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@saresco-ya
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they’re a family i love them so much 😭❤
(redrawn from bon voyage)
Xiao Zhan as Linghu Chong for ‘The Smiling, Proud Wanderer’ (笑傲江湖) game promo
Xiao Zhan for ‘The Smiling, Proud Wanderer’ game
by elna
BASK IN THE BEAUTY OF THIS ART!!!!
丁程鑫 ding chengxin
Found this in the Illustrated Encyclopedia of Arthurian Legends by Ronan Coghlan.
Now picture the season finale of Merlin, stabbing our hearts to pieces with dragon-forged blades. We see old!Merlin walking past the lake, and then… PUFFIN.
ETA:
Picture Merlin keeping him hidden and smuggling in fish
Puffin!Arthur trying to wield Excalibur… but he’s 1/3 of its size
Merlin tearing at his hair and crying “How are we going to save Albion when you are a PUFFIN”
Arthur blaming Merlin. It’s all his fault somehow.
Medieval castle stairs were often built to ascend in narrow, clockwise spirals so right-handed castle defenders could use their swords more easily. This design put those on the way up at a disadvantage (unless they were left-handed). The steps were also uneven to give defenders the advantage of anticipating each step’s size while attackers tripped over them. Source Source 2 Source 3
Not really the best illustration since it totally negates the effect by having a wide open space for those ascending. Castle tower staircases tended to look like this:
Extremely tight quarters, with a central supporting pillar that is very, very thoroughly in the way of your right arm.
Wider, less steep designs tend to come later once castles moved away from being fortresses to simply noble family homes with the advent of gunpowder.
Oh! Pre-gunpowder military tactics are my jam! I don’t know why, but this is one of my favorite little details about defensive fortifications, because the majority handedness of attackers isn’t usually something you think about when studying historical wars. But strategically-placed walls were used basically worldwide as a strategy to secure gates and passages against advancing attackers, because most of the world’s population is right-handed (and has been since the Stone Age).
Pre-Columbian towns near the Mississippi and on the East coast did this too. They usually surrounded their towns with palisades, and they would build the entrance to the palisade wall in a zigzag – always with the wall to the right as you entered, to hinder attackers and give an advantage to the defender. Here’s some gates with some examples of what I’m talking about:
Notice that, with the exception of the last four (which are instead designed to congregate the attackers in a space so they can be picked off by archers, either in bastions or on the walls themselves) and the screened gate (which, in addition to being baffled, also forces the attackers to defend their flank) all of these gates are designed with central architectural idea that it’s really hard to kill someone with a wall in your way. In every culture in the world, someone thought to themselves, “Hey it’s hard to swing a weapon with a wall on your right-hand side,” and then specifically built fortifications so that the attackers would always have the wall on their right. And I think that’s really neat.
Ooh, ooh, also: Bodiam Castle in Sussex used to have a right-angled bridge so any attacking forces would be exposed to archery fire from the north-west tower on their right side (ie: sword in the right hand, shield on the useless left side):
These tactics worked so well for so long because until quite recently lefties got short shrift and had it trained (if they were lucky) or beaten out of them.
Use of sword and shield is a classic demonstration of how right-handedness predominated. There’s historical mention of left-handed swordsmen (gladiators and Vikings), and what a problem they were for their opponents, but that only applies to single combat.
A left-handed hoplite or housecarl simply couldn’t fight as part of a phalanx or shield wall, since the shields were a mutual defence (the right side of the shield covered its owner’s left side, its left side covered the right side of his neighbour to the left, and so on down the line) and wearing one on the wrong arm threw the whole tactic out of whack.
Jousting, whether with or without an Italian-style tilt barrier, was run shield-side to shield-side with the lance at a slant (except for the Scharfrennen, a highly specialised style that’s AFAIK unique.) Consequently left-handed knights were physically unable to joust.
There’s a creditable theory (I first read it in “A Knight and His Horse”, © Ewart Oakeshott 1962, 1998 and many other places since) that a knight’s “destrier” horse - from dexter, “right” - was trained to lead with his right forefoot so that any instinctive swerve would be to the right, away from collision while letting the rider keep his shield between him and harm. (In flying, if a pilot hears “break!” with no other details, the default evasive direction is right.)
The construction of plate armour, whether specialised tournament kit or less elaborate battle gear, is noticeably “right-handed“ - so even if a wealthy knight had his built “left-handed” it would be a waste of time and money; he would still be a square peg in a world of round holes and none of the other kids would play with him.
