#medieval killer rabbits

[dionysia-does-stories]

The Tale of The Rabbit of Caerbannog

Cringetober 2023, Day 17: "It was a dark and stormy night. . ."

On AO3

Rating T - 592 words - Monty Python and The Holy Grail

Summary: The rabbits of the forest of Caerbannog tell the tale of the night when one of their own became the Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog.

Story:

“It was a dark and stormy night.” they whispered, many voices becoming one voice. Their breath was a wind that battered its way through the trunks of the old Caerbannog forest. 

“The dark was complete black. There were no stars. There was no light. Nothing existed in the woods. We ourselves stopped existing in that dark. 

“The storm was unexpected. A shattering of meteorological forces that was everywhere and nowhere. We dragged ourselves through thick air. The atmosphere was laden with water and electricity. Our fur clung to our trembling bodies. Our long sensitive ears were deafened by the greatness of the thunder.

“We were rabbits before that dark and stormy night. Now we are something else. A rabbit can fight, but doesn’t. A rabbit runs. A rabbit hides in the burrow. We were born with sharp teeth and sharp claws. But they weren’t meant to taste blood. They were to dig and chew and build the burrow. We were architects of safety before we were remade as machines of war.

“We have tasted blood.

“It was a dark and stormy knight who stumbled through the forest then. He was huge (as all humans are huge). Slow (as all humans are slow). His clanking metal skin would be warning enough any other night. But the thunder had been so loud and the storm so sudden.

“Many of us were out on the forest floor foraging for food. Among them was a new mother from our burrow, a lovely lady fair of feature. The storm frightened her (as it did all of us). She tried to calm her heart and find her way home. She was blinded by the darkness (we all were). She was deafened by the thunder (we all were). She was unable to smell anything but the drowning rain as it poured into her. 

“The knight came upon us. He was a lumbering useless fool. But he was hungry. He grabbed at any of us within his reach. His meaty arms flailed. His grotesquely bent fingers grabbed.

“We ran. We’re rabbits. We ran. We are the fastest creatures on the forest floor. Faster than wolves. Faster than human witches. Faster than human gods. But the storm. The knight kept pace with us in the storm.

“He followed us through the shrubbery. He followed us to the burrow. The lady fair was the last of us to make the dive. He saw her bright white fur, even in the darkness. We thought we escaped him into the safety of the burrow. Until, the knight began to dig.

“He dug up the burrow. He dug up the children. He laughed. His laughter was like the thunder. He grabbed the lady fair’s kit, crushing it in his terrible human hands.

“As her kit drew its final breath, something changed within the lady fair. She raised her nose to the heavens. Her ears alert and haunches raised to fight. She called to any god listening to give her the power to kill any knight who crossed her path.

“Her call was answered.

“A violent new strength took up residence in her body. The lady fair’s teeth and claws had a new purpose. She devoured the knight. Blood mixing with the downpour of the storm.

“She made a new burrow, a giant burrow. Where we are all eternally safe. A burrow big enough that knights could walk right in. And her God would lead the knights to her. Wolves to the slaughter. Entertainment to satiate her bloodlust.

“But there is never enough knight’s blood spilled to appease the Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog.”

#Monty Python and the holy grail fanfiction #monty pyton and the holy grail #monty python #fanfiction #killer rabbit #medieval killer rabbits #the rabbit of Caerbannog #cringetober 2023 #day 17 #cw: animal death #cw: animal cruelty #Will I ever be able to write anything as peculairly messed up as this again #this whole thing started as a homonym joke

[archerinventive]

A Happy Easter Sunday to all those who celebrate. 🐰

Watch out for those rabbits. I've heard they can have a rather nasty bite. 🐇 🦴

I hope you've all been having a wonderful weekend full of whimsy and wonder.

Wishing you all the best this day. ❤️

Get your own Bunny Belt here https://www.etsy.com/shop/ArcherInventive

#bunny belt #belt #bunny #easter #monty python #rabbit #medieval #fashion #murder rabbits #killer buns #handmade #archerinventive

[tuulikannel]

What was wrong with medieval rabbits? (Or people, maybe... XD) And what's going on with all the snails...?

#suddenly Monty Python's killer rabbit makes sense #medieval manuscripts #rabbits #or maybe rather #hares

[oldtvandcomics]

My first attempts at watercolour pencil back in September. I drew some versions of my favourite art motive, the killer rabbit. I added an original, although I didn’t use it as a reference, I just drew it from memory. 3/3

#art #my art #draw it in your style #medieval illustration #Killer Rabbit

[1stprototype]

Darn, no playable Harengon race.

