#(and i love pastels so it was obvious what had to be done)

[undefeatablesin]

@confetticakegirl I spotted your tags on the most recent page of Altar and your kind words made me smile as much as they made me laugh. So I felt compelled to draw a silly picture as a token of my appreciation lmao I am so glad even one person enjoys Ruza as much as I do ✨️

[zoropookie]

SWEET MELODY

☆ chapter thirteen — arson (🎂)

“Why…” You sobbed to yourself that morning, tone bubbling in your throat as you held your knees close.

The sky lightened and lightened the further the time closed in on dawn. Painted in the hues of soft pastels broke through, kissing the lavender and rose. You sat on the sand in the least high maintenance outfit you could think of that night, and set out to the nearby isolated walkway to the beach near your brother’s house. The problem was that you were there all night, expunging the tears off your face with your sleeves and dealing with the morning chill biting at your skin with no means to an end to your misery. No numb to your inner aching.

Your tears fell freely, soaking into your cheeks, falling onto half-wet sand. Unable to contain the sobs that wracked your body, your heaves and wails muffled into the sleeve of your now ex-boyfriend’s sweater. His sweater clinging onto you like the shore with its heavy mist.

The serenity was blatantly mocking you and comparing to the raging war in your mind. Your brother, on the other hand, thoroughly enjoyed this part of the beach. It’s probably why this was the first place he thought to go to search for you. He loved it, of course, more than you did on a regular basis too. He loved that this was the spot that you, him, and your mother would spend so much time around in the summers because of how little population there was. He loved the miniature sand dollars he would find washed up against one of the rocks sometimes, he’d even find a few anemones to poke and gently prod with his finger until they closed up tightly.

So it came to a more distinguished concern when he sat beside you silently while you sobbed in broken waves. Your breathing turning into heaving with every sniffle and wail. Those same memories Kazuha had enjoyed were slipping through your fingers, just like the sand you clung to.

“I’m sorry,” You choked out, throat sore and voice hoarse as you buried your face in your knees, trying to hide your puffy eyes and tear-stained cheeks. “You didn’t have to check on me…I’ll be okay.”

Kazuha gave you a moment to recollect your words,” There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.” He smiled after replying, hugging his knees together as well as he looked straight at the sea instead of you.

You two learned from a very young age the consolation could be many things to many people, and this was their. Sitting together in silence, meshing with each other’s energy and attempting to heal the other if there was a disturbance. There were hardly any words to exchange other than the obvious, there were no signs of gloating nor false sympathies until one of them wants to discuss how they feel. As for now…people pushing problems on you felt a lot more burdensome than usual.

“My heart hurts.” You shook your head, fresh tears spilling over your face. “I wish I knew what he wanted sooner. I know he was struggling, I wanted to help him, but he just pushed me away and I felt really conflicted! I wanted last night to be perfect, I mean, we were at the festival for the first time since mom died and…and!”

“And you felt like you were talking in front of a locked door?” Kazuha looked at you, to which you hide your face in your arms as you listened. “You don’t know who will stay here with you and who won’t, and that’s okay.”

“I don’t know if I could’ve done more or not.” You drawled, struggling not to just burst into tears again. “Maybe he needed someone, and I was too busy on the one day he wanted to ask for my help.”

Kazuha’s hand reached out, placing a light hand on your back and rubbing it in circles. “The most interesting thing about life is that it never stops, even when you’re having a good time. We’re ignorant to things happening around us with our loved ones…all because we ourselves aren’t feeling necessarily sad enough to address them. That’s not a judgement on our character, but he’s capable of taking care of himself too, just like us.”

You felt ashamed knowing that the only time you had to spend with your brother was during the time that you keep getting curveballs thrown at you. “I don’t know,” You sniffed. “I doubt that we had time to think about ourselves with mom.”

“Mom…didn’t tell us she was getting sicker until it was too late.” He sighed softly, eyes still fixed on the riding sun, but a little more defeated this time. “There were signs, but I guess that just proves my point.”

“I think did what you could…mom is watching us sometimes, too. Sometimes the dreamcatcher she really liked rings when there’s no wind.”

You both sit there in silence, listening to the soft lapping of waves. Talking about mom almost drew you away from the fact that you were in hysterics about your former lover, which made you more sad that you couldn’t have either one. The sky brightened more, pastels giving leeway to the golden warmth of the early morning. It casted a soft glow on everything it touched, and for a split second, it almost felt like this was the peace you needed. With your brother, the one you knew better than anyone.

