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armthearmour · 1 year

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Steel Brocade: Puffed & Slashed Costume Armor

Surviving to this day in the collections of the world’s most illustrious museums are a group of three armors. These armors have much in common, but most striking is the attempts made by their armorers to render in steel a convincing portrayal of the puffed and slashed clothing fashionable to the early 16th century.

Though this fashion is synonymous with the landsknecht mercenaries who may have been responsible for popularizing it, the puffed and slashed style was enjoyed by members at all levels of society.

Portrait of Duke Henry of Saxony by Lucas Cranach the Elder, 1514, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen, Dresden.

The earliest of these three armors is housed at the Wallace Collection. Consisting only of a cuirass and arms, this armor is, at first glance, rather underwhelming when compared with the other armors in this group. Though the embossed bands styled with etched slashes embellished with gold provide the impression of a puffed and slashed doublet, the execution is all rather stiff, and lacks the impressive volume and fullness exemplified by the other armors.

It is for this reason that this armor, previously considered contemporary to the KHM and Metropolitan examples, has received relatively little attention. However, recent scholarship by Dr. Tobias Capwell suggests that this work is not, indeed, contemporary to the other examples, and is rather about ten years older, dating to ca. 1515. Dr. Capwell also considers this piece to be the work of Konrad Seusenhofer, a favored armorer of the Emperor Maximilian I.

Seen through this lens, not as a poorly executed contemporary of greater armors, but as a less developed ancestor to them, this armor takes on new life. It speaks to innovation and experimentation; an early attempt at a technique which would later be perfected.

The second in this line is the garniture of Wilhelm von Rogendorf, housed at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.

This armor is unique for its condition, which is remarkably good. Not only does this armor retain more of its pieces than the other two, it is also accompanied by a number of “pieces of exchange,” elements which could be swapped out so the armor could be worn in the field.

Finished in 1523, as attested to by the date etched on the right shoulder strap, this armor was made for the Count Wilhelm von Rogendorf by Kolman Helmschmid and etched by Daniel Hopfer.

Wilhelm von Rogendorf himself was heir to a new, up-and-coming German noble family.

A medal showing Wilhelm von Rogendorf as a Knight of the Order of Calavatra, dated 1536, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna.

Born in 1481 the second son of Kaspar von Rogendorf, Wilhelm became heir to his family’s estates when his elder brother Sigmund died in 1507, by which time Wilhelm was already a courtier at the Habsburg court. He entered into the service of King Charles I of Spain (later Emperor Charles V) no later than 1517 and was appointed Governor of Friesland. In 1522, Wilhelm accompanied Charles to Spain where he commanded a regiment of 4,000 landsknechts and was again placed in charge of a restless border territory. In 1524, he successfully captured the Fortress of Fuenterrabía from the French, which won him great praise from the Emperor. Shortly thereafter, Wilhelm was named Captain of the Imperial Bodyguard and given the governorships of Catalonia, the Cerdagne, and the Roussillon. Additionally, he was appointed to the Spanish chivalric Order of Calavatra. Wilhelm would retire from court in 1539, but would be recalled in 1541 to command Imperial troops against the Ottomans in Hungary. He would be killed later that same year at the siege of Buda by a stray cannonball.

Though Wilhelm’s armor is now displayed in its parade configuration, the surviving pieces of exchange attest to the fact that it was also an armor for combat. The cuirass is equipped with the long tassets common to the early 16th century. A pair of holes can be observed at the top of the last lame.

These holes correspond to holes at the top of the half-cuisses which accompany this armor, showing that these cuisses would be pointed to the tassets rather than worn separately.

In the rear, the cuirass is accompanied by a rump-defense, also known as a hoguine. Small turning pins near the waist allow this to be removed for combat.

Both spaulders

and gauntlets

survive. Additionally, the KHM retains the armor’s right vambrace

while the Wallace Collection holds the rerebrace and couter for the left arm.

Recently, these pieces were assembled to show what the arm harness for field as a single unit would have looked like.

This armor would also have been accompanied by a gorget, now missing, and a helmet. Frequently, this armor is displayed alongside a close-helmet, however it is more likely the armor would have been accompanied by a burgonet similar in form to this example from the KHM.

One final, unique surprise this armor holds is a hidden lance rest which is incorporated into the turned edge by the right arm. This rest folds down to allow a light lance to be braced atop it, and when folded up, is nearly invisible so as to not ruin the smooth surface of the breastplate with the prominent staples typically required for affixing a lance rest.

The third and final armor of this group is housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

The least complete of these three armors, it may also be the most visually impressive. Comprised of only a backplate, hoguine, and arms, the puffs and slashes of this piece (also by Kolman Helmschmid and Daniel Hopfer) are ornately cusped. The slashed regions, displaying the gilded “fabric” beneath, and heavily etched to resemble an expensive silk brocade.

The sleeves of this armor are even more voluminous than those of the Rogendorf armor, though they are similarly articulated and provide the wearer with a surprising degree of mobility. It is thought that this armor may have been made for prominent Polish nobleman Jerzy Herkules Radziwill.

Interestingly, the hoguine of this armor is composed of two separate plates, rather than a single solid plate. Where the hoguine of the other two armors terminates in a decorative fabric border, the Met armor continues into two more articulated lames, covering the top rear of the thighs. Holes along the bottom edge suggest that this armor may have been accompanied by fully enclosing cuisses which pointed to the bottom of the fauld and hoguine.

Sources

“A Pair of Gauntlets.” Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien. https://www.khm.at/de/object/540164/.

“A Pair of Spaulders with Besagews.” Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien. https://www.khm.at/de/object/372772/.

Cranach, Lucas the Elder. “Portrait of Duke Henry of Saxony.” Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden. https://skd-online-collection.skd.museum/Details/Index/246875.

Krause, Stefan. Fashion in Steel. Vienna: Kunsthistorisches Museum, 2017.

“Landsknecht Costume Armour.” Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien. https://www.khm.at/de/object/372771/.

“Left Upper Cannon and Couter.” The Wallace Collection. https://wallacelive.wallacecollection.org:443/eMP/eMuseumPlus?service=ExternalInterface&module=collection&objectId=60736&viewType=detailView.

“Open Burgonet.” Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien. https://www.khm.at/en/object/503346/.

“Parts of an Armour.” The Wallace Collection. https://wallacelive.wallacecollection.org:443/eMP/eMuseumPlus?service=ExternalInterface&module=collection&objectId=60519&viewType=detailView.

“Portions of a Costume Armor.” The Metropolitan Museum of Art. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/27790.

“Vambrace.” Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien. https://www.khm.at/de/object/372773/.

“Wilhelm von Rogendorf.” Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien. https://www.khm.at/de/object/1409642/

#long post #armor #armour #landsknecht #costume armor #art #history #renaissance #germany #german #hre #holy roman empire #europe #european #themet #metmuseum #khm #skd #wallace collection

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blondeboyfriend · 1 year

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𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐘 𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒 - 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝟐 (𝟏𝟖+)

𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐎𝐑𝐒 𝐃𝐍𝐈

« Part 1 [ PAIRING ] Dio Brando x f!reader [ SYNOPSIS ] Part two of Country Matters. [ WORD COUNT ] 2.1k [ CONTENT ] Canon AU, friends with benefits, alcohol, dubcon (Dio's drunk, y/n is sober), exhibitionism, biting, hair pulling, rough sex, strength kink, degradation, a PINCH of sacrilege, creampie, no plot and a soft as fuck ending, not beta read.

“Too hot,” you groaned as you reclined between the geometric topiaries of your family’s country house garden.

You were resting on a particularly soft patch of lawn with a thick cotton blanket underneath you, dulling the razor sharp blades of grass. Your nightgown was hiked up to keep your legs cool. You looked like a starfish, limbs splayed out to catch the brief breezes. It was a compromising position to be in, but you could not have been more comfortable.

People were always wandering the grounds of your parents’ home. You were never truly alone there which was comforting and unsettling all the same.

That’s why you didn’t have much of a reaction when you heard rustling and watched as the symmetrical English yew bushes quivered. Red berries and needles fell to the floor, carpeting the ground with poisonous foliage. You closed your eyes and thought nothing more of it.

A voice cut through the silent summer night. “Do you always lead such an idle existence?”

You sat up in one swift motion, your body mirroring a right angle.

“Are you always a drunken creep?”

Dio stumbled out from behind the bushes, his leg getting caught on a yew root. He glared at you and before turning around, hiding his enraged expression. You gazed at his broad shoulders clothed in an ivory work shirt. It was made out of gauzy cotton, and embellished with pearlescent buttons and wisps of gold embroidery.

“How dare you?” He growled over his shoulder. “I came all this way!”

“You—you don’t… You live nearby! That isn’t the great feat you think it is!”

He shushed you yet his voice retained its heightened volume.

“You think someone as pitiful as you could understand what someone as illustrious as me thinks?”

You stared at him briefly before shouting, “Yes!”

He spun around.

“Fine!”

He sat down on your blanket and rolled up his sleeves, revealing his ruddy forearms. Several buttons of his shirt were undone, revealing faint tendrils of chest hair. He reeked of whiskey and pipe tobacco. The bridge of his nose and the apples of his cheeks were pink from the unforgiving rays of the summer sun. You wondered what he had been doing all day.

“You’re so cruel. All I ever am is nice to you and this is how you repay me.”

You rustled his flaxen hair, letting the silk-like strands slide in between your fingers.

“If this is you being sweet, I’d hate to see what you being mean entails.”

“I never said I was being sweet.”

“Oh, excuse me, Master Brando, my sincerest apologies for so casually using a synonym in your… illustrious presence.”

“Don’t fret,” he said, tone completely genuine. “It will take time, but I, Dio, will be able to find it in myself to grant you my forgiveness.”

You gently flicked his temple with your thumb and index finger. He whined slightly before leaning into you, resting his head on your shoulder.

“I came to you seeking comfort and all you’re doing is bullying me.”

“Did something happen?”

“Jonathan,” he hissed. “He wanted to go hiking. I don’t know what possessed me to say yes, but I did. And now I am suffering from the consequences of my actions.”

He unbuttoned the rest of his shirt and let it fall from his shoulders. His skin was varying shades of pink and red.

You covered your mouth trying to hide your amused smile. “Did you not have a shirt on?”

“I did, but it got too hot so I took it off. If I had known this would happen, I would have dealt with being sweaty. But that idiot assured me it’d be fine. I know he did this to spite me.”

You took your finger and poked his skin. He winced and jerked away.

“For once I would appreciate your pity,” he said softly, lying down.

“Fine,” you replied before picking a milky bellflower and tucking it behind his ear. “You poor thing. What brought you all this way?”

You nuzzled up against his neck and kissed him, his tender skin warm against your lips. He sighed as the tension seemed to melt away from his body. His arm weaseled its way under you; he held you close to his body. You inhaled deeply and took in his sweet, musky scent.