My fantasy of roleplaying as a killer rabbit like in all of those medieval tapestries will have to wait.

#Baldur's Gate 3 #rabbit #medieval art

[joys-of-everyday]

Love Confession

I love Shen Jiu. He is literally my favourite character. Maybe not ever, but up there.

To SJ, I dedicate this rabbit hole of takes. (And omg this ballooned into a monster)

Take 1: He’s a scum villain.  

Take 2: He’s an abused, misunderstood soul who didn’t actual do most of the things he supposedly did. The Qius are the actual villains and taking vengeance was his right.  

Take 3: Yes, his past was pretty bad and sure he didn’t do all of the things he supposedly did, but that doesn’t excuse his bad behaviour (he canonically, explicitly, very brutally abused a child) and ultimately, he’s still a villain. The massacre in the Qiu manor was excessively violent, and probably harmed a lot of innocent people.   

Take 4: His actions and behaviour have to be taken in the context of the time. He lived in a world where violence and death were common, corporal punishment was acceptable, and subjected to violence from childhood. Judging him by modern standards is wrong. Also he was manipulated by Wu Yanzi.

Take 5: He still abused a child, not just physically but emotionally, alienated him from his peers, purposefully stunted his progress, with strong implication that he just wanted to crush LBH because he was jealous AND that he had done this to other kids. That’s pretty bad. Even YQY knew this was Not Okay. He just didn’t do anything about it. Despite being manipulated by Wu Yanzi, we see that a lot of the bad things he did, he did entirely by his own volition.

Take 6: But look at his face! How can you hate anyone with a face like that? (#PrettyPrivledgesAreReal)

Take 7: Firstly, there are two questions to be asked here. How do we judge Shen Jiu ‘in world’? How do we judge Shen Jiu as an 21st century reader?

To illustrate the difference, if LQG stabbed a serial killer in the world of SVSSS he would probably get a pat on the back for his hard work. If he did that in London today, he would be arrested for murder. We have different standards nowadays. But both questions are important, because I think most people would agree that just because society thinks it’s okay, that doesn’t make it okay in some broader sense. (Without going too deep into the theory of morality.) (Note this is a very serious question people argue about irl, so a discussion on SVSSS definitely isn’t going to cover it. E.g. how do you judge influential historical figures that had connections to the slave trade?)

1) In world.

There’s not much we know about the ethics of the SVSSS world, but let’s say it’s roughly 'ancient China' (sorry, condensing a few thousand years into one here). The unfortunate predicament was that the magnitude of your crime depended on your class. (And I understand that we do a lot of ‘oh look how backwards ancient China was’ in this fandom but Europe was atrocious too. Equality is a fairly modern take.) I think (and I’m not an expert so definitely call me out if I’m wrong but ew I just skimmed Slavery in Medieval China (Chapter 11) - The Cambridge World History of Slavery and damn life was tough) QJL beating a 12 yr old SJ would be sort of morally sus, but not like… earth-shatteringly terrible. SJ stabbing him in the stomach? Heinous crime. Now SJ abusing LBH is slightly worse because LBH is a disciple not a slave, but again not an earth-shattering crime – a stain on his reputation, but nothing on the level of the Qiu massacre. YQY could probably get away with not stepping in.

But also note, the application of the law and the views of the common people were two very different things. A layperson would probably have found the behaviour as disgusting as we do, if portrayals of villains in contemporary romances are anything to go by. (really random, but in the Romance of the Sui and Tang (written in 1695) I vaguely remember one of the heroes comes across a young man beating a woman on the street, accidently kills him, realises he’s a young lord, and has to run off because he’s about to be arrested. It’s meant to be satirical, I think)

On a more holistic level, SJ has a series of ‘character faults’ – promiscuity (arguably), disrespect of superiors etc. – which would have been judged more harshly than we might judge them now. (Being a dick to your boss is not really seen as a moral failing nowadays, although it may or may not class you as an asshole.)

2) As a modern reader

Again, lets split the question in two. There are roughly two stages to SJ’s life: before entering Cang Qiong, and after.

For before, we have the massacre of the Qiu manor, as well as various crimes under Wu Yanzi’s tutelage. (and note, ‘it was for vengeance’ will not get you out of prison these days, whether you agree with that or not (and yes, you can disagree. The law isn’t what is right, the law should be what we aim to make what is right)). There’s a reason there is a separate justice system for adolescents and adults – for one, we appreciate nowadays that adolescents are so heavily influenced by their environment that judging them by the same standards as adults is wrong. Giving Shen Jiu’s upbringing, I am going to tentatively put aside all of the things he has done in this stage of his life.  