Kazuha’s hand was still on your back, grounding you from the situation again, but reminding you of the new coming problem that you had school in ten minutes.

“Someday I hope you have the same memories that I do about this place, good or bad.” Kazuha finally said, soft and reflective. “It’s where our happiest moments show up, you’ve made a great connection with it already by yourself. Now you just need to let your own mind come to terms with it.”

You chuckled amidst your full throat. “That’s a little silly…why would I want to keep the bad memories with me if the main goal is to heal?”

He didn’t respond right away, but he tilted his head enough to lean against your shoulder, eyebrows furrowed slightly. “For a reflection, I hope.”

previous ☆ masterlist ☆ next

THERE ARE not many things that can sway your interest ever since the "incident", but in spite of that, you pushed forward. you are now the owner of the biggest bakery chain in your city, consistently seeing couples and catering to them as such. you've been a big host at weddings, events for celebrities, and even a big support for your friends and family. you've even earned yourself a niche following as well by how sweet you are to everybody around you. but, even with your kindness, you don't have a particular spark that keeps you going anymore these days. that is until one of your employees starts suggesting you write love letters to customers who request your services. at first you thought it was a horrible idea that could easily turn into trouble, but that was until you were tasked with writing one to your own (very very famous) ex-boyfriend.

taglist ☆ — @seternic @chemiru @coquettemaiden @1kio0o @emiixuu

@agaygothicmushroom @yomishen @jingyuan-wife-real @toruscorpse @whoooismkeee

@sketcheeee @st4r4ngel @xionri @scaradooche @lightyagamifan

@pwushizz @alatusorrow @eutopiastar @magica-ren @slu7

@vaxmpi @theyluvkatt @kyon-cherri @suzydarling @mimi3lover

@auroratumbles @vxcmx @yourfavoritefreakyhan @kunimylovee

@czerwka @little-honey-the-third @featuredtofu @simonisferal @justpeachyteastea

@liuaneee @skyoverkill1 @mellowberrie @lalalaloveallmydays @mostlymoth

@mtndewbajablasted @vernith @lovekeychains @danhenglovebot @elizshade

@balladeersflower @kazumiku @bananasquash @neversore @yevurin

@franaby @vicslz @kamiboo @thegalaxyisunfolding @morgyyyyyyy

@feikyuu @tamikahoshiko @kissingkzuha @bbysatoruuu @rvoulte

@kinvasions @kukikoooo @adriannauodi @pumpkincitrus @umiloa

@eunseok-s @state-of-grac3 @ariesloves @trulyylee @lyzeivr

@suniika @animeobsessed56 @kamisstufff @samyayaya @scarawiki

@mywillt0live

[kentopedia]

.𖥔 ݁ ˖ SHADES OF RED — nanami kento

summary . . . kento tries to move on, but he sees you in every shade of red

contents . . . ex-boyfriend nanami, nanami pov, f!reader, reader is only mentioned but she loves the color red, suggestive part at the end, kento has a new gf but :/ he wants you bad — 700 words

notes . . . erm this is so self indulgent btw ! everyone around me laughs at me for only getting my nails done the color red and this was born bc i got my nails done today. in my yearning!kento era ig <33 he can miss us instead of the other way around smh

kento had never considered himself a sentimental man.

he’d always had the keen ability to let go of things easily—or, at least, to let go of them without too much regret. he’d never been overly emotional about things that served as reminders to his past. kento could’ve passed his childhood home and, sure, he’d feel a twinge of nostalgia. but it was one that he’d get over once he was out of the neighborhood, on his way to something different, somewhere better.

perhaps, it was a lack of sentimentality, or perhaps his future orientation was just a mechanism to help him cope with the ever-changing thing he called life. 

too bad that approach never worked when it came to you. 

even after you broke up with him, kento saw you everywhere he went. four years together was too much time, and time wasn’t enough to wash away the smell of your perfume, the love letters you’d written that he’d shoved away. kento still had a few of your belongings you’d never come back for. pieces of jewelry you’d left behind, and he’d never been able to get rid of. 

your pretty red lipstick still stained the corner of his sofa, the tiny little smear where you’d accidentally dropped the tube.