Even after shields and full armour were no longer an essential part of military equipment, right-hand use was still enforced until quite recently, and to important people as well as ordinary ones - it happened to George VI, father of the present Queen of England. Most swords with complex hilts, such as swept-hilt rapiers and some styles of basket-hilt broadsword, are assymetrical and constructed for right handers. Here’s my schiavona…
It can be held left-handed, but using it with the proper thumb-ring grip, and getting maximum protection from the basket, is right-handed only. (More here.) Some historical examples of left-hand hilts do exist, but they’re rare, and fencing masters had the same “learn to use your right hand” bias as tourney organisers, teachers and almost everyone else. Right-handers were dextrous, but left-handers were sinister, etc., etc.
However, several predominantly left-handed families did turn their handedness into advantage, among them the Kerrs / Carrs, a notorious Reiver family along the England-Scotland Borders, by building their fortress staircases with a spiral the other way to the OP image.
This would seem to be a bad idea, since the attackers (coming upstairs) no longer have their right arms cramped against the centre pillar - however it worked in the Kerrs’ favour because they were used to this mirror-image of reality while nobody else was, and the defender retreating up the spiral had that pillar guarding his right side, while the attacker had to reach out around it…
For the most part Reiver swords weren’t elaborate swept-hilt rapiers but workmanlike basket-hilts. Some from Continental Europe have the handedness of my schiavona with thumb-rings and assymmetrical baskets, but the native “British Baskethilt” is a variant of the Highland claymore* and like it seems completely symmetrical, without even a thumb-ring, which gives equal protection to whichever hand is using it.
*I’m aware there are those who insist “claymore” refers only to two-handers, however the Gaelic term claidheamh-mòr - “big sword” - just refers to size, not to a specific type of sword in the way “schiavona” or “karabela” or even “katana” does.
While the two-hander was the biggest sword in common use it was the claidheamh-mòr; after it dropped out of fashion and the basket-hilt became the biggest sword in common use, that became the claidheamh-mòr.
When Highlanders in the 1745 Rebellion referred to their basket-hilts as claymores, they obviously gave no thought to the confusion they would create for later compilers of catalogues…
Also, muskets had their whole “Flint and steel and gunpowder” thing on the right side so if you tried firing it lefty you’d get a face full of fire. More recently, rifles eject their spent shell casings to the right, so if you’re a lefty you get some hot metal in your eye.
good post this is a gOOD POST
@moonlitskinwalker
This is fascinating history and now I really want to read a story about assembling a secret team of left-handers to take a castle by surprise!
have you really felt pain if you haven’t watched the qiongqidao scene with xiao zhan and wang yibo’s real voices?
Am I resurrecting this long dead blog just to shout my love for The Untamed?
Yes, yes I am.
Wwx’s painting is totally inspired by ep.36. I don’t know, there is such a peculiar vibe here when he goes outside to call for Wen Ning that the drawing just popped into my mind and I HAD to get it out.
Please do not repost 💙
Merlin bloopers
Protect them
Colin Morgan: *run boy run plays in the background*
(requested by @turned-her-brain)
Hi! Do you guys have any steam punk Merlin fics?
Hey anon, check these out!
Albion
Steam
Veil of Elysium (Series)
Clockwork Camelot: An Arthurian Romance
Swords and Flares
Two Sides of the Same Cog (or How Merlin Learned to Just Relax and Enjoy Being an Airship Pirate)
The Outbursts of Everett True was a comic strip that ran in papers from 1905 to 1927, wherein the aforementioned Everett True regularly beat the everliving shit out of rude people as a warning to anyone else who might consider being rude. Men have not only been taking up too much room on public transport for about as long as public transport has existed, but the people around them have been irritated about it for at least a hundred years. The next time someone tries to claim that manspreading is a false phenomenon, please direct them to this strip so that Everett True can correct their misconceptions with an umbrella upside the head.
I have never before heard of Everett True, but if he “regularly beat the everliving shit out of rude people as a warning to anyone else who might consider being rude,” I have a strong spiritual connection with him.
I fucking love him
i can imagine this guy’s voice very clearly in my head but i couldn’t put a name to it
He also jabs racists in the eye!
I love the justice grandpa of fists
I’m very lucky to own a book that’s a collection of most of these comics (sadly not all of them) and would highly recommend hunting these down if you can. Sorry for the lack of a scanner but phone photos will just have to do.