Now the primary failing of SJ’s character that we see during his time as peak lord is obviously LBH’s treatment, which by any modern standards would be a hideous, headline-worthy, prison-sentencing crime. And a bad childhood really doesn’t excuse that. Plenty of people have bad childhoods and end up fine.

On the other hand, many people have bad childhoods… and end up with bad adulthoods. Childhood trauma is linked to adulthood crime. Poverty is also another factor. There exists one (1) study which suggests a correlation between sexual abuse in males and becoming a perpetrator (please read with a very large dollop of salt. Abused becoming abusers is not as common as believed. See: The Myth Of The Abused Becoming Abusers | Defend Innocence. The issue is sensitive and complicated.) (Also I’m not going to argue whether SJ was sexually abused or not – that’s a whole other post. (which probably won't happen)) There is a serious question to be asked as to what level of personal responsibility can be taken by someone whose life shows a pattern of crime. Again, a very relevant real-life question people have argued about extensively for a very long time (e.g. reform vs punishment of criminals).

SJ’s life has been systematically stacked against him. His childhood taught him that having power excuses terrible behaviour. In adulthood, we see YQY systematically failing to teach him any better (and no shade on YQY – he had it pretty tough as well). Nobody shows any kind of deep understanding of his situation and his anxieties, because he is unable to communicate them without ruining his reputation (remember, slaves had few rights). We see his misbeliefs throughout the extra chapters – he is a bad person (for having natural responses to shitty situations), it is shameful for him to seek support and validation (toxic masculinity being harmful to men!), it’s better to be misunderstood than to be judged as weak. SQH suggests that after LQG’s death, SJ fully had a mental breakdown.

Trauma and mental health problems ruin people. (And btw, the stereotype that people with mental health problems are dangerous is extremely harmful.) That being said, being depressed can make you a pretty nasty person to the people around you. And I don’t just mean asking more of people sometimes, I mean the full-blown ‘knowing exactly what will hurt someone and doing it, out of spite’ kind of nasty. It’s a scary place to be in, that is extremely difficult to overcome without dedicated help. (And there’s strong evidence to suggest that adverse childhood experiences strongly correlate to health problems, e.g. mental health problems in later life. See the ACE studies.)

I think the question of how we judge SJ is so complicated, not least because we don’t actually know that much about him, but more so because actually what we’re all debating back and forth is a Very Hard Question. How do you judge someone like Nicky Cruz, gang member turned Christian Evangelist? Or even harder questions – if certain minority groups are statistically more likely to commit crimes, how do you deal with that? Sure, people who cause harm to others should be punished accordingly, but labelling them a villain and chucking them into prison causes mass injustice.

SJ is not a shining symbol of breaking class barriers. As an individual, he’s still a shitty person who did some shitty things. YQY is much better - he's a slave who became a sect leader and doesn't do much (much) wrong. But I think SJ does demonstrate that a better society for everyone (including SJ) leads to a better society for everyone (including LBH).  

To ask other questions: Okay, LBH’s revenge was definitely excessive (I'm sorry but they got rid of torture as a punishment in the Han dynasty, okay. It's really not a good way to deal with things. Edit: they did not, but they stopped cutting off noses?) But what would have been an appropriate punishment? Could SJ, given the right circumstances, have found redemption? Was there a better path he could have walked?

Finally, a note on being a Bad Person vs being an asshole. Being rude is not nice. But it is not a crime either. Someone can be dislikeable and not really do anything wrong. I think confounding the issue is that SJ is both a Bad Person AND an asshole (in the most loving way possible). The former makes us want to call out aspects of the latter (oh look how he fought with LQG) (and yes, it’s explicit that it was usually SJ provoking him. Edit: it is not, see discussions below), but the latter is not a moral failing.

For example, had SJ not killed anyone, nor abused LBH, then he could probably get away with being an acerbic but maybe lovable figure. You can agree or disagree whether you want to be friends with him, but you probably wouldn’t complain about his existence. If he committed all of his crimes but was a wonderful person to chat with… he would be a JGY, and that’s a whole other can of worms.

Anyway, thank you for sticking with this monstrosity written far later in the night than is healthy. I would love to hear criticism/other takes!

#svsss #scum villans self saving system #shen jiu

[southeast-asian-smackdown]

FINAL ROUND OF THE KILLER CINNAMON ROLL SUMMIT

In the left corner lies the most foul, cruel, and bad tempered rodent in medieval England. It’s bloodlust has claimed the lives of many, striking fear into the hearts of King Arthur and his knights! Our opponent better have a holy hand grenade ready for this apex predator! Please welcome, THE KILLER RABBIT OF CAERBANNOG!