you’d apologized, embarrassed, so flustered he thought you might cry. but he’d only laughed instead, pushed the cap back on, and kissed the lipstick right back off your face. 

it had been his fault anyways.

your golden bracelet still hung with his watches, interlaced with rubies and diamonds. an anniversary gift he’d gotten you, and one that you’d thrown at him angrily when you finally left him. 

there was a red ribbon in the center console of his car, one that he’d left there in case you ever forgot a hair tie. 

there were reminders of you everywhere, there was red everywhere. the color of the passion, and the color of the fiery love that had burned bright between you. 

he saw you everywhere…

even in his new girlfriend. 

the first time gojo met her, he told kento how much she looked like you. maybe a little bit taller, her hair a little bit different. her lips were wider, eyes a slightly different shade.

still, the similarities were striking. and she’d never know.

besides all of the red, kento had erased whatever traces of you he could find, kept them locked up in a pretty burgundy box that was tucked away in his closet. 

and maybe she was similar to you in appearance, but she was gentler, softer, and she had an affinity for shades of pink. a light rose color was her favorite.

she probably thought that it bothered him, the obvious sign of femininity taking over his apartment. but kento appreciated that the lacy ribbons she left lying around, the lingerie sets, were much lighter than the color you’d tended towards. 

“kento,” she interrupted his stream of thought, as he stared at the splotch of maroon on his sofa, remembering how you’d stained his cheeks the same color.

he hummed. it’d been nearly six months since he’d seen you last. it’d seemed like longer. 

he shouldn’t miss you this much.

he did, though.

“i’m thinking of getting my nails done.” his new girlfriend—the one that looked like you but wasn’t you—stretched her hands out, looking at the chipped pastel pink at the end of her nails. half of the paint was gone. 

“okay,” he said, shrugging. shades of pink, she lived in. it’d be a shade of pink again.

she looked at her fingers, scrutinizing them like she wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. “i’m not sure it’d suit me, but… what do you think of red?” 

kento’s eyes had drifted over, and for a moment, he contemplated a protest. it didn’t suit her. she was a gentle, sweet soul. her voice soft, words loving—she was pink.

then, he remembered the softness of your palm over his thigh, your fingers threaded in his hair. nails longer, filed perfectly, a beautiful red color painted onto them. 

he missed you.

he felt guilty for his answer.

“sure, honey,” kento said, smiling. “that’s pretty.” 

when she came home later, kento had pulled her into the bedroom, turned off the lights, the room dark already with the sun that had set. her hands were smaller than yours, fingers more slender, but the color of her nails was the same. 

he could imagine your hands between his legs, stroking him lovingly. and kento had to seal his lips tightly to keep your name from spilling from them when he imagined you instead of her.

“mmm,” his new girlfriend had muttered, snuggling into his side. kento stared at the ceiling, sick with longing. “i love you. night, kento.” 

he didn’t answer.

when she was asleep, kento climbed out of bed, padded to the kitchen with his phone in his hand. it was past midnight, but you tended to stay up later, a book on your lap, with some form of red on the cover. 

his finger hovered over your name; there used to be a red heart next to it, and he wanted to put it back.

he wondered if this would just be another one of those times where his calls went unanswered. or, maybe, this time, you’d pick up. 

kento didn’t care anyway.

he pressed the call button.

[kairiscorner]

what are you... wearing? — hobie brown x reader

request: reader wearing the I ❤️ my bf shirt she wears it w pride too ‼️‼️🗣️🗣️🗣️ a/n: and ofc, a hobie ver bc why not (´▽`ʃ♡ƪ)

(reblogs are greatly appreciated, it helps get my content out there! if you guys like what you see, please reblog it too &lt;:D)

you and hobie had pretty opposing aesthetics--for while he usually wore darker colors and more punk-like, bolder clothing; while you were more of the calmer kind, the more pastel and soft kind of aesthetic. though the two of you would always earn unwanted and unsolicited stares from other people you two would pass by, neither of you cared, you two were in love, so what if they wanted to stare? hobie hadn't let that bother him before, he's used to getting stared at, but he was worried about you if you were okay and didn't feel too conscious about these nosy people's stares. you had told hobie before that the stares didn't bother you too much, though you wished other people could just mind their own business.

