly (I think I once heard him be described as the Heracles of Persian mythology) and he was, to my knowledge, the one who ventured into Mazandaran and slayed the white div. So already, there are echoes with Andragoras whose strength and martial prowess are legendary.

Rostam is also the husband of the mythological Tahamenay. Yes! And she was the one who proposed. And then things went downhill. They got married, but he for some reason didn't take his literal fucking WIFE to his homeland with him (she was the princess of another kingdom) and look, she was pregnant and she gave birth to a son!

Aaaaaand the two nations go to war. Rostam ends up killing an enemy youth who turned out to be his son, Sohrab. YIKES. He only recognized him via a specific accessory that he knew beloved to Tahamenay or one he gave Tahamenay.

BRO. WHY DID YOU NOT BRING YOUR WIFE TO YOUR KINGDOM? WHY DID YOU NOT CONTACT HER FOR LITERAL DECADES TO THE POINT YOU DID NOT KNOW YOU HAD A SON? WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

The secret child shenanigans also made me think of Andragoras, indeed.

And that gave me the idea of naming the placeholder crown prince (the guy who dies, maybe even in Shapur's canon place, oof) Sohrab, as Sohrab was the son of Rostam and Tahamenay. If I'm correct about the name's meaning, it's something like “red water”, I think? That inadvertently made me think of Ashaya as well, I don't know why, I don't exactly remember, but I think water and fire were linked together in Zoroastrianism, I believe? Like, fire being described as golden water or something, or I may be mixing that up with something else. In any case, Ashaya is very “fire” (fire is an agent of the deity/yazata Asha, after all, and Ashaya was specifically named after Asha). I don't know if my girl will take on Sohrab as an alias or not but ??????

(also Khazān actually has an epithet, Div-e-Sorkh, that meant “red demon” because of his tattoos + the blood he shed when he escaped the place where he was enslaved all those years ago, not terribly relevant but y'know)

OR OR OR Sohrab could be a reflection of two characters almost? The “red” part for Ashaya, the “water” part for Arslan? I don't know if that makes any sense. He's a very entitled and short-tempered and sullen prince who drank the Andragoras kool-aid. Hmm.

Another unrelated vibe is Ashaya saying something akin to “You can't negotiate with tyrants. The only language this world knows is violence, after all. I'm just speaking the only language you will listen to. You didn't listen to my friend in Ecbatana. Why should I listen to you now?” and something something the yazata Asha having been described as someone who smited/slayed tyrants in a Zoroastrian hymn I believe? Augh. Somebody help, please.

[kayleysayer]

Ok, this started as a comment but somehow it turned into too many thoughts, soooooo... have them. @tired-reader-writer And I would like to apologize in advance in case this feels like overstepping to you. This might be random, but this post triggered the thought "Oedipus". Possibly because you compared Rostam to Heracles and we have another mythological scenario of father/son killing each other without knowing about the relation.

"Prince who drank the Andragoras kool-aid." - This is really killing me here xD I totally get what you want to say here.

About making his name the reflection of Ashaya and Arslan - I do believe this will work, even if his character does not fit the name. Sometimes the irony behind it can be an amazing tool in writing / worldbuilding. I've got to be honest, Zoroastrian religion is not my forte, but another thought the name 'Oedipus' gives is the description being given based on certain appearance features what you also did with Khazān.

From what I was able to find on Sohrab in the Shahnameh I do understand your confusion. Based on this post alone the name does not appear to fit the character you are describing (but maybe I just labelled him villain too soon in my mind??).

This also just made me look up the origins of 'Andragoras' and guess what, history does not even remember the origins, some claiming it to be of Greek origin by now (with a side note of it being most likely used as a translation to an Iranian name.) The most interesting literal translation I found appears to be "man of the assembly".

I also found this interesting snippet: Some scholars argue that Andragoras (as a person here) was not a Greek, but rather a Greek name chosen to represent an Iranian leader to sound more familiar to Macedonian and Greek settlers in the region.

So well, is it Greek or is it not? Who knows. But what I get from this is 'Andragoras' being more of a title and less of a name. So why not treat 'Sohrab' in the same way? If you lean less towards the literal translation but more towards the cultural significance of the name being deeply rooted in Persian mythology as a symbol of strength and tragedy; and also move away from the 'valiant hero' and 'martyrdom' aspects; you can give the name a title-like feel to it.

Final thought on this: Assuming Andragoras compared to Rostam is aware about his son in this scenario, it would also make sense to go down the road of 'What name would Andragoras give his son?' or alternatively 'What reason would Andragoras have to name is son Sohrab?'.

(Another interesting thing: Etymologically, Rostam seems to derive from the word's rōd - river and stahm - strength. This might also be the reason for Sohrab being given a related name.)

Well, it's definitely all over the place, but I hope you find something of interest to you.

[kayleysayer]

I love how Jimsa's horse gives us a look of 'what the hell am I doing here' but still jumps into action on Jimsa's command. Those horses are truly special.