In the right corner comes a pint-sized hero hailing from Planet Popstar! Beware of this hungry puffball, he can literally swallow the competition and make them regret messing with him and his allies. This cutie pie is feared as the judge, jury, and executioner of Eldritch Abominations across the galaxy. Give it up for the one, the only, K I R B Y ! !

This final round will last one day, starting from Monday the 20th at 10AM PST.

It’s time to decide who will be crowned the KING OF KILLER CUTIES! Best of luck to both opponents and their dedicated fans!

#killer cinnamon roll summit #final round #kirby #monty python

[ancientorigins]

Vengeful, merciless, and hyper-violent…bunnies? This is the story of the killer rabbits in the weird world of medieval manuscripts.

#rabbits #medieval #marginalia #drolleries #manuscript #symbolism #Middle Ages

[pizzapasta23045]

Hey hey hey... potential additional factor in kid Kaeya sickliness, perhaps: disease resistance is, by my vague recollection, at least partially dependent on exposure and genetics and the like. Khaenri'ah presumably would not have the same sort of germs floating around as Mondstadt, so while not an issue for say Dainsleif (see: immortal schtick) I imagine he'd have been a bit susceptible to that sort of thing.

Also, medieval ish setting. Even with healing magic and alchemy, diseases likely still run a general higher risk in most of Teyvat than they typically do with modern medicine. Hm. Hold on, now I need to go down a research rabbit hole about pain killer history. does he even have teyvat brand ibuprofen.

(Y'all are so right about chronically ill Kaeya by the way. I would write it myself but... well, my personal experience would involve maybe too obvious symptoms to hide in such a physical, running reliant job- not without treatment I assume he isn't seeking. *laughs in can't be asked what my favorite food is while standing up without passing out [unmedicated]*)

🕸💐

See I really like that HC but i also think it'd be incredibly funny if Kaeya was raised in the abyss (where everything ics a thousand times more threatening) he's just like goddamn immune to anything like his immune system is like 'ahaha common cold what a joke!'.

Is it realistic to how illnesses develop? No

Is it funny? Yes, and that's what's important.

Also have you figured out anything regarding painkiller history, I found that shit interesting. Like if tyou have link send them my way I love weird research!!! (No pressure if you didn't obvs. Just curious)

Kaeya's chronic illness, in my hc, is something I keep very generic tbh. Like in my head he has like, frequent migranes, contant tiredness and slight immunodeficiency. No more specific than that.

And, like you mentioned, not too bad since medieval setting, hard job, no painkillers, lack of medical responsability on Kaeya's part. But I def do think it's much more than he should do, like he still needs to be pushing himself and shit.

(Also that sounds rough mate, hope your meds make you feel better and stuff!!!)

#textpost #inquiries to a pizza #chronically ill kaeya #kaeya alberich

[zoeandsubaloveart]

Killer rabbits in medieval manuscripts: “Smithfield Decretals”, c. 1300, British Library, London, UK. Detail.

(That’s where the killer rabbits in Monty Python come from!)

#medieval art #art history #illuminated manuscript #medieval rabbits

[pepperminttcoffeee]

Killer rabbits in Medieval illuminated manuscripts. Yes, just like in Monty Python.

[zobykhann]

[harmcityherald]

[oldtvandcomics]

My first attempts at watercolour pencil back in September. I drew some versions of my favourite art motive, the killer rabbit. I added an original, although I didn’t use it as a reference, I just drew it from memory. 2/3

#art #my art #draw it in your style #medieval illustration #Killer Rabbit

[anumberofhobbies]

The strange rules of 'dozen.' Killer bunnies in medieval manuscripts. Grammar Girl 922

Apr 14, 2023  Grammar Girl Podcast, Full Episodes 922.  "A dozen of eggs" sounds weird, but why? Also, rabbits performing violent acts are a common scene in medieval marginalia. But why are they there? Turns out—Monty Python was on to something!

#youtube

[florilegia2023]

History of the Kings of Britain

This piece is a supposed 'historical' account of the line of kings in Britain, but upon reading it one realizes that this is not the case. It includes various mythological aspects, such as giants, and fictional kings, such as King Arthur, of which it was one of the first to tell the story in its most popular concept now, combining many characters from various tales into one, ie Uther, Arthur, Merlin, and Guinevere. Now, the story of King Arthur is one that immediately comes to mind for most when they think of the medieval British period, and is cemented in the public conscience. One of my personal favourite adaptations of the King Arthur story is from the 1975 movie "Monty Python and the Holy Grail". Here's a clip where they use the 'Holy Hand Grenade' to defeat a killer rabbit.