it had also happened before that people mistakenly thought hobie was your family member or a really close friend, never as your boyfriend. you've had many people approach you and ask you for your number, but you always declined because you already had hobie, but they didn't know that until you cleared it up. it secretly frustrates hobie that not everyone took you two seriously as a couple, hence, you found the perfect solution for that: the very shirt you were wearing with pride as you walked down the sidewalk with him, hand-in-hand. the shirt read: 'i💗 my boyfriend', with a picture of hobie's face in the heart. as other people stared at you two with mixed reactions, you and hobie both smiled widely at them--with hobie also wearing a shirt that read: 'i💗 my partner', with a goofy selfie of you in the heart.

the first time you showed hobie the shirt, he was surprised you put in the effort to put his face inside the heart, with a good picture of him, too. "wow, love, didn't... expect you to have to say it aloud. but y'know what, i love it, i love it more than i love it, if that makes any sense." he says with a flustered chuckle as you giggled with him bashfully. "y'know what, i can't let you hog all the fun." he says as he takes a blank shirt of his and pulls out some spray paints and newspaper clippings. hobie immediately got to work and began to put the same words on his shirt with a few tweaks, designs, and a lot of pictures of you, mainly silly ones you never wanted to upload on your social medias or show to your friends out of fear they might tease you for them, but ones you looked genuinely happy and most beautiful in.

once hobie was done and the paint and glue all dried, you smiled widely out of embarrassment and delight at how adorable the shirt he made that was very you-themed and you-centric; your little compliments had made hobie's smile widen and the fluster in his face get even more obvious as he spoke to you in broken stutters and kept chuckling as you kept giggling and looking up at him with a bright smile. fast forward to now, with you two walking hand-in-hand happily among a crowd of people passing you two by the sidewalks and streets--many of which were staring at you two and whispering, muttering under their breaths how they never would've guessed you two were a couple if not for the shirts--and just enjoying each other's comforting warmth and touch as you two can finally make it known: you're each ther's, nobody else's.

tags !! @k4tsu3 @fiannee @luvstarrstruck @toneystank-3000 @ii01vq @maxoloqy @popeheywardssecretgf @arachnoia @solecitoszn @conitagray

[ninjaneonleon]

(last seen at the tmnt au comp u _ u )

Mikey almost fell over backwards when the frantic looking Leo counterpart appeared in his vision. Casey, of course, was no help. She just laughed as he stumbled over his own feet and tried not to fall. In the end he just floated back to his feet properly with a small pout.

“Oh, sorry,” the Leo (Leon? Yeah, that worked for now) said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. “I just really need to find my Donnie, he’s, uh, not very stable with others.” He held up the photo he was brandishing a little more for emphasis.

The photo in question showed a version of Donnie that was very different to the brother Mikey knew and loved. Not only was he notably paler, his usual jade colouring going almost pastel, he was softer somehow. Rounder. He was also wearing a beautiful feathered tutu, had small white wings and was en pointe. That Donnie looked like he was all set to dance in Swan Lake, maybe even as Odette considering the feathered crown he had in place of a headpiece.

“No, I haven’t seen him. Hey, why do you say he’s unstable?” Casey asked, her eyes lighting up with excitement. Eugh boy, if Casey got it in her head that she wanted to try sparring with this unstable ballerina Donnie, there would be very little Mikey could do besides try to hold her back. Maybe if he got the Donnie back with his Leo, he’d be calm enough to not take Casey up on her obvious excitement.

“He’s, uh, well he’s very much got a swan brain?” Leon offered with a sheepish laugh. “Half the time he’s fine, the other half…”

“Oh, he gets violent and territorial?” Mikey had a few encounters with swans in the past. They were dangerous bastards who can and will mess you up. “Eugh boy, that’s definitely not someone who you want to leave alone. Leave it to me, I can help you find him.”

“Wait, you can?” Leon lit up with a relived grin. “How?”

“Like this.” Mikey held his hand out towards the photo and got a feel for Swanatello’s (heh, Swannie, that was a perfect name for him) energy. Once he as sure, Mikey plucked that very unique feeling chain from the air. He studied it curiously. “Huh. This is a very old feeling connected to him. Well, anyway, I can track him for you. Just follow me, we’ll get your Donnie back,” he promised, not letting go of the chain.

“Thank you so much,” Leon said enthusiastically. I’m worried he’s either gonna freak himself out or hurt someone.”

