Call me curious, but how did Nimue end up… existing? Like, did Merlin and Niniane fell in love or did they just decide they wanted to unite two powerful people and create another? Did they follow a prophecy? Or did it just happen? I can't see Merlin doing anything by accident, I hate the guy!!! LOL

I don't know if this has already been answered, but that's it. Hope you are well!

Well, you'll find out more in game (possibly not on all paths, but you'll be able to learn more). They had a romantic entanglement, and Nimue resulted. There were feelings on both sides involved, though things soured at some point.

No prophecy involving Nimue, tho Merlin knew he'd meet Niniane 👀

Shameless plug incoming: you can actually read their first encounter (from Merlin's POV) over on Patreon and Kofi! It was posted in March for the Knight tier (and above).

Nynyve’s entrance to Arthur’s court is decidedly less impressive than Niniane’s, her source character from the Post-Vulgate La Suite du Merlin. In the French text, far greater attention is paid to the woman’s appearance and unusual attire; she is ‘une des plus bieles damoisieles qui onques fust entree en la court le roi Artus’ (214) [one of the most beautiful damsels who had ever entered the court of King Arthur] and dressed as a huntress, complete with bow and arrow and ivory horn. Both women are abducted by a strange knight who rides into court, but the French Niniane puts up a fight, whereas Malory’s Nynyve is easily carried off, much to King Arthur’s relief, ‘for she made such a noyse’ (66/3:5). Malory’s lady, how- ever, maintains the same characteristics found in questing damsels such as the ladies of Arroy: she provides an opportunity to test knightly courtesy. Arthur fails this test by neglecting Nynyve’s request, and it takes the chid- ing of Merlin to make the king change his apathetic attitude towards her plight: ‘Thes adventures must be brought to an ende, othir ellis hit woll be disworshyp to you and to youre fest’ (66/3:5). In contrast, the French Niniane, despite her beauty, is something of an inconvenience at court. When she demands compensation for the loss of her hound and also the

disruption to her hunt that caused her to lose sight of the stag, Merlin tells her that Artu will not help her until the feast is over. In fact, Merlin establishes a new courtly custom in response to her interruption of the festivities:

Car des ore mais avra en cest ostel tel coustume que pour aventure qui aviegne, se peril mortel n’i devoit avenir, ne se remuera chevaliers qui a table se sieche devant qu’il ait mengiet. (216) [From this hour it will become the custom in this house that for no adventure that may happen, unless mortal danger should come of it, should a knight who is still at the table get up before he has eaten.]

Even when the lady is abducted, the French author seems mainly concerned to highlight Merlin’s credibility as a seer. Artu’s barons express admiration that Merlin’s prediction of the arrival of such an adventure to court has occurred, and Merlin’s casual order to Pellinor—‘montés quant il vous plaira, et alés apriés le chevalier et ramenés la damoisiele, et si le faites que vous i aiiés hounour’ (217, emphasis mine) [mount when it pleases you, and go after the knight and retrieve the maiden, and do this so that you will win honour]—pointedly implies that her plight is not a matter of urgency.

Malory’s slight alteration of the narrative reverses the French apathy towards Niniane’s abduction. By removing the description of the maiden’s beauty and the interval between the point where the knight steals her hound to where she herself is abducted, Malory lets the action take over. The maiden is carried off as soon as her brachet is stolen, allowing the focus to centre on Arthur’s bad response to the ‘adventure’ and Merlin’s correction, which decrees that ignoring a woman in distress will bring ‘disworshyp’ to all concerned. Malory thus portrays Nynyve as non-magical to set up the duty of protection that knights must swear to all defenceless women, and while her characteristics are rather insipid at this point, Merlin ensures that she is still recognised as having the right to request assistance from Arthur and his knights.

– S.M Wyatt, Women of Words: The Autonomy of Speech in Malory’s Female Characters

New OCs because the answer to liking something but wishing it was slightly better is to just

make the better thing

i tried merm!ninian again for mermay 🧜‍♀️ but with ink and watercolours this time :'^)

St. Ninian's Isle Hoard Pennanular Brooch Selection, 8th Century CE, The National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh

Some Fire Emblem Dragons for the Year of the Dragon

Alistair Ninian Stewart - The Old Hospital Block (1941)

Commission for a dear friend - Dragon gals and their partners on a lovely picnic! ❤️❤️

the sibbys 🎃🎃

(for FE art scuffle!)

shiny Ninian!

Part 2 of the FEH 7th Anniversary illustrations!

Find the first post here.

ELIBE PRIDE!

These three are swiftly becoming my favorite but Aderyn is exceptionally fun because they seem very otherworldly and serious and elegant and then when you get to know them they are an awkward goofball who just also happens to be very tall, tricking you into thinking they are cool

Ice Dragon, Ninian (Fire Emblem, Blazing Sword)

A special dance, my lord?

Half-body order of an Au Ra dancer cosplaying as Ninian from Fire Emblem 7, ordered by shadowofchaos725 on Twitter.