“I need to fuck you.”

‘You need to?” You asked, smiling.

He turned his head, staring you down with his copper-colored eyes. “Yes. I need to ruin you.”

There was something charming about his bluntness. You lifted yourself up and laid on top of him, rubbing your bare cunt against his clothed cock.

“Well, what are you waiting for?” You asked flirtatiously.

“For permission, you dolt.”

“Oh… Uh, by all means. Go ahead.”

Dio’s large hands gripped your hips as you grinded up against him. You brushed his sweat-tinged hair out of his face and kissed him. You held his bottom lip between your teeth. Your heart pounded as your chest pressed up against his. It had been awhile since the last time you found yourself cloaked in his embrace. You weren’t going to let your nerves get the better of you.

He slipped his tongue in your mouth, rolling it against yours. The taste of his mouth was honeyed. It was intoxicating. He dug his fingers into the soft flesh of your hips, humming with delight as your body writhed from the stinging pressure. You whimpered into his mouth as his grip tightened.

“It’s too much,” you said, breaking the kiss.

“Your body can take it,” he grunted as he grabbed the back of your head, forcing you back into the kiss.

Dio laced his fingers through your hair and pulled. The ache reverberated throughout your body. You missed his touch more than you realized. His erection throbbed against your cunt, practically begging to be inside you.

You tried in vain to remove his pants, but your hands weren’t coordinated enough to do much.

“Pathetic,” he teased.

He pushed you off of him and he undressed, freeing his tumescent cock. His muscled form was reminiscent of marble statues of the god, Ares, though with a sizable length. You sat beside him and stared wide-eyed at his erection. He smirked and stroked his cock, pulling back his foreskin to reveal his glistening tip. Every inch of your body sang with ecstasy. Even the subtle sensation of your flimsy nightgown brushing against your nipples was enough to send you over the edge.

“Is there any particular reason as to why you’re not naked?”

His impatience killed a semblance of your libido, but you had no intent on going through the evening unfucked. You lifted your nightgown over your head and folded it up, setting it beside you. He looked you up and down, his eyes sharp like a predator’s. He grabbed you by the shoulders and forced you onto your back. You were utterly powerless up against his strength.

He slipped his fingers between your slick folds and pushed three of them inside you. You gasped as they filled your cunt, stretching it out.

“You’re already gasping? Really?” He asked, his breath hot against your ear.

“C—can’t help it,” you winced.

“And why is that?”

He pushed his fingers deeper inside you, curling them upwards and pressing against your walls.

“Fuck!”

“Hmph. That’s not much of an answer.”

“It feels—shit—incredible.”

He seemed unimpressed with your answer. “You’re too easy. This isn’t even fun for me anymore.”

You gritted your teeth before lightly smacking him.

“I was only kidding,” he seethed, rubbing his sunburnt cheek. “You’re much too sensitive.”

“You know I hate it when you speak to me like that.”

“I never mean it.”

“And? I don’t appreciate it regardless. If you’re going to behave like that, do me a favor and leave.”

He smirked and pulled his fingers out of you before licking them clean.

“No,” he replied, giving your forehead a kiss.

“I don’t know why I put up with you.”

“Me ne—neither,” he stammered as he led his cock inside you.

“No, no, no. I remember why,” you moaned.

The feeling of him thrusting inside you was more than enough incentive to suffer through his sharp tongue. Plus you knew deep down he did at the very least like you. Why else would he go easy on you when you played chess? Buy you boxes of fresh baked viennoiseries? Wander through poppy fields even though they always made him sniffly and miserable? Those were not the actions of a man filled with loathing.

“I’m going to ravage you,” he said as continued to thrust. “Drag you down into the furthest depths of depravity.”

He was talking louder than you preferred.

“That’s all well and good, but someone may hear you.”

“That’s what I want. I want them all to know what I’m doing to you.”

Your cheeks became flushed and embarrassment plagued you. Instinctively you shut your eyes and tried to forget there was an entire world surrounding the two of you. Dio however seemed to relish in it.

“No one will want to give you a passing glance once I’ve had my way with you,” he moaned as his cock grazed your cervix.

You were more than fine with that. No one piqued your interest quite like him.

“An—and even if they did, they’d never compare to me.”

You finally opened your eyes. “Is that so?”

He grabbed ahold of your jaw, his gaze wild and unfettered.

“I assure you no one else will ever make you feel this good.”

He pulled out his cock and slapped it against your clit with a wet thud. He could hardly contain his excitement as you whimpered his name.

“Louder,” he beckoned.

He rutted against you, pressing his precum covered tip on your swollen clit. You couldn’t help but shout his name. He let out a pleased groan and slid his cock back inside your weeping cunt. His thrusts were fast and deep, each one more lustful than the last. You wouldn’t say he was being totally sloppy, but there wasn’t much method to his drunken madness. It was as if he was caught up in a frenzy of religious fervor.

A symphony of his grunts and moans filled the garden. Part of you wanted to tell him to keep it down, but asking would be a thankless task. There was no way you could ever shut Dio up, especially not after he’d been drinking. Once he set out to do something there was nothing that could stop him.

“Tell me how good I’m making you feel,” he said, biting his bottom lip in anticipation.

“I feel like I'm ascending, like I could cry tears of joy, like I’m seeing god!”

Nothing you said was even close to a lie. Your entire body felt like it was reeling with sordid rapture. You tightened your cunt’s grip around his cock and wrapped your legs around him, locking him in place. He thrust into you harder and harder, almost as if he was fucking you into the ground. Your toes curled in anticipation of your mounting climax.

“Dio,” you whined. “I’m c—cl—close.”

Dio held his hand to your throat, though he applied no pressure.

“Look me in the eyes when you come.”

You nodded feebly, losing yourself in his harsh and intense gaze. You clenched your jaw as your orgasm surged through your body, enshrouding you in a sea of euphoria.

“Such a good girl,” he thundered. “I bet no one else has ever made you sound so heavenly.”

“Only you, Dio,” you cried out.

He went to speak, but was interrupted by his own orgasm. His back arched as his cock spurted ropes of thick cum into your cunt. His dark brows furrowed and buried his face in your neck, biting down on your shoulder. You placed your hand on the base of his skull and held him close as his thrusts gradually slowed down.

“I missed you,” he said, voice muffled.

You giggled. “You can’t go a week without seeing me, huh?”

“Look at the trouble I get into when you’re not around,” he whimpered.

“That’s true,” you said, scratching his scalp. “I never would have let you do anything shirtless in the sun.”

He rolled off of you and his cum dribbled out of your cunt.

“This is why you can never leave me,” he sighed, looking up at the night sky.

“As if I would ever do something like that.”

He held up his sunburnt arm and frowned before sitting up. He hugged his knees to his chest and rested his head on them. He turned his gaze to you, softer than it typically was.

“You swear?” He questioned in a small voice.

You looked beside him at the bellflower that you had previously tucked behind his ear. You plucked it off the ground and returned it to its rightful place.

“Absolutely. But you have to grant me the same privilege.”

He smiled, not smirked, and said, “Only death could rip me away from you.”

#dio brando x reader #dio x reader #jjba x reader #dio brando smut #dio smut #jjba smut #jojo's bizarre adventure smut #x reader #reader insert #.fics #.jjba #.dio

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lovely-oh-so-lovelyyui · 5 months

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Reiji - House of Chanel

Inherently, I think this went well especially with Chanel being such a traditional fashion house but also with its very feminine undertones. In comparison to some of the others, calling Chanel Reiji’s brand was more symbolic than realistic but I’ll explain.

Chanel in all its years since 1910’s has the same iconic look, the tweed structured suits, and the armoured corset dresses with delicate but impactful embellishments. It makes sense for Reji, he has this blunt yet sophisticated personality which physically manifests in his clothes; always well put together, tailored and steamed.

His suits may change but they maintain the same composition and colour palette, to the untrained eye they don’t look different but if you look closely he pays a lot of attention to what he wears.

He’s aware even as a vampire he still has the face of an 18 year old boy, there’s still that youthfulness present in his face, he makes up for it by wearing glasses he doesn’t really need but they highlight the aristocratic cutting of his face - with his sharp upturned nose, and bright red eyes.

He doesn't have his mother’s curls or his father’s pin straight hair but rather a wavy touch to his locks, he knows how it makes him look when it’s down, younger, softer …gentle and that’s just despicable! So he carefully styles his hair with mousse slicking it back, making him look more stern.

Reiji is also a lot more sensitive ( he’s a fussy, whiny little rich brat), so he can’t stand pungent smells ( blood, guts, drugs), that doesn’t mean he makes excuses to lose his composer so he has this strong cologne that is like sandalwood and kind of fruity? Like winter berries and tea leaves or something no one expected it to smell so good but he makes it work. Not to mention his hygiene is always top tier, so he has this freshly washed cotton and minty undertone.

So that's his main style right? So I was in between Dior and Chanel - and Chanel won of course

Mainly I mentioned before Chanel has more feminine undertones which I think expands well with Reiji’s complex relation with his brothers; whilst the misogynistic response to his trauma is still present he almost takes on a maternal role towards his family as much of the fandom has noticed - the reasons as why he does this is quite ironic actually. In his entirety, the persona of someone being capable is important for him, if he cannot be successful in maintaining - not only his family's name and reputation through the dictatorship of his brothers - how he holds himself in public how does he expect to be King?

Yet, all the care and attention to detail he gives is almost seen as motherly. The sheer unseriousness of it is not lost on me, even with all the rampant comments on the inferiority of women within the Sakamaki Home, the most well-adjusted and competent man is seen as feminine.

In other readings of Reiji though his feminine undertones are more purposeful, they come from the fact that him and Shu are perpendicular to one another because of Shu’s immense strength being seen as this "laid back protector archetype" as intrinsically masculine so Reiji’s more mentally vulnerable, cunning, shrewd approach is seen as more feminine ;dissect that how you will. My favourite though is Reiji picking up on etiquette by copying his mother who was a figurehead for women in the vampiric society.

Also reflected in Coco Chanel who is like, not a nice woman but she did have her moments - a cause for much scandal was her pioneering for trousers and women's athletic wear believe it or not, she was a big equestrian ( is that not the most Reiji sport ever?) and encouraged women to wear equestrian kits.

I think this also goes really well with his character in terms of politics, the synonymous nature of being a traditionalist yet paving the way is a part of Reji. He very strongly believes in the House of Sakamaki and what it stands for but he also like his father wishes to further vampiric society from it’s barbarism; in some ways he is a cultural snob but in others he’s quite attentive to the the silver lining that maintains modernism and the old ways.

The House of Channel also does this; it has always had its roots cemented in the old ways of aristocratic luxury items, but unlike many other fashion houses it does try to adapt to the changing times sometimes successfully, others not so successfully.