He was a enjoyable cuss who didn’t care for war mongering.
Especially profitable war mongering and excuses for it!
He certainly didn’t like selfish husbands and fathers!
Politicians who turned on their words once they got theirs weren’t safe.
He said fuck the police!
He absolutely didn’t like people ruining little things for kids.
He stood up for foreigners. Especially those doing their best to communicate with limited second language knowledge.
He was not having any tomfoolery when it came to gun safety and laws. Especially with youth involved.
You had better not abuse a animal with him nearby. He’d right that wrong real quick!
And best of all him and his wife were both prickly cusses together. Relationship goals.
I have a new role model
“justice grandpa of fists”
It’s nice to see a fat dude in a political cartoon that’s NOT being used as shorthand for greed and corruption.
Hes like the personification of motherfucker unlimited
Reblogging this newer version of this thread with so many more strips I haven’t seen…why did this character ever disappear. Where did you go, Everett.
we need him more than ever…
wear a mask
What a delightful thing to exist.
Somebody please write fic about Arthur's spear named Ron
Merlin 100% had a hand in naming it.
Maybe they found the spear in some place and Arthur was like "wow a mighty spear that looks worthy of respect" and then he turns to Merlin, who seems to know everything about old legends and weapons, and he's the one who told him about Excalibur. So Arthur's like "does this weapon have a worthy name?"
And Merlin just panics and goes ".. Ron!"
Arthur starts walking around with his noble spear named Ron. He thinks it's some all-powerful weapon like Excalibur, but it's actually just a normal old spear. Arthur thinks it's indestructible and Merlin has constant anxiety about him accidentally breaking it
Eventually Merlin gets sick of being anxious about it and uses his magic to make it indestructible
So now it really is an all-powerful weapon. Powerful enough to have stories and prophecies about it
But no one's written those stories or prophecies, because Ron was made on a whim by the most powerful warlock to ever walk the earth, who doesn't really interact with the magical community
So some druids kind of approach Merlin like "... Could you... write a prophecy or two..?"
And obviously Merlin isn't actually a seer so he just bullshits his way through it. The only thing is, now everyone thinks Emrys is a seer
Merlin becomes the person everyone comes to for magical advice and predictions. And Merlin is still pulling everything out of his ass. But somehow his prophecies always come true and his advice always helps
And that's how he becomes this really powerful wise character that everyone is in awe of
And what if when people come seeking his wisdom, he only agrees to see them in some specific cave and also while he's disguised as an old man
Arthur and the knights end up going to get advice from Emrys and Merlin is like "oh shit". He comes up with ridiculous excuses not to go with them, which get more ridiculous as time goes on, because you know those thick knights and Arthur would go to him for his council without realising who they're talking to.
And Lancelot, because he's still alive, is just in the corner laughing his ass off at Merlin. Merlin's character is so over the top too. He gets to be his dramatic self while also being taken seriously. And Lance is like "these hoes" bc the knights are dumb and it's like painfully obvious that the old man is Merlin
Omg and what if each of the knights asks for a weapon, and Merlin, wanting the best for his friends, gives them each a ridiculously overpowered weapon. He gives them all names like "John" and "Peter" and also "Mary" because "all-powerful weapons can have girls names too, your pratness"
And Merlin writes a ridiculous prophecy for every one. Camelot is so overpowered now with Merlin on their side that they just decimate everyone in battle but only if they attack. Even though they have the best military in all the kingdoms, Arthur chooses peace over bloodshed when he can
In the end everyone respects and welcomes Arthur as high king of Albion because he rules with his head and not his ridiculously overpowered spear
Eventually, when he finds out that Emrys is Merlin his first reaction is just 👁️👄👁️
He isn't even bothered to be mad at Merlin because he's too busy wrapping his head around the fact that Merlin is so unbelievably powerful
Witch!Merlin and Familiar!Arthur Except by familiar I mean a highly trained individual who has a high compatibility with magic and basically serves as a magical boost but can also be boosted by magic to become a cool bodyguard,(did u see Aithusa?) in which Merlin is the most powerful w(arlock)itch to ever be gets a grumpy bodyguardFamiliar and they both get into an stupidly ammount of trouble and apparently, Merlin can also talk to dragons- “For the love of- sTOP DRAWING DOG EARS ON ME MERLIN“
I would read a story like this so hard
A CQL ALIGNMENT CHART— but it’s all Wei Wuxian
LMAO, they all fit! 😂