“Has he got memory problems or something?”Casey asked, following after Leon and Mikey. “Our Donnie can be violent but he’s very good at directing that away from people. Most of the time.” She shuddered, probably remembering the sago pudding incident. Mikey didn’t want to dwell on that.

“Yeah, he’s sort of been claimed by this mystic lake to be its guardian?” Leon offered with a shrug. “It means that he barely remembers anything before, and on his bad days, he doesn’t recognise us at all. He might look small but he’s just as strong as ever.” Based on the way Leon rubbed his arm, he clearly knew just how strong Swannie was.

“Claimed by a mystic lake? I might be able to help keep him calm for a while, if you wanted,” Mikey offered. If he could make sure Swannie could still sense the lake, he might stay calm enough to not hurt anyone during this whole thing.

“Anything would be helpful, thank you Mikey.”

They walked together for a little while, following the pale coloured chain, until Mikey spotted Swannie. He was looking around frantically, his feathers all puffed up from how worked up he was getting. Okay, Mikey totally had this.

“Casey, wait here. Leon, you too. Let me see if I can calm him down.” As he spoke, Mikey let a wave of magic wash over him. When it cleared, he was in his own tutu (orange, of course) and had his pointe shoes on. Oh yeah, that was awesome, he totally nailed the dramatics there. It might have been a while since Mikey had done any serious dancing but luckily, his body remembered exactly what to do.

He called for Swannie’s attention by putting a spotlight on himself and on Swannie, one only they (and Casey and Leon) could see. Then he let some music start to drift around, again, done so it didn’t bother anyone who was want involved.

Swannie looked over immediately, but when he heard the music, he seemed to relax. Perfect. Mikey made his way over, travelling in time to the music and throwing in some of his own choreography, warming himself up slowly. He and Swannie met in the middle and for a moment, they danced together.

It was simple enough to weave in some magic to their dance. A nudge to the mystic hold on Swannie’s soul, finding the link back to the lake, a touch of mental magic in the form of white smoke gathering around them to make sure he could feel the lake and feel it was safe, and tada! One fully conscious and aware Swannatello.

“Mikey?” He asked slowly as Mikey let the illusions die down.

“Not quite. I’m a different Mikey, buuut your Leo is right over there.” Mikey gestured over his shoulder to where Casey and Leon were waiting.

“Leo!” Like a bullet out a gun, Swannie shot over to Leo and clung to him, getting an awed hug in return. Oh yeah, Mikey was good.

“Nice going, Mikey,” Casey said with a grin. She clapped Mikey on the shoulder. “Wanna stick around with these two for a bit?”

“Yeah, if they’ll have us,” Mikey said, watching the twins get quite emotional as they hugged. “I think they could use some familiarity here, and besides, I wanna dance more with Swannie.”

————

@tmntaucompetition

[thevesuvianchronicles]

Burnt Amber

I was reading something the other night about the fact that in the dark the cones in our eyes legit can't respond to light like, at all. considering my recent bg3 binge that obviously got me thinking abt a certain sassy vampire and thus... this piece. (I've also been told there's a scene that could go along with this but I legit just got to act 3) enjoy!

spoilers for vague bg3 things

If he had to explain it - which he never would- the world lost its color. Many people looked back upon childhood so happily, everything had been brighter, the world bigger, love was so easy and quickly fleeting. A babe’s eyes opened to blurry yet vivid shades, pastels, and tints. Yet the first thing Astarion’s crimson eyes had seen was only the darkness of his own coffin. Color meant nothing to a vampire who’s first vivid memories consisted of clawing his way through six feet of funerary dirt.

Though his vampiric vision allowed him to make out the different threads on a rich man’s lapel, he only ever saw it in moonlight. Only a reflection, a fraction of the beauty the sun would give the fabric. Where there had been pastels there was now muted tones, tinted colors became gray, and shades became nothing but more inky darkness.

Centuries of this and he slowly began to forget the true colors the world had to offer. Was purple always so deep that one couldn’t discern where a sleeve ended and the night air began? Had yellow always seemed so dull? And red… had red always been so greedy? Soaking up and glaring back the same sick color he saw in Cazador’s eyes.

That’s all his vampiric life had been, that was all it ever would be.

Yet there he stood, watching the last of the sun’s rays dip below the horizon

Despite his suave demeanor and sweetened words, he knew how to woo someone, lure them into his bed with his body and honeyed words, and later back to his master. Yet no words could describe the sun now. It burned his irises, his eyes ached for him to blink, turn away, and do anything but stare into the sun. He simply couldn’t stop; it would take away his breath if he needed to breathe.