On a less serious note, in general I think it suits his aesthetic as well; as I’ve mentioned the iconic Chanel suits, but also the Corsets? Like Reiji is a big corset man I don’t care what anyone says, the timeless figure of archive Chanel pieces, the monotone colour scheme of darker colours. Moreover, even the chic pieces take inspiration from old money outfits: the arranged tulle of the Victorian era, the heavy contrast, the heavy gold pieces and brooches.

In comparison to Reiji’s fashion, with his fitted suits and tiny waist with the chain of his watch fob, as well as heavy contrast colours: blacks, reds, whites and navy’s.

Also the chunky jewellery makes sense in my head, it’s like masterfully placed so it doesn’t overwhelm him but I think the jewellery Reiji has includes: obviously the different chains for his antique watch, but also chunky rings seem more his thing than thin ones especially ones with carefully placed family jewels (rubies, emerald's, obsidians - as I said: snob) , this would do for more traditional attire too.

His outfits in the demon world definitely include brooches, and chains and pendants to embellish his outfit, eye makeup isn’t a big thing for him because it’s so fussy but he would definitely do darker eye makeup to bring out his eyes. He’s quite theatrical, and definitely plays into the ashy white vampire skin ( this is the skin of a killer Bella).

Overall, I refuse to believe he does casual clothing- like Reiji in sweats ( esp the juicy couture ones ) is a horrendous image. So yeah Reiji is a Chanel girl!

Also I can’t believe I completely forgot this but in the beginning Coco Chanel was overlooked by the media, in terms of her designs in the beginning of career because of a little brand called Polo…owned by Ralph Lauren that was also making athletic wear but also quite good friends with Coco Chanel

It’s almost like A certain someone who I said represented Ralph Lauren (Shu) overshadowing Chanel at first before she split off to make her own name.

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dxstopiaa · 1 year

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For me..?

Summary: Your college had decided to incorporate a festive gift-giving event, ever more better in secrecy….Oh you’ve been caught… What do you give your assigned student?

Characters: Modern AU! Xiao, Kazuha, Wanderer, Zhongli, Childe.

If you have any characters you’d like to see in my posts, lmk! + i was going to make this with more characters but ideas weren’t coming into my head at the time :(

Xiao

•You -> An authentic jade bracelet, a white tassel attached in the middle of it, gold accented clasps -> Xiao

•Honestly, choosing this gift for him was not that difficult, the only downside being the rather pricey cost, but you thought it was worth it. After all, he has always assisted you whenever you needed it.

•You decided to quite riskily knock on his dormitory door and bolt down the corridor in hopes he didn’t see you making your grand escape. Seconds later, a sleep-deprived student stepped outside his room, glancing around whilst clinging onto the door handle.

•Xiao sighed lightly, crouching down to retrieve the small parcel on his doorstep, which delicately embellished in tones of marigold and teal, resembling himself. At first, he thought a skittery postman had fled to complete his next order, that’s how panicked the knocks upon the wood sounded.

•He shut the door behind him, indolently slouching onto the couch and inspecting the present, opening up its contents. Xiao had to physically stop his jaw from dropping at the sight of such expensive jewellery, who would give such an exorbitant gift?

•It didn’t take him much time to figure out it was you, given that you were the closest to him and due to his reserved nature, not many others. Xiao did consider the possibility of his sister, Ganyu, gifting him such, but she had already told him she was assigned with somebody else.

•He smiled to himself, admiring the bracelet and clasping it upon his wrist. Would he ever take this off? Certainly not. He was positive he would make it up to you, either via a similar gift in nature, or with dozens of drinks and meals whenever you came round.

•Xiao chose the former, synonymously leaving another package at your accommodation, except he concealed himself behind a wall to experience your reaction, chucking quietly. You couldn’t stifle the gasp escaping from your lips at the reciprocated gesture. Besides, you can’t have jewels without the remaining half, can you?

Xiao -> An amethyst beaded bracelet, marbled initials of his and your own name, polished with sterling silver clasps -> You

Kazuha

You -> A gorgeously embroidered scarf, crimson in colour, his initials carefully inscribed within it, soft to the touch with crotchet hearts for tassels -> Kazuha

•Kazuha’s admiration for the vermillion colour was evident since you two met, when you had asked him why, it seemed he was pondering a way to formulate what he would tell you. His soft, gentle voice complimented the words that articulately whispered from his lips told you so in such a poetic way it would put the most esteemed writers to shame.

•’It symbolises many ideas, like love but also bloodshed, i find it can express all emotions solely by its presence.’ So of course, a gift with this fond hue was necessary. You spent a couple of days wondering what to get him before the scarf came into mind.

•Though you didn’t want this to be the regular autumn accessory, going to a shop and buying one won’t carry the message you wished to give your dear friend. You knitted it yourself, despite the effort required for it, appending small hearts in exchange for tassels at the rim of it, and finally embroidering his name into it with a lighter ruby shade, hugging it tightly once you finished.

•It wasn’t difficult to see Kazuha outside from his accommodation, which gave you the perfect chance to enter it secretly and place the item onto his armchair, an envelope placed delicately on top of it containing a cute chibi sketch of him wearing it. Guilty to say this was on your mind for the past week, you just had to!

•When you had made your escape, Kazuha returned a few minutes later, furrowing his eyebrows at the sight of the unlocked door, sighing to himself at his forgetfulness. In case, he checked his dorm to see if any of his items had been displaced or stolen.

•He was delighted to see the accessory on the chair, moving it onto his lap to inspect it, before swaddling himself with the scarf. Opening the letter, Kazuha chuckled lightly at the sight of himself and set the illustration on his desk. He knew it was you, for this was quite obviously a dear fashion student’s work.

•Don’t be surprised if you are seized with a gentle embrace, with Kazuha handing you a miniature box, as this is precisely what you deserved.

Kazuha -> A signet ring from his own heritage, a precious gem inscribed in the centre, from valuable silver. -> You

Wanderer

You -> A scrapbooking journal, complete with ink calligraphy pens, various stickers and equipment, also with a small diary -> Kuni

•You knew he would guess exactly who sent him such the moment he got it, though it was too good of an opportunity to pass up. Why? Well, You and Kuni had inside jokes, mainly on him, for he was amusing to tease.

•For example, You recalled the one time when you found him quite literally looking like he could strangle you when you asked him what was wrong as he groggily sat on his bed with a laptop on a pillow. Only after tons of investigation, did you find out it was due to the fact he had submitted his assignment just to find it was the ‘wrong one, as it had been tampered with’, jumping to his own defense.

•It was obvious he had a difficult time suppressing his emotions, specifically such of anger. You had suggested him to try out journaling but he only side eyed you with malice and claimed he ‘didn’t need time-wasting outlets’ So much for that.

•What did you do in spite? Get him exactly as described. Whilst you visited him, and he was occupied in the kitchen of his dormitory, you snook into his resting area and slid the set under his pillow, before casually strolling outside of it despite his critical glare.

•Once you left, and he deemed it time to sleep, was when he found it, quizzically lifting his pillow to see the disturbance. He took it in his hands, even though he was partially embarrassed, Kuni admired the quality of it and your intent.

•Let’s just say he spent the rest of the night sitting in his bed decorating the said journal in a way he felt aesthetically pleasing. Would he ever let you know so? Never, the topic essentially vanished.

Zhongli

You -> A traditional tea brewer and press, with exquisite flavours to try, dainty yet precious -> Zhongli

•Zhongli certainly lived up to his title of an old soul in a young body, his interests seemed to be that of mythology and cultures from various dynasties in his home country.

•Of course, the right thing to do would be to give him a present in this category, for it was undeniable he’d treasure it. Although it would be quite difficult to seek what you had in mind, your determination kept you focused.

•You located an antique store about a mile away from campus, from what you have seen, priceless family heirlooms from elder people had found themselves here in abundance. A gorgeously intricate tea set had you fixtured to it the minute you entered the shop. Just what you needed.

•The young student was curious to see a rather large gift bag on his kitchen countertop the following day, though he couldn’t repress his enchantment at the traditional china, his golden irises fluttering with glee whilst he admired it for what seemed like ages.

•Zhongli was not particularly sure who had gave him this gift, but you were his primary ‘suspect’, to which he decided to approach your lecture hall and wait outside, a small gift bag in his hands, the contents within perfectly concealed.

•You expected him to catch on, after all, Zhongli’s sense of perception was never faulty. You pushed open the large doors only to see him smiling warmly at you, lightly squeezing your hand and guiding you to his dormitory.

• A compromised sort of tea ceremony was laid out before you and him, he poured you your own customary cup and then his, caressing your hand which was laying on the table, idle. Zhongli chucked quietly at your flushed state, ‘Thank you for this gift, i can only give one back to you, please.’ He motioned the present to you, urging you to open it.

Zhongli -> A beautiful folding fan, illustrative dragons and cranes covered one side, the other with lapis and jade mines, resembling the treasure hidden beneath -> You

Childe

You -> A cerulean whale plushie with the most adorable expression, accompanied by another rosy one, wearing a smiley face -> Childe

•You and Childe instantly clicked when he first joined, partly due to the fact you were both exchange students, though he was of Russian descent and you from your respective country.

•The other reason was his humorous and gentle personality, the last quality was seen by only you, as Childe typically seemed a little eccentric and carefree to others. You adored the way he would wait for you outside your dorm to walk you to your next class, or how he traced his fingers in spiralling patterns upon your palm to soothe you when feeling overwhelmed.

•Truly, Childe was the most compassionate person you had ever met, so of course you were delighted at the opportunity at gifting him a present. Once your lectures were finished for the day, you decided to catch the local train into the city centre. Yes, Childe did have a car, but you wouldn’t want him to find out about this gift.

•Browsing the spectrum of stores within the mall, a certain one caught your eye. This particular shop was overflowing with cute plushies and stationary, it was difficult to resist the urge to vigorously purchase everything inside it. You skimmed the shelves until you found your gift, a squishy plush whale accompanied with another, one in azure whilst the other in rose.

•When you returned to your dorm, it was early evening at least, giving you enough time to wrap your presents and to anonymously deliver them to his own. You did this with the traditional ‘knock and run’ method, leaving it on his doorstep as you hastily sprinted back.

•Childe was quite puzzled, clutching onto the doorknob and motioning the door open whilst balancing his laptop on his forearm. He looked down to see the dainty gift bag, it’s contents concealed neatly and carefully, before picking it up and placing it on the chair beside where he previously sat to investigate it.

•Childe discarded the wrapping paper, sighting the precious little animal and rather childishly hugging it whilst grinning to himself. The small label on the ribbon around his neck claimed it was a 2 piece bundle, though he couldn’t find one in the bag. After some careful thought, he came to the conclusion it was you, besides, he didn’t think anyone else he knew would give him a gift of this nature, right?

•The following day, Childe waited upon your own doorstep, to whom you opened the door to and let him in. He was right, he immediately saw the other matching plush on your bed, surrounded by pillows in a poor attempt to conceal it. Smirking lightly as he read your rather nervous expression.

•He leaned into you, gently grasping your face in his palms as he admired your now flustered countenance, pressing his lips onto your forehead with pure affection, then embracing you in his arms whilst he caressed your hair.

•’I find it adorable how you got us matching plushies, though you seem to be competing with that action.’ Childe teased, chuckling lightly whilst you bashfully hid your face in your hands. Welp, you suppose you weren’t so good at hiding your identity, but he would argue he liked this outcome more.

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kcarkwright · 1 year

Text

Texture Words to Make the Reader Think You're Smarterer Than You Are

Gotta trick them into feeling like you know what you're talking about, right?

Abrade (abrading, abrasive) - To be broken down via friction/erosion

Barb (barbed) - having quills or spines or thorns calculated to wound

Bristle (bristled, bristly) having a still and prickly texture

Bolster (bolstered) - padded support

Burnish (burnished) - polished via rubbing

Coagulate (coagulated) - a liquid changed to a semi-solid texture, usually over time

Corrugate (corrugated) - shaped into ridges/groves or wrinkles

Crenelate (crenelated) - ridges over a relatively flat surface. Named after the gaps on top of fortified castle walls for archers to shoot from provided cover.

Diaphanous - a very fine texture that is translucent

Distension (Distended) - expansion via pressure from within. Synonym of bloated—although carries a different meaning when used medically

Emblazon (emblazoned) - inscribed with intricate design; synonym to embellished

Hirsute - hairy

Incise (incised, incision) - to carve into a surface

Keen - multiple meanings. Can mean: sharpened edge; extremely cold; clear scent/sound.

Lusterless - Dull. Posh older sibling to lackluster

Mellifluous - Having a smooth, rich flow

Ossify (ossified) - rigid or fixed into place

Patinated - Having a green or brown film produced by oxidation

Plumose - having many fine filaments [usually used to describe antennae, as exampled here. Look at that Silk Moth, isn't he cute?! TW: bugs]

Serrated - having a jagged, sawlike edge

Shirr (shirred) - gathered together in rows, usually stitched

Slovene (slovenly) - messy and dirty

Stodgy - dull and uninspired; heavy and filling

Suppurate (suppurated) - to produce or discharge, usually pus

Tessellation (tessellated) - patterned by repeated shapes without space in the middle

Unctuous - oily, greasy

Whet (whetted) - sharpened

#writeblr #Arkwright Academics #writing reference #texture #writing #writer #creative writing #descriptive words #descriptive writing #writing tips

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thegreenthepeacetheorange · 5 months

Text

Everlark (The Hunger Games, Ch. 27)

(this chapter is particularly heart-wrenching when it comes to these two little fools, brace yourselves. it's a long one but there's so much in this chapter to talk about)

katniss expects us to think that she has to work very hard to convince the audience of her love for peeta when this is how she speaks of him: "he looks so clean and healthy and beautiful, i can hardly recognise him. but his smile is the same whether in the mud or in the capitol and when i see it, i take about three steps and fling myself into his arms"

peeta pushing caesar aside whilst kissing katniss without even looking at him. peeta is just so... ugh

again she's letting us know that she's acting all this and it's a whole big performance but when she curls up into peeta on the interview couch and he wraps himself around her and she clutches his hand, it transports her back to the cave, where it was all very natural to her.

"being very free with my kisses" - see, she took part in those kisses, even if she mostly describes them as "peeta kisses me"

throughout the whole night, from the stage to the after party, she doesn't let go of peeta's hand.

again, she's desperate to talk to him, to see him in private

"then peeta's there, looking handsome in red and white" - she's down bad and i feel like she really downplays her emotions in these moments that she sees him. i picture her being completely taken aback by how gorgeous she finds him, like the wind has been knocked out of her.

when peeta mentions that soon they'll be home and haymitch can't watch them all the time, katniss says: "i feel a sort of shiver run through me and there's no time to analyse why" - now this can be taken in two ways. first considering that she's aware she's being watched and it's a sinister shiver. secondly, and what i'm going to go with since peeta is flirting with her again and she says she has no time to analyse why (which is often synonymous with her feeling something big) , is that katniss is a little hor-knee. like the idea of them being alone? thrilling to her! if that's what he kissed me like in front of a screen, what is it going to be like in their absence?! in conclusion, katniss is down bad

i feel like in katniss's nervous answers to caesar, there's a lot of truth. we already know her previous interview strategy was just to tell the truth imagining it's cinna and i really do think what she says in the interviews is the truth because she cannot lie, haymitch knows and peeta knows when she is. this is what she says: "until that point, i just tried not to think about what my feelings might be, honestly, because it was so confusing and it only made things worse if i actually cared about him. but then in the tree everything changed... because for the first time... there was a chance i could keep him" - i don't know about you but i don't think she's lying or embellishing.

later on she says when asked about why she decided to eat the berries, she says "i don't know, i just... couldn't bear the thought of... being without him." again, not a lie because we saw her internal monologues in that chapter, where she literally said that if he died, she'd spend the rest of her life in that arena, trying to think her way out. so yes she thinks she's doing this for the performance but it's all true.

her devastation over him losing his leg. again, an always cool katniss loses her composure. she pulls up his trousers, whispers in horror, shakes her head, and is so worried she's going to cry that she buries her face into peeta's shirt. it takes minutes to coax her back out.

here comes the heartbreak, prepare yourself

when she's on the train going back, she starts to transform back into the old version of herself: katniss, the seam huntress. and she says that as she has this transformation, peeta's arm around her feels alien and she doesn't know how to talk to him. this is where we start to see her associate peeta with the capitol and the games. even though he's the boy with the bread and has been for time.

when peeta picks the wildflowers for her, she reluctantly accepts them and tries to seem pleased. she feels like she's been lying to someone who trusts her, or more accurately two people. clearly she feels like she's betrayed both of them in some ways.

when peeta realises that she's been 'acting' (which again, he prides himself on being able to tell when katniss is lying but he didn't on this whole thing, whatever he felt from her was genuine), he lets go of her hand and she has to take a step, as if to catch her balance. warm steady strong peeta is faltering in the wake of this news and he's let go of her hand and that means she's faltering without him to rely on. what a crazy thing to think so casually.

when he calls her on acting for the games, she says "not all of it [was acting]" and she says this "tightly holding onto my flowers." she is trying to hold onto these flowers he's given her so hard - to stop the feeling of him retreating from her physically and emotionally, to steady herself using something he's given her.

she's so focused on him she can hear every footstep he takes back to the train.

poor heartbroken peeta, who really just loved her so fully he didn't even think it could be an act. my heart hurts for both of them so much in this moment.

her looking out for if she sees him over the next day or two but she doesn't. and when she does, he's expressionless and this hurts her.

i think it's telling that while she's thinking all this she says: "that it's no good loving me because i'm never going to get married anyway and he'd just end up hating me later instead of sooner. that if i do have feelings for him, it doesn't matter because i'll never be able to afford the kind of love that leads to a family, to children. and how can he? how can he after what we've just been through?"

point 1: as someone who's been this person, this screams of katniss distancing herself from something good because she's in her head about it and believes she can't have/doesn't deserve it. this is how that thinking works and once you've done it yourself, you recognise it.

point 2: peeta has never actually said he wants marriage and babies. katniss is just fully imagining this. like she is imagining the possibility of marriage and babies with him and is trying to cut that thought before it blooms.

"i also want to tell him how much i already miss him" i actually felt this in my own chest. she LOVES that boy. capital L love.

when she hears his voice is hollow rather than angry, she's devastated. she can feel the boy with the bread slipping away from her. remember the opposite of love is indifference? she'd rather he hated her. going from love that blooms to hollowness? why don't you just throw her off the cornucopia to the mutts.

"i take his hand, holding on tightly... dreading the moment when i will finally have to let go" ugh. UGH.

#everlark #katniss x peeta #peeta x katniss #katniss and peeta #the hunger games #katniss everdeen #peeta mellark

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spanishskulduggery · 5 months

Note

I heard a statement! "Hay cuanto lo siento"

(I dunno if there is an accent mark. I'm tone deaf in Spanish as of now) Does this mean, "I am so sorry" or "How sorry I am"? I'm interested in modifiers to spice up "base" statements.

It would be spelled ¡Ay! ¡Cuánto lo siento! which is like "Oh! How sorry I am!" though depends on how much emphasis you put on the ay it could be like a separate interjection like I put it or just ¡Ay, cuánto lo siento!

[not that you could hear the difference but in written Spanish ay is "oh" or "ow" or "oh no" that sort of feeling, but hay is "there is/are" from a verb haber... again you would only know this from knowing the spelling because the H is silent]

If you're trying to spice up a simple lo siento "I'm sorry" you can also say:

lo siento mucho = I'm very sorry

lo siento tanto = I'm so sorry

no sabes cuánto lo siento = you don't know how sorry I am [lit. "you don't know how much I feel it/am sorry for it"]

lo lamento = I'm sorry [synonymous with lo siento]

In general, lo siento and lo lamento are very all purpose "sorry", though everyone knows lo siento

There are other ways to embellish it but the basic ones are mucho, tanto, and cuánto which are all used with "amounts of things" - "a lot", "so much", and "how much [an unknown quantity]"

There is also the superlative of mucho/a which is a fancy way of saying "extremely". Every "superlative" is "the most" of an adjective and they almost always end in -ísimo/a... so it's muchísimo/a "VERY much". Superlatives aren't necessary, but you do sometimes see them like lo siento muchísimo is a bit extra

Another expression you might see is arrepentirse (de algo) "to be remorseful for (something)", or estar arrepentido/a (de algo) "to be remorseful for (something)" though I think of it as maybe a bit more formal, or when you're making a more polite apology

That isn't to say lo siento is rude, it's just more commonplace and all purpose, and saying something like me arrepiento "I am regretful" or "I regret" is a bit above that in terms of formality

Also if it is specifically your fault you can add in es mi culpa "it's my fault" or es culpa mía which is the same thing literally just "it is the fault/guilt of mine"

So you can say lo siento, es todo culpa mía "I'm sorry, it's all my fault"

Semi-related, I'm attaching some additional notes below. I only mention it because "sorry" has some broad classifications but you use some different expressions for different things and I'd hate for you to say the wrong "sorry"

The above were basic apologies for when you do something wrong and you want to apologize

The verb for "to apologize" is disculparse so you might see necesito disculparme "I need to apologize" / me necesito disculpar which is the same thing just reorganized]

The other option is pedir perdón "to ask forgiveness" like te pido que me perdones "I ask that you forgive me" which involves the verb perdonar "to forgive/pardon", but you could also say te pido perdón "I beg your pardon/forgiveness" just as a noun

Another is the use of the verb disculpar which is "to excuse" or sometimes "to absolve/vindicate" - without the se it comes out as "to excuse (someone else)"

You may say disculpa or disculpe/disculpen as commands which works like "excuse me" - this is like "sorry", but it's like saying "excuse me" rather than "sorry"

As an example disculpa might be something you say to apologize for interrupting or leaving a conversation, or possibly if you bump into someone it can be used

Another side note is that con permiso "excuse me" is often said as "sorry" if you're trying to get by somebody or someone's in the way and you might be doing something considered rude like accidentally bumping someone as you try to get by them. Literally it's "with permission" or "by your leave"

The other "sorry" you probably should know is expressing condolences. There are two very common ways to do that, particularly if it's someone who has passed away:

Siento mucho tu pérdida. = I'm very sorry for your loss.