His first realization that color was far better within the sun was, rather unfortunately, Gale. Upon falling on his ass, Gale had done the wizardly thing and began rambling. However, Astarion wasn’t paying attention at all. His eyes were on Gale’s robe. He couldn’t remember a purple ever being so vibrant, so cocky almost, as if requiring you to look at it. It fit Gale as Astarion would come to learn. Then he saw purple everywhere. Balsam blooms carried but seemed a warmer tint of Gale’s robe. Shadowheart’s armor was even darker, matching that which Astarion saw late at night in the alleys of Bauldur’s Gate. He hadn’t really thought about it but he rather thought purple and red clashed. Leave it to that wizard from Waterdeep to be a walking fashion faux pas.

Yet despite the fashion error, Astarion couldn’t stop thinking about purple, the many different shades he had seen in a matter of days. The sun making the slightest variations more obvious to his crimson eyes.

He first realized that light is what made the colors so polluted, as if the colors were waiting to leach into his eyes when he couldn’t help but stare at the color yellow. It was, by far, not his favorite color, drawing too much attention of a rouge like himself.

Yet the golden glow of the divine seemed to suit Shadowheart. The brilliance of a guiding bolt whizzing past his ear, bathing a goblin in light, setting it ablaze. The disgusting color had saved his skin to many times to count by now. All thanks to the devotee’s hands.

The vampire couldn’t say he understood Shadowheart’s devotion. But the sheer power her belief brought the color yellow, made him quirk a brow. Such polluting brillance made him wonder if light was able to redeem every color.

The color followed him after that battle. Yellow licked at Karlach’s flames, light reflected off the golden threads of Halsin’s armor, it even sparked every time Lae’zel sharpened her sword.

Yet there was nothing that could redeem the color red. No amount of light or dark could make crimson look any better. In darkness it looked like a cesspool of all things evil, an open maw waiting to swallow whatever it could. In the light of day, it reminded him of nothing but lost souls, glowing red eyes, and a sickly grin.

It was the color Cazador liked most on him, both his clothes and his skin. It was the color his life had been reduced to. Living off such crimson ichor, so much so that it stained him, stained even his eyes from what he had gathered about vampiric looks. It was the only color that he would be happy to forget, but never could.

“You know if you stare at the sun long enough… you could go blind.” The voice came from behind him, his pointed ears finally picking up on the crunch of gravel beneath feet. His eyes did feel a bit dry as he blinked, black and swirling colors hindering his vision as he looked back over his shoulder.

The leader of their little group was… interesting to say the least. So focused on the tadpole and their companion's journeys that Astarion hadn’t learned much about their own personal goals, if any. He should work on that.

“I always love to look at beautiful things, not unlike yourself darling.” Astarion let the words lilt off his tongue, but didn’t turn away from the setting sun.

He heard a small hum from you as you settled beside him, standing close enough for him to tell that you had refreshed yourself from today’s adventuring.

Neither said anything for a while, the gentle rustle of trees and soft calls of animals in the underbrush the only noise. He had been so lost in his musings that he hadn’t realized how far the sun had set, a barely visible sliver of yellow still visible surrounded by orange and red.

“Well… now that the lovely colors are gone I do believe I’ll turn in for the night. A book and a glass of red do seem to be calling my name.” Astarion sighs, as if it would be a hassle to get up and walk the few steps to his tent. It is a hassle, to leave the presence of their leader has become more and more of a hassle on his heart than he’s willing to accept.

“Don’t go now, it’s just started to change.” Your voice was soft, softer than he has ever heard it and a glance tells him that your eyes are still on the setting sun.

“No thank you darling, I do think I’ve seen enough shades of red for a thousand lifetimes.” There is a twist of pain in his voice, one that makes him wrinkle his nose. He was getting too easy, a slip like that with Cazador and he would have been reminded how much he hates red.

“But the sky is beautiful-“

He cuts you off with a flippant wave of his hand and a scoff. A change of subject was all they needed, easier territory. “It’s just red. You know they say a red sky at night means-“

“It’s not just red Astarion.” You cut him short this time, tone sharp. He didn’t understand why you would defend such a color. Of all things to fight for, a color. They saw red spilled every day, every day their leader fought, for teiflings, for druids, for their companions. Each day that color ruined everything it touched.