Mi más sentido pésame. = My deepest condolences.

#asks #Spanish #langblr #language #languages #learn spanish #learning spanish #long post #refs

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marvelmusing · 1 year

Text

Sweet Treat

Pairing: Fae!Darklina x Human!Fem!Reader

Part of the Of Sunlight and Shadow AU

Summary: King Aleksander and Queen Alina of the Fae kingdom of Ravka have always had a soft spot for you after they found you lost in the woods with little knowledge of the Fae or their rules. From then onwards they have looked after you, welcoming you into their castle and, after some time, into their bed.

Warnings [18+]: smut, unprotected sex, threesome, consensual drugging (willing consumption of fae food), oral (fem!receiving, male!receiving), creampie, s/d themes, sub!reader, soft dom!Aleksander, soft dom!Alina, spanking, praise kink, brief allusion to reader being their pet, little bit of corruption kink, pain kink, fae food turns pain into pleasure

My Masterlist

“Aleksander and I have a present each for you, my lovely.” Alina says as she reaches towards you from where she’s sitting at the end of the bed. Her thumb brushes over your lower lip, wiping away the icing left there by your breakfast of sugared pastries.

Birthdays weren’t particularly celebrated in the Fae kingdom of Ravka. Neither Aleksander nor Alina could even remember when their birthdays were. You weren’t expecting anything from them, and you’re certain your face shows it from the twinkle in Alina’s dark eyes.

Glancing over at Aleksander, you observe the tiny lift at the corner of his mouth as he does up the last of the buttons on his kefta. Even without his crown, he looks every inch a king.

“You didn’t have to.” You insist softly, looking down at the empty breakfast tray on the bed.

Aleksander steps closer, hooking a finger under your chin to tilt your head back to meet his eyes as he towers over you.

“And yet we did.”

“Because we love you.” Alina adds in a reminder.

Two otherworldly beings looking at you with such unabashed adoration and desire makes your stomach flip, and warmth blooms over your skin. Your voice is soft, but wholly genuine as you say,

“Thank you.”

Alina grins, lifting the thin skirts of her nightdress as she clambers off the bed and heads towards her wardrobe.

“My turn first.” She insists, and Aleksander smiles as you scoot over in the bed, allowing him to perch beside you. From there he opens up his bedside table, and pulls out a flat black box and sets it down on the table.

You eye it curiously, but he only smiles and presses a kiss to your temple as encouragement to wait.

Alina sits down in front of you with a beautifully painted wooden box in her hands. She presses a kiss to your cheek, before she retreats to watch you admire her paintwork. There’s intricate flowers and leaves adorning the sides and lid, as well as golden embellishments along the edges.

“Alina,” you breathe out in awe. “It’s beautiful.”

A gorgeous blush ghosts over her cheeks, a startling flash of colour amongst the ethereal glow of her white hair and pale skin.

“You haven’t even opened it.” She remarks with a teasing smile.

You slide the lid open and instantly the rich scent of chocolate, accompanied by the tingle of Fae magic, fills your senses. Each sweet treat is wrapped in delicate foil of gold, silver, and black.

“You must never eat one without mine or Aleksander’s permission.” She states firmly, and you look up at her.

The two of them have always protected you from the trickery of the other Fae, and as a result, you had never eaten Fae food. You know that some Fae like to feed it to their human pets, and lots of humans enjoy the flavour and the sensations that are synonymous with such indulgence.

But of course, you know it’s dangerous to eat too much. To become addicted to the magic. It would be far too easy for you to lose your mind in the bliss.

Tracing the edge of the box, you eye the chocolates with curiosity and can already feel the pull towards them, your mouth watering at the thought of eating just one.

“Can I try one now?”

Alina’s black eyes sparkle, sharing a glance with her husband.

“After Aleksander’s present perhaps.” You turn quickly to Aleksander, your cheeks warming.

“Sasha, I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be, I’m glad you like the idea.” He picks up the box from his bedside table, kissing your cheek as he presses it into your hands. “Happy Nameday, my dearest.”

“They don’t call it Nameday anymore, Sasha.” Alina mumbles quietly, and he leans over to squat at her thigh - to which she giggles.

Opening up the box, your breath catches in your throat. Nestled on a soft silk cushion is a beautiful necklace. It’s a simple circlet of velvet with a charm hanging down at the centre. A gold circle with a little sun inside it - Alina and Aleksander’s symbols. Together. To be placed around your neck.

“Do you like it?” He asks softly. You nod immediately, too overwhelmed to tell him how much this means to you.

“Are you sure?” You ask them both, knowing what stating such a public claim on you means. That everyone would know you are theirs.

“We want you.” Aleksander assures you as Alina takes the necklace from you. “To be ours. Permanently, and completely.”

“Do you want that?” Alina asks you.

“Yes.”

She smiles, holding the necklace gently against your throat, allowing Aleksander to slot the clasp into place. Once it’s done, he presses a kiss to the space between the velvet and your ear. You shiver.

“Why don’t you sit on my lap and let us pick out a treat for you?” He murmurs against your ear, and you nod, arousal warming the space between your thighs.

You settle yourself on Aleksander’s thighs, side pressed against his chest as you face Alina who has moved to sit next to her husband. She has the box of chocolates nestled in her lap, and her brows are lightly furrowed as she rifles through them all. After several instances of Alina changing her mind, she sets three pieces down on the open lid. Then she turns to Aleksander.

“Which one?”

His head tilts aside as he eyes the options she’s selected. Nimble fingers skimming over each one, before he rounds back to the first one.

“This one.”

Alina slides the other two back into the box and you frown at their interaction. She soon offers you an explanation.

“They’re all different strengths and flavours.”

With their heightened senses, and how well attuned they are to magic, it’s no surprise that they can know the strength and flavour of a wrapped sweet. Aleksander rests his chin on the top of your head.

“I thought we’d start with something softer today, considering it’s your first.”

“What will it do?”

“It’ll put you in a pleasurable haze, increasing arousal and pain tolerance. I’m sure you understand the appeal of those things.”

You do. The Fae are lovers of violence, there’s nothing more beautiful to them. If true beauty was frightening, shouldn’t all things frightening be considered beautiful?

Take Aleksander for example. His graceful hands have killed a countless number of people. The delicate fingers that now take hold of your chin can plunge an entire room into darkness, and summon a blade of shadow that can slice through flesh and bone.

Or Alina. Her soft, warm body that holds you safe in her arms. Eyes that watch you with care, whilst any other would see only the heat of the sun in her gaze, the burning fury when she wields her sunlight in a bright scythe.

They are both so beautiful - so dangerous. Yet you couldn’t love them any more. Despite being human, in this manner you were like the Fae. You loved the violence of them both. They weren’t afraid to harm, and you weren’t afraid to hurt.

“We would never hurt you more than you could handle.” Alina tells you, and you nod. You know that.

“I trust you both.”

Alina grins, and you know Aleksander is mirroring her expression.

Despite the fact that they would never want to truly harm you, something dark always twists inside them both at your blind faith in them. Deep down the three of you all know that they would need very little to break you completely. A very small part of you thinks that one day you might even ask them to.

Aleksander strokes his thumb over your jawline.

“Open wide, milaya.” He prompts, as Alina holds the unwrapped chocolate to your lips. The scent of it alone has your body tingling with anticipation. Parting your lips as he says, Alina places the chocolate in your mouth.

“Let it melt on your tongue, my lovely.” She says and you nod, your eyes fluttering closed as you slump against Aleksander’s firm chest. “Eyes on me.” Alina adds, and you obey her instantly.

The world is slowly shrinking. Before, you could hear the birds outside or sounds from the corridors in the distance. But with the delicious sweetness warming on your tongue, filling your mouth and sliding down your throat, all you can focus on is how wonderful you feel.

You keep your eyes on Alina, but as your mind grows heavier you can’t stop your gaze from sliding from her pitch black eyes, down the elegant slope of her neck, to stare at her breasts. The nightgown she’s wearing is one of your favourites, white lace with pink ribbons, and it’s low cut. Low enough for you to imagine nuzzling your face between her breasts, pulling the fabric aside with your teeth and sucking on her pert nipple.

Pleasure clouds your thoughts, as Aleksander’s hand runs over your bare thigh and you smile giddily at the feeling of his palm on your skin. It makes you wish he would touch you elsewhere. The gusset of your panties is already heavy with slick, and you shift in a subconscious attempt at easing the ache there.

Alina strokes your cheek as she observes your unfocused gaze, and she laughs softly.

“I think our little human is melting faster than her chocolate.” She squeezes your chin between her fingers, and you moan softly. “Show me, milaya.”

You part your lips, sticking out your tongue to show her the mess of chocolate sitting there, made sticky by the warmth of your mouth.

“Good girl.” She praises. “Now swallow it.”

A shudder wracks through your body as you swallow the last of the softening treat. She smoothes a hand soothingly over your thigh, and you relax further into the haze. Then she drags her nails along your skin, ripping a startled moan from your lips.

“Did that hurt, my lovely?”

You shake your head, burying yourself further into Aleksander’s chest. He chuckles darkly.

“What about this, milaya?”

His palm lands hard onto the soft plush of your thigh and you gasp, squirming with pleasure. It doesn’t hurt, and your eyes roll back into your head as you come to that realisation. That they could do anything to you, and it wouldn’t hurt.

Alina leans closer, her lips meeting yours in an all-consuming kiss, as if she were attempting to lick out every drop of magic from your mouth. You whine at the thought of losing this wonderful feeling.

She pulls at the ribbons on the her nightgown, and the fabric soon falls to reveal her naked body. With one tug from Aleksander, your own nightgown is torn from your body.

Alina pulls your body underneath hers as Aleksander stands. A whine leaves your lips once the warmth of his body leaves you, but a startling flush floods through you when Alina grips your hips, sliding her thigh between yours.

Mindlessly, you grind your soaked cunt against her thigh and she tightens her hold on you, pressing bruises into your skin. Alina kisses you messily, all teeth and tongue, and your body can only hold onto her for dear life.

Aleksander watches the two of you as he undresses. He watches the print of Alina’s nails leave a trail of crescent moons into your soft skin as she grasps at whatever part of you she can get her hands on - meaning all of you. He watches your creamy wetness coat Alina’s slim thigh as you rock your hips against her.