“Oh? Do tell darling, what is oh so special about that distasteful mix of colors. A muddled mess of all things awful-“

“I rather think red is beautiful.” Astarion snaps his eyes up, disgust curling his lips, a flaunting jab just ready on the tip of his tongue when your eyes stop him.

At some point, he wasn’t sure when, you had turned to look at him. Eyes just as soft as your voice had been. There is a sweet tilt to your lips as he turns, as if finally seeing what they had been after.

He sees the minute shift of you eyes, as if darting back and forth. He can hear the uptick in your heartbeat, the tension releasing from your shoulders. As if the sight of him was what you were after, as if waiting to catch his eye.

Then he remembered. Remembered exactly what color his eyes now were.

“I happen to like that color.” You grinned, eyes steady on his. His mind was blank, no haughty taunt or seductive words. He could do nothing but blink as a grin spread wide on your lips and you turned back towards the sun.

“When the sun hits just right… it’s beautiful, a burst of burnt amber. I think it’s the prettiest color I’ve ever seen.” Astarion knew they were definitely not talking about the sunset anymore. He couldn’t help but stare at you. The curve of your nose, the way your smile seemed so giddy, the way the sun reflected in your own eyes.

Red was the color of the flowers Karlach had tried to pick for all of them. It was the color the jewels in Lae’zel’s armor, the color the hem of Gale’s awful robe. And it was the color of the blood you so willingly gave him. Had offered as soon as he had explained himself that night, without asking for anything in return. You were so different than what he expected.

He tutted, realizing he had been staring and turns back towards the sunset, listening closely as you go to sit on the ground. The bright yellow of the sun diffused into a russet orange that slowly eased into a vibrant, dazzled red. He sighed, slowly settling himself beside you, far closer than before.

“Yes darling, perhaps you’re right. Perhaps I could grow to love it.”

[asexualbookbird]

Another Ohuhu vs Copic Post

I'm not the first to compare the two, and I won't be the last, but I have opinions and I love foisting them upon the void of the internet so here we are.

I have a mishmash of 16 copic grey tones and one pastel purple (BV11 Pale Violet), and the 96 Honolulu B Pastel set from Ohuhu, and even though I've only had these Ohuhus for a few hours, I can already tell you I have OPINIONS!

Let's get the obvious out of the way. The seventeen (17) copic markers I've acquired over the years cost more than the ninety six (96) set from Ohuhu. Lol. Lmao even. Everyone knows it, copics are Pricey and that's why everyones looking for an alternative. So yeah, I've been excited about ohuhu for a while! They're been a good competitor, even more so since they added brush tips and refillable markers! For real, while copics have been ridiculously priced, I've resigned myself to just buying a few here and there because it felt like a better investment in the long run. But now? I HAD TO KNOW! What are ohuhu markers like to USE?

Kind of nice, to be honest. They have next to NO smell, especially compared to the copics. Even my prismacolor markers are stinkier than the ohuhus. Love that. I'm not hotboxing myself out of my room every time I want to do a color. Amazing, no notes. Well, one note. I think the reason they aren't as stinky is because they aren't NEARLY as juicy as copics. Maybe it's the color set I got? I'd like to revisit this with a more bold color set to see, but the pastels feel almost Dry. So I wouldn't be surprised if the juiciness results in more stink. If that's the case, then yeah I'll go into the hot box.

The juiciness is probably also the reason ohuhu doesn't blend as easily. They still blend nicely, but the copics were SO smooth. Here's some blending I did with each set. The colors aren't compareable, because the copic colors I have go much darker than the ohuhu pastels, but the blending is the same.

Ignore the one on the top lol that's when I decided I needed More Colors and got the Ohuhus. The bottom cloud is the copics (the brights are prismacolor markers that are not part of this because they're about 20 years old at this point and not alcohol based anyway). It was my first attempt at blending, but it was easy to get a nice gradient! The hardest part was choosing colors and that's on me!

Here are ohuhu clouds! I noticed the paper had some texture so I did the little blob on the right to compare with the first cloud. It did blend a lot smoother on the smoother side of the paper, but I still had to use the darker copic marker to even the blend out. I don't mind that too much, to be honest, I think they work VERY well together! I did find myself needing to layer the ohuhus more, but I really do like the result.

THE NIBS! LETS TALK ABOUT THE NIBS! Copics big thing was always HEY WE HAVE REPLACEABLE NIBS! So when your nib inevitably gets Nasty, you don't have to buy an entire new marker. But now. Guess what ohuhu has done. REPLACEABLE. NIBS! Not only that, but most of the nibs are INTERCHANGEABLE! So if I decide I don't actually like that I got a brush/bullet combo and want the chisel, I can replace either with a chisel! HOW NEAT! I don't know if copic nibs are interchangeable, but they have always been replaceable.

Ohuhu has more different nibs and nib combos. They have brush/chisel, brush/bullet, chisel/bullet, something called a tri nib??/chisel, slim chisel/bullet, and wide tip. The tri tip is. So interesting to me. I'm not a chisel fan, if I want to cover a lot of space I can do that with a brush tip. But this tri chisel?? looks like you get more control over the line width. It's fascinating. I'd love to try it some day, but I don't think it fits the art I generally enjoy making. Like. I don't think I'd use it a lot. It's why I chose the Honolulu B, they have a brush and a bullet nib.

Copics have fewer choices, brush/chisel (sketch), brush/bullet (ciao), bullet/chisel (classic), and Wide. Biggest thing about these, though is that everything but the ciao are refillable. This is the other big draw to copics, especially considering ohuhu doesn't offer open stock. If your favorite color dries out, you'd have to buy a new set with that color in it. Ohuhu has started offering refills for some colors, and I can only hope that means they'll eventually offer refills for every color they offer. Both set of nibs are fine. Copics are a little more squishy, but I think that has to do with the juice once more. They aren't different enough to affect me in either direction.

Color choices are close enough, ohuhu honolulu series offers 363 colors, thier oahu has 320 colors, copic sketch offers 358 colors, all of which have refills. Ohuhu offers 50 colors on their website. Again, I really hope that since this is so new, it just means they'll offer more refill colors in the future. Still, a win for copics. I also love that copics allow you to buy empty BARRELS along with refills, which means you could theoretically make your own colors. Also, if you price it all out, in the long run, buying empty barrels and the ink refills and filling the markers yourself is cheaper than buying individual or sets of copic markers. I hate that. Lower your prices.

Overall, I like them both! Are copics better? Yeah, absolutely, I'm not denying that. But the price is SO outrageous and ohuhu is fighting for that affordability market. They're perfectly fine markers, and I WILL be buying some brighter more saturated colors. I will also be slowly (very slowly) buying copics too. They're so smooth, they really are the quality they're known for. If you want to try out alcohol markers and don't want a commitment, go for ohuhu. They have so many sets, and a wide price range, and still everything is so much more affordable than copics. It all comes down to that. If you want an investment and can drop a lot of money at once, then yeah absolutely go for copics. I am doing all I can not to say They're Worth It, because I hate that price I HATE IT! A single marker shouldn't be six dollars (and that's the Discount Price at Blicks). But I can't deny their quality. I'm going to continue doing what I'm doing, which is getting a large set of ohuhu and supplementing it with copics and hopefully one day copics will take over.

Did that help?

PS ohuhu caps clip on to the end of the barrel. Copics do not (unless you get the ciao).

[aussie-bookworm]

do you need to get *in the zone* to write? if so, how dya do it? any tips on just getting up off your ass and writing?

Oh yeah I definitely need to get in the zone to write. Some days are easier than others lol

As for tips… keep in mind these are my personal tips and it’s not one size fits all – you gotta figure out what works out for you personally

1. Have a good idea about what you’re writing

It might seem a bit obvious but having a good idea of what you want to write does help a bunch. I’m more excited to write if I know what scenes I’m working on and how they relate to the story.

Think about what scenes you want to include while you’re not writing, that way you have something to look forward to when you’re actually sitting in front of your word doc.

Scenes that I’ve been thinking about a lot just fly by because I’m excited to finally get the words out onto the page and I have a good understanding of how things might play out.

2. Set the vibe

Exactly what it says on the tin. Identify what helps you stay in the zone and ready to write and use it to your advantage.

Does listening to music help? Turn it up. Does a specific environment help you pay attention? Go there and if you can’t, try to replicate it. Is your font difficult to read or just plain boring? Change it Comic Sans!

(That last one is a joke but I’m not gonna stop you if you wanna change your default typeface to Comic Sans lmao)

Work