He grabs a fistful of your hair, tugging your head back and pulling a loud moan from your lips. Alina pushes your hips and with a few more tugs from Aleksander, your head is resting on the edge of the bed. Right in front of his cock.

On instinct you part your lips, and the two of them laugh, but you’re too eager to please him to notice.

He fucks your mouth slowly, groaning every time you gag around him. With the magic running through your system you find you can take him much deeper than usual. Alina continues to kiss all over your body, sucking on your nipples, teeth scraping over your hips and down your thighs. Every moan has your throat trembling around Aleksander’s cock, and it isn’t long before he’s spilling into your mouth.

You swallow every drop, licking over him once you’ve finished. Alina rewards you by tracing her tongue over your clit. The sensitive little bud has been burning ever since she placed the chocolate in your mouth, but now it was raging into an inferno. Once he’s caught his breath, Aleksander pins your legs wide open, giving Alina more space to work with.

She sucks a bruising line of hickies along your inner thigh, all while circling your clit lightly with her thumb. Tears of desperation flood down your cheeks as you fear you’re reaching the threshold of pleasure. There can’t be any more. Then Alina presses down hard on your clit, flicking rapidly over the swollen bud. You scream, thrashing as you climax suddenly.

By the time Aleksander turns you over as Alina pulls on your hair to guide lips to her glistening cunt, you’re incoherent. Tear stained, sweat soaked with a mess between your thighs.

Yet you still know what to do. You still lap eagerly between her folds, suckling on her clit as she writhes beneath you. Aleksander’s hands wander over your body as your mouth works against Alina’s cunt. He tugs on your nipples as you plunge your tongue inside her, drunk on her essence mixing with the taste of Aleksander that still lingers on your tongue.

Alina gasps when your nose catches against her clit, and she tugs hard on your hair as she grinds your face against her cunt. You aren’t aware of Aleksander moving your body, spreading your legs wider and propping you up onto your knees.

Then his hand hits your backside. A shuddering moan tears through you, and Alina groans when she feels it against her cunt. She tightens around your tongue as Aleksander hits you again. Alina gushes over your face, and you do your best to drunkenly lick up every bit of her as Aleksander continues to spank you.

Once she’s come down from her high, Alina slides further underneath you, until you’re face to face. She’s practically glowing, cheeks flushed prettily. Her lips are rosy and reddened. White hair a wild halo around her head as she stares at you.

Aleksander pushes your ass cheeks apart, and you feel him slide the head of his cock against your cunt. It’s always hard for him to fit inside you. It had taken him and Alina months to train your body, but it was still always a slightly painful stretch.

With how wet you are, the first few inches slides into you easily. Alina holds onto your hips, keeping them in place as Aleksander feels your cunt tightening around him. She trails one hand along your body, pinching your nipples, which allows him to rock a little further into you.

Then she cups your face in her hand.

“Let go of it all, my lovely. Let Sasha have his fun.”

With a whimper, you fall over the last hurdle keeping you from total pleasure. Slumping against Alina, you distantly hear Aleksander groan as you relax and he slides all the way inside you. Alina pets your hair as your face presses against her collarbone.

Aleksander arches your back even further, sinking deep inside you and thrusting hard. He watches your thighs twitch and feels your cunt squeezing around his cock, but the rest of you is limp with pleasure, allowing him to do as he pleases.

The harsh smack of his skin against yours fills the room, and Alina kisses you slowly, keeping your focus away from how Aleksander is currently splitting you in two. His fingers dig into your hips and claw at your thighs as he grips onto you, his hands grasping at the bruises left there by Alina.

Despite your shaking body, you somehow manage to rock your hips against Aleksander’s, meeting his thrusts a soft roll of your hips that has him moaning.

You’re aware of Aleksander saying something that you can’t hear over the rushing of blood through your ears, his thrusts picking up in speed as he hits that sweet spot inside you.

“Sasha’s close, my lovely.” Alina warns you.

“Please Lina,” you whisper in her ear. “Please make him cum in me.” She groans lowly, mouthing kisses along your neck.

“Yes Sasha, cum inside her.”

She bites down on your shoulder, pinching your nipple again, and your cunt squeezes hard around Aleksander’s cock as you near the edge once again. He groans loudly, his cock pulsing as he spills inside you, triggering your own climax.

Lips parted to cry out, the only noise that escapes your throat is a soft gasp as more tears spill down you cheeks, pleasure numbing every thought in your head. A euphoric haze settles over your mind, as your body continues to shake with the aftershocks. Alina licks the tears from your face, humming at the salty taste as she watches you with wonder in his eyes.

They both place languid kisses over your body, voicing praises as your breathing slowly returns to normal, pressing their fingers over the bruises and scratches that have blossomed over your skin. Aleksander pulls out slowly, and you squeeze your eyes shut at the loss.

Alina helps you to lie on your side, a pillow tucked under your head as you float on a cloud of pure pleasure. Aleksander presses a kiss to your forehead, before he pushes a finger into you, guiding his leaking spend back into your warm cunt.

“Get some sleep, dearest one.”

He lies down beside you, and Alina settles over the top of him, her legs straddling his hips as she grasps his cock. Sleep tugs at you, as exhaustion begins to settle into your body, but you’re too surprised by the sight of his cock hardening again so quickly.

Alina sinks onto his length in one smooth motion that has them both moaning softly, their eyelashes fluttering delicately as they enjoy each other. She grinds her hips into Aleksander’s, her clit catching against his pelvis.

Even as you close your eyes, you can still see the two of them grinding lazily against one another, with Aleksander deep inside Alina, kissing whatever skin they can reach, lips moving messily.

With pleasure still singing in your veins, keeping your body feeling light even as you’re slumped heavily into the mattress, their moans and sharp inhales are an erotic lullaby that allows you to drift off into a blissful sleep.

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

“I think she’s waking up.”

Alina’s voice is a gentle murmur from somewhere to your left, and on the other side of the bed you can feel Aleksander shift. You don’t move, too aching and sore to want to bother with it. You don’t open your eyes either.

“Let me see.”

From under the cover, Aleksander’s hand curls around your thigh, his thumb digging into a sore spot, and you whine loudly in protest. He chuckles.

“There she is. Hello little one.”

“Mean.” You mumble with a pout, cracking your eyes open to pout at Aleksander. He kisses your forehead as he whispers,

“You love it.”

“Welcome back, my lovely.” Alina threads a hand through your hair, careful not to tug on any more sensitive areas, as your eyes flutter open.

“How long have I been asleep?” The curtains have been drawn, and a few candles lit. Aleksander leans towards his bedside table, eyes skimming over the hands on his miniature clock.

“Around six hours. We thought it best to let you sleep.”

“How are you feeling?” Alina asks with sympathy in her tone, as if she already knows the answer.

One of them had cleaned you up, and dressed you in a silk chemise that felt cool and soothing against your skin. There’s a collection of finger shaped bruises forming, thin scratches, and nail prints all over your body. From how sore you are, you also assume there will be handprints on your buttocks as well.

“I’m certainly feeling.” You remark wryly, and Aleksander breathes out a laugh.

“We’ll be more gentle next time.” Alina suggests.

“No.” You say quickly, your cheeks warming as they both keep their focus on you. “I liked it.”

Aleksander brushes his knuckles over your cheek with a tender expression.

“That’s all we want for you, milaya.” Alina laces her fingers with yours, pulling your hand towards her lips for a chaste kiss.

“Thank you both. For a wonderful birthday - even if I have been asleep for most of it.”

“There’s still time for cake.” Alina says casually with a raised brow. Tilting your head aside you glance over at her.

“Cake for humans?” You don’t think you would survive anymore Fae food in this state. She laughs softly.

“Yes lovely, cake for humans.”

“That sounds good.”

Aleksander nods, moving to stand so that he can ring for one of the servants.

“Cake it is then.”

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

marvelmusing Tag List: @dreamlandcreations @blanchedelioncourt @idaofinfinity

#of sunlight and shadow #darklina x reader #aleksander morozova x reader x alina starkov #aleksander morozova x reader #aleksander morozova #alina starkov #alina starkov x reader #shadow and bone au #shadow and bone x reader

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mummersblade · 1 year

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Jon’s heart in ADWD

Now we all know the iconic “What do you know of my heart, priestess? What do you know of my sister?” line but looking through all of Jon’s chapter in ADWD (and in earlier books) it is interesting to compare all of his references to his heart and how it encapsulates one of the greatest struggles in the series, which is “love is the death of duty." It also helps us understand why this is the book where he finally chooses love.

Jon refers to his heart for just two people/entities throughout ADWD: Arya and the men of the Night’s Watch. We’ll start with the latter.

Every name was graven on his heart. Eight good men, he thought, and one…well we shall see. (Jon VI, ADWD)

Every name was graven on his heart. They were his men, his brothers. (Jon VII, ADWD)

In both instances the men are “graven” onto his heart. The repeated phrasing drives home that his brothers in the Night’s Watch do not make up his heart; they are rather an impression on it. It is surface level, his exterior devotion that hides the inner workings of his heart.

Jon's obedience to his vows for the Night’s Watch has been a burden for him and his character arc, starting from the very first book when he nearly deserts, again when he falls in love with Ygritte, and once more when he picks the Watch over being legitimized so he can rule Winterfell, marry a princess, and have trueborn children with her. The build-up of all these tests to his vows culminates in ADWD, when he finally and explicitly breaks them, a decision that leads to his death. Before making this ultimate decision, however, he tries to remind himself of his obligations against his wishes to save Arya, asserting that he can't help her because:

“Once a man had said the words his blood was black. Black as a bastard’s heart.” (Jon VI, ADWD)

He said the words, but an oft repeated phrase across the series is "words are wind." Maester Aemon says something similar himself in his love and duty speech:

"What is honor compared to a woman's love? What is duty against the feel of a newborn son in your arms... or the memory of a brothers smile? Wind and words. Wind and words. We are only human, and the gods have fashioned us for love. That is our great glory, and our great tragedy." (Jon VIII, AGOT)

Jon's heart has been written over by the vows he made in AGOT and the duties he's obligated to because of them. He sacrificed all that Aemon mentioned: a woman's love (Ygritte), a newborn son in his arm (Stannis's offer of Winterfell, Val, and legitimization), and his brother's smile (Robb) all for duty. Even in the case for Ygritte, who Jon undoubtedly loved, his heart is guarded from her:

The wildlings had taken him for an oathbreaker, but in his heart, he was still a man of the Night's Watch, doing that last duty that Qhorin Halfhand had laid on him. (Jon I, ASOS)

Wildling to the bone, he thought again, with a sick sad feeling in the pit of his stomach. He flexed the fingers of his sword hand, and wondered what Ygritte would do if she knew of his heart. (Jon V, ASOS)

Ygritte is kept separate from his heart, even when they are at their closest physically and romantically in ASOS. In this book, his heart is still defined by his vows to the Night's Watch, but come ADWD, we see that in truth the Watch is just the exterior, the shell of his heart. It is the engraving on top, the words that are seen at first without a deeper inspection into what's beneath.

Meanwhile, all the other times he references his heart in ADWD relates entirely to Arya. His heart reacts based off his emotions towards her (see end of this for similarities to Dany and her heart's relation to Daario versus other POVs and their hearts' reactions in ADWD). He likens his heart so that it is synonymous with her. There is no engraving, no embellishment. She simply is his heart, and that is why she is enough to finally get him to break his vows.

His vows make up the surface of his heart. It's his armor that has given him the strength to make hard decisions about his family and Ygritte. But if Arya is his heart, she's already past the surface, past the armor, and only she can shatter the shield from within. To overview all the remaining references Jon makes to his heart in ADWD (both in terms of emotive responses and an ideological representation of himself in the truest form):

"Roose Bolton summons all leal lords to Barrowton, to affirm their loyalty to the Iron Throne and celebrate his son's wedding to..." His heart seemed to stop for a moment. No, that is not possible. She died in King's Landing, with Father. (Jon VI, ADWD)

"The heart is all that matters. Do not despair, Lord Snow. Despair is the weapon of the enemy, whose name may not be spoken. Your sister is not lost to you."

"I have no sister." The words were knives. What do you know of my heart, priestess? What do you know of my sister? (Jon VI, ADWD)

The girl smiled in a way that reminded Jon so much of his little sister that it almost broke his heart. (Jon X, ADWD)

I want my bride back...Keep them from me, and I will cut out your bastard's heart and eat it. (Jon XIII, ADWD)

"This creature who makes cloaks from the skins of women has sworn to cut my heart out, and I mean to make him answer for those words...but I will not ask my brothers to forswear their vows." (Jon XIII, ADWD)

All of these relate to Arya in one way or another.

Jon makes it explicit in his reveal of Ramsay's letter in the Shieldhall that he does not act to avenge Stannis or defend Selyse and Shireen. He will march on Winterfell because of the threat to his heart--to Arya. She is the final thought he has before changing his plan (just as she is his final thought before dying). And there is no way to argue that he isn't breaking his oath, when in the last quote above he equates his actions as forswearing his oath.

So basically all of this is to say that in ADWD Jon's heart only reacts to news and thoughts of Arya (the announcement of her impending marriage and the comparison with Alys Karstark at her own wedding). His heart is her, which is why only she manages to give him a strong enough cause to break his oath. No other mentioning of his heart is made in the book, except for the men of the Night's Watch, which is a repeated line that makes it sound all the more superficial and drilled into him. It is a clear juxtaposition of a heart hardened by duty versus a heart full of love. And Jon picks love.

Compare Jon and his heart to other characters taking about their own hearts in ADWD:

DANY (who already has a very similar story arc to Jon as she struggles in a position of power and making impossible decisions):

Daario. Her heart gave a flutter in her chest. "How long has... when did he...?" She could not seem to get the words out. (Dany IV, ADWD)

There is blood on my hands too, and on my heart. We are not so different, Daario and I. We are both monsters. (Dany IV, ADWD)

When Ser Barristan told her that her captain desired words with her, she thought for a moment that it was Daario, and her heart leapt." (Dany V, ADWD)

"Daario was war and woe. Henceforth, she must keep him out of her bed, out of her heart, and out of her. If he did not betray her, he would master her." (Dany VIII, ADWD)

Almost all of her references to her own heart in ADWD relate to Daario, her romantic interest. He is already within her heart and she knows he runs the risk of ruling it complete, but she is reasonable enough to break off their relationship for the good of her people. She chooses duty over love, honoring her obligations to keep her people out of slavery and safe from the lingering presence of the masters. Jon does not make that same decision when he puts his heart first.

BRAN:

It was a woman's voice, high and sweet, with a strange music to it like none that he had ever heard and a sadness that he thought might break his heart. (Bran II, ADWD)

Bran saw great white snakes slithering in and out of the earth around him, and his heart thumped in fear. (Bran II, ADWD)

Both times Bran refers to his heart in one chapter, it's purely reactionary to an emotion he experiences, neither of which relate to a person.

"You saw what you wished to see. Your heart yearns for your father and your home, so that is what you saw." (Bran III, ADWD)

Bran's heart's desire is his family and Winterfell.

THEON:

"No," he insisted, shrilly. "No, I only want these clothes. Reek's clothes. I'm Reek is rhymes with peek." His heart was beating like a drum, and his voice rose to a frightened squeak. (Reek III, ADWD)

TYRION:

Tyrion listened to Illyrio's snores, the creak of the leather straps...but his heart was listening for the beat of leathern wings. (Tyrion II, ADWD)

He dreamt of his lord father and the Shrouded Lord. He dreamt that they were one and the same, and when his father wrapped stone arms around him and bent to give him his grey kiss, he woke with his mouth dry and rusty with the taste of blood and his heart hammering in his chest. (Tyrion VI, ADWD)

Other men's hearts in the story are used to express terror or sorrow. They do not relate to love, even in the instance of Tyrion longing to see dragons. This is unlike Jon's storyline. How Jon speaks of his heart Has the most in common with Dany, who is openly in love with Daario, though it is not enough for her to pick him in the end.

And of course, ARYA:

"Your heart is too soft to be one of us."

He means to send me away. "I have no heart. I only have a hole. I've killed lots of people. I could kill you if I wanted." (The Ugly Little Girl, ADWD)

Arya claims to have no heart, but this comes at her fear that she'll be cast out by the Faceless Men. We know how desperate Arya is for home and for safety, and the Faceless Men are all she has now. Even they know she still has a heart, one of compassion and love. I can only imagine in TWOW she'll find a reason to recall her heart...

#I started writing this out at the laundromat today now here we are #jon snow #arya stark #ygritte #robb stark #asoiaf #i'm sure someone has gone over this but hey this is my word vomit hehe #rambles #jonrya #jon x arya #needleheart

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eigwayne · 5 months

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Today's Project: Creature Crafting!

This is a method of inspiration for creature designing, for any gentle readers who are writers or artists or game masters- or anyone, really, your purposes are none of my beeswax. If it looks useful or fun, try it!

I might have posted this method of monster creation before, but if I have it's been a long time and I'm almost certain I didn't include pictures last time. So please enjoy it today, despite the weird fish monster I greeted you with.

What you do is take parts of skeleton illustrations, mash them together, and draw a new form around it to turn this chimeric mess into a new creature. I primarily use illustrations of extinct animal skeletons, which adds a prehistoric feel and lets me decide whether and where to add feathers, fur, osteoderms, and spikes without the original animal informing the decision.

That is, in theory. If you've read about paleontology you'll probably catch your knowledge of the actual animal creeping in a little too much. It's one thing to go "The original's eye sockets are the middle ones, not the big ones in the back." It's quite another to get stuck on "This torso was a mesohippus so the front feet have to be hooves no matter what." If that's the case, purposely adjust the design to be different and that should reboot your creative juices. No one needs to know the original animal had hooves if they no longer appear in the final result.

Actually doing stuff:

TLDR Short Version:

Gather reference images. Suggested sources are extinct animal skeleton illustrations.

Cut into three pieces: heads, torsos with front legs/flippers, and hindquarters with rear appendages and tails.

Shuffle each category of parts up.

Select one of each type- one random head, one random torso, one random tail.

Sketch new creature based on the random parts.

Add details, embellishments, or notes based on the new creature from the sketch.

The Details:

To start, gather your references. I cannot supply mine because I printed them out and no longer have links, but search for things like "paleozoic skeleton illustration", "extinct animal skeleton", or "dinosaur skeleton reconstruction" to start. I advise using "extinct" or "reconstruction" and synonyms thereof in pretty much any search to avoid getting recent dead animals, human remains, or reconstructions with fleshy bits and exteriors that might influence your design. Also illustrations are easier to interpret than photos once they're cut up. Trust me.

Once you have your source images, you can go digital by slicing the images and saving the pieces as different layers or images, or manual by printing them out and cutting them with scissors. I cut mine into three parts- head and neck, front limbs with torso and spine, and hips/hindquarters with rear appendages and tail. Keep each type/category of part together and once they're all cut up, shuffle the stacks.

I suggest keeping the parts in a folder (or physical parts in an envelope) so you can use them in the future. Mine are separated like so:

Also if you're smarter than I am, you'll flip your images so they're all facing the same way. I have six envelopes instead of three because I forgot, resulting in "heads facing left", "heads facing right", "torsos facing left", etc.

To start creating, select one piece from each pile. I like to arrange mine at the top of a sheet of paper, photocopy it so I can keep the skeleton images but reuse the parts again later, and sketch the animal on the photocopy. I did one this morning and took photos to illustrate the rest of the process. First, my paleo parts:

I'm pretty sure this is a terror bird's tail and a mesohippus torso with that turtle head. First, sketch the basic shape this creature suggests. I usually start with the hindquarters and back, then sketch in the upper legs (because if there are issues, I'm most likely to change the feet over anything else, to make things more logical, but the shape of the haunches usually stays close to the same).

That torso tells me this is most likely a four-limbed creature. The tail is unfortunately from a photograph so parts are hard to make out. I'm not sure what that thick bit of pelvis in front of the tail is, so I'm most likely going to ignore it. Maybe I'll make the rear legs a little chunkier to suggest it's there. The front limbs have a slope to the shoulder blade so even if I didn't know this is most likely a mesohippus, I'd give it a horse's shoulder because that just makes sense with the bone shape.

After the shape of the animal is down, you can evaluate what details it tells you. This one, despite the claws in the rear, looks like a grazing animal so I decided it uses the strong beak and feet to eat grass and dig for tubers. It has high protrusions on the spine above the forelimbs, where the withers would be on a horse, but with the low head and neck, it doesn't looks very rideable. So I sketched a rear view showing the high spine compared to the round sides. Then I sketched the feet to sort those out (this is where the "This was a mesophippus" thought I mentioned earlier happened, which is how this creature got stumpy claws on both rear and front toes later). And I did a couple different possibilities for the facial horns, with the thought that maybe the males have big horns for defense and display. Then I figured, why leave the lady turto-rhino-phosrhaco-ponies out, and figured they can have out-sized horns too.

At this stage, I add notes to myself. I know my handwriting is bad so here's the most relevant ones:

maybe add some fur or fat

no good for riding if domesticated

-if adding fur, could turn into hump (this is in reference to the tall withers)

grazing and digging (with an arrow toward the hooked turtle beak)

floppy ears could work but it'd look even more rhino-like

And that's the gist of it! After this, you can move on to a new creature, try something different with the same skeleton, or polish this animal up a bit.

Want to see a similar method by a professional illustrator using just skulls (3D rendered, no real skulls involved), with dynamic results? I happen to have found one today! Try this video from Youtube channel Jazza: Drawing Insane Creatures from Mystery Skulls!

And here's another example from me:

Happy Chimera Creature Crafting!

#monster design #creature design #sorry not sorry for starting with the fish abomination #worldbuilding #descriptions in the alt text #my projects

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investoptionwin · 2 months

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Unveiling the Allure of Western Fashion: A Comprehensive Guide to Western Dressing

Introduction to Western Fashion: Western fashion, with its bold aesthetics, timeless appeal, and rich heritage, holds a special place in the hearts of fashion enthusiasts worldwide. From classic denim jeans to elegant dresses and chic blouses, western attire embodies a sense of freedom, individuality, and style. In this comprehensive guide, we delve into the diverse world of western fashion, exploring its evolution, key elements, popular trends, and styling tips.

The Evolution of Western Fashion: Western fashion traces its roots back to the American frontier and the rugged landscapes of the Wild West. The iconic cowboy attire, characterized by denim jeans, plaid shirts, and leather boots, became synonymous with the spirit of adventure and exploration. Over the years, western fashion evolved from practical workwear to a symbol of rebellion, counterculture, and self-expression.

Key Elements of Western Dressing:

Denim: Denim jeans are the cornerstone of western fashion, offering durability, versatility, and timeless style. From classic blue jeans to distressed denim and high-waisted styles, denim remains a wardrobe essential for both men and women.

Plaid: Plaid shirts are another iconic element of western dressing, featuring bold checkered patterns and rustic charm. Paired with denim jeans or skirts, plaid shirts add a touch of casual elegance to any outfit, making them a staple in western fashion.

Leather: Leather boots, belts, and jackets are quintessential accessories in western fashion, exuding rugged sophistication and timeless appeal. Whether embellished with fringe details or adorned with metal hardware, leather accents add a touch of authenticity to western attire.

Cowboy Hats: Cowboy hats are iconic symbols of western fashion, with their wide brims and distinctive shapes evoking images of the American frontier. From traditional felt hats to straw cowboy hats, these accessories add a touch of cowboy flair to any outfit.

Popular Trends in Western Fashion:

Indo-Western Fusion: Indo-western outfits blend traditional Indian elements with western silhouettes, creating a unique fusion of cultures and styles. From embellished kurtas paired with denim jeans to sarees worn with western blouses, indo-western dressing celebrates the diversity of global fashion.

Bohemian Chic: Bohemian fashion draws inspiration from the free-spirited lifestyle of the 1960s and 1970s, featuring flowing silhouettes, floral prints, and eclectic accessories. Maxi dresses, fringe vests, and embroidered blouses are key elements of bohemian chic style, embodying a sense of wanderlust and adventure.

Modern Western Glamour: Modern western fashion embraces glamour and sophistication, with sleek silhouettes, luxe fabrics, and polished accessories. Tailored blazers, satin dresses, and statement jewelry elevate classic western attire to new heights of elegance and allure.

Styling Tips for Western Attire:

Mix and Match: Experiment with different combinations of western and traditional elements to create unique and personalized looks. Pair denim jeans with embroidered kurtas or style a plaid shirt with a leather skirt for a fresh take on western dressing.

Accessorize Thoughtfully: Choose accessories that complement your western attire and add interest to your outfit. Opt for leather belts, cowboy boots, and statement jewelry to complete your look with flair.

Play with Textures: Incorporate a variety of textures into your western outfits to add depth and visual interest. Mix denim with suede, leather with lace, and cotton with chiffon for a dynamic and textured ensemble.

Embrace Versatility: Invest in versatile pieces that can be dressed up or down for any occasion. A denim jacket, white button-down shirt, or little black dress are timeless staples that can be styled in countless ways to suit your personal style.

Conclusion: Western fashion is a celebration of freedom, individuality, and creativity, with its iconic denim jeans, plaid shirts, and leather accents. Whether embracing classic cowboy attire or experimenting with modern western trends, there are endless possibilities for expressing your unique style through western dressing. With a blend of tradition, innovation, and personal flair, western fashion continues to captivate fashion enthusiasts worldwide, inspiring new trends and timeless looks for every occasion.

#fashionreboot #fashion trends #fashion photography #fashion #western wear for women #western wear for girls #western wear dresses #western wear #party wear dress #western

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fashionmarketusa · 19 days

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The Ever-Evolving World of Fashion

Discover the latest trends, insights, and tips in the world of fashion. From timeless classics to avant-garde styles, explore everything about fashion and unleash your inner style icon.

Fashion Evolution: A Journey Through Time and Trends

Fashion has undergone a remarkable evolution over the centuries, influenced by societal changes, technological advancements, and cultural shifts. From the elaborate attire of ancient civilizations to the minimalist chic of the modern era, each epoch has left its indelible mark on the fashion landscape. Let's embark on a journey through the ages, tracing the evolution of fashion and its enduring impact on society.

Medieval Majesty: The Birth of Haute Couture

The Middle Ages witnessed the rise of sumptuous fabrics, opulent designs, and tailored garments that epitomized medieval grandeur and nobility. From majestic robes to intricate tapestries, fashion became synonymous with power and prestige.

Renaissance Revival: A Rebirth of Style and Sophistication

The Renaissance era ushered in a cultural renaissance, marked by a renewed appreciation for art, literature, and fashion. Rich fabrics, ornate embellishments, and elaborate silhouettes became emblematic of Renaissance opulence and refinement.

Baroque Extravaganza: The Age of Excess and Ornamentation

The Baroque period was characterized by a penchant for extravagance, theatricality, and flamboyant fashion. Lavish textiles, intricate embroidery, and elaborate accessories adorned the elite, showcasing their wealth and social standing.

Fashion FAQs: Unveiling Insights and Expert Advice

Here are some commonly asked questions about fashion, along with expert insights and advice:

Q: How can I develop my personal style?

A: Developing your personal style involves experimenting with different looks, exploring diverse influences, and staying true to your individuality. Don't be afraid to mix and match, and let your personality shine through your clothing choices.

Q: What are some timeless fashion essentials every wardrobe should have?

A: Every wardrobe should include timeless essentials such as a classic white shirt, tailored blazer, versatile denim jeans, little black dress, and statement accessories. These timeless pieces form the foundation of a versatile and stylish wardrobe.

Q: How can I stay updated on the latest fashion trends?

A: Stay updated on the latest fashion trends by following fashion influencers, subscribing to fashion magazines, attending fashion events, and exploring online platforms such as fashion blogs and social media.

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menshort · 1 month

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Unveiling Your Personal Style: A Guided Tour Through Iconic India's Premium Brands

Iconic India, a haven for fashion enthusiasts, serves as a portal to crafting a wardrobe that speaks volumes about your individuality. Imagine stepping into a space where coveted international labels mingle seamlessly with the finest Indian design. This is the essence of Iconic India, where you embark on a sartorial adventure to discover pieces that resonate with your personal style. Today, we embark on a curated journey through some of Iconic India's premium brands, highlighting statement pieces that will elevate your look and transform your wardrobe.

Gant: Timeless Staples with a Playful Twist

Gant, synonymous with classic American style, offers a foundation of wardrobe essentials that transcend fleeting trends. Their impeccable tailoring and focus on quality ensure that each piece becomes a cherished companion for years to come. While Gant is known for its preppy staples like oxfords and chinos, they also cater to those who love a pop of color. Look no further than the MEN YELLOW PRINTED HOODED SWEATSHIRT available at Iconic India. This sweatshirt injects a dose of vibrancy into your casual repertoire, perfect for weekend outings or layering on cooler days. Pair it with dark wash jeans and sneakers for a laid-back look, or throw it over a crisp white tee and chinos for a touch of preppy charm.

True Religion: Redefining Denim and Beyond

True Religion carved its niche in the fashion world with its signature horseshoe stitching and flattering denim cuts. Their jeans continue to be a top choice for those seeking a balance between edgy and sophisticated. However, True Religion's offerings extend far beyond denim. Elevate your everyday tee collection with their WINE FASHION REGULAR FIT T-SHIRT available at Iconic India. This versatile piece boasts a rich wine color that adds depth to any outfit. Dress it down with jeans for a relaxed vibe or pair it with tailored trousers and loafers for a more put-together look. The possibilities are endless!

Iconic (India): Where Heritage Meets Modernity

For the fashion-forward Indian consumer, Iconic (India) offers a treasure trove of in-house designed pieces that celebrate the rich tapestry of Indian design with a modern twist. The WOMEN BLUE SOLID SPREAD COLLAR 3/4TH SLEEVES SHIRT exemplifies this fusion of tradition and contemporary style. This sophisticated shirt features a flattering spread collar and three-quarter length sleeves, making it ideal for the warmer months. Crafted from breathable fabric, it offers both comfort and style, perfect for transitioning effortlessly from the office to an evening out with friends.

Just Cavalli: Unleash Your Inner Rock Star

Just Cavalli, the brainchild of the legendary Roberto Cavalli, injects a dose of youthful rebellion into the fashion landscape. Expect vibrant prints, bold embellishments, and a distinct rock-and-roll vibe. Make a statement with a WOMEN RED SOLID CROSSBODY BAG from Iconic India. This fiery red bag is more than just an accessory; it's a conversation starter. The compact size makes it perfect for carrying your essentials, while the bold color ensures you'll turn heads wherever you go. Pair it with a simple black dress for a touch of edge, or add a pop of color to a denim-on-denim look.

DKNY: Urban Chic for the Busy Woman

DKNY embodies the energy and spirit of New York City. Their collections are designed for the modern woman who navigates the urban jungle with effortless style. A well-tailored DKNY pantsuit is a power dressing essential, but for a more casual look, consider their PURPLE FASHION REGULAR FIT T-Shirt available at Iconic India. This timeless piece in a rich purple hue adds a touch of personality to your everyday wardrobe. Layer it under a blazer for a work-appropriate outfit, or wear it on its own with a pair of boyfriend jeans for a relaxed weekend vibe. The versatility of this tee makes it a valuable addition to any capsule collection.

Lindbergh: Sustainable Style with Scandinavian Flair

Lindbergh injects a dose of Scandinavian minimalism into menswear. Their clean lines, focus on quality materials, and relaxed silhouettes create a sophisticated yet effortless look The MEN GREEN PRINTED ROUND NECK SHORT SLEEVES T-SHIRT at Iconic India exemplifies this approach. This eco-conscious choice is crafted from organic cotton, making it a sustainable option for the environmentally conscious gentleman. The green print adds a touch of personality without being overwhelming, making it perfect for pairing with chinos or dark wash jeans.

Beyond the Surface: Cultivating Your Signature Style

This curated selection from Iconic India's premium brands is just a glimpse into the vast array of possibilities that await you. As you navigate the world of fashion, remember that investing in quality pieces that flatter your body type and reflect your personal style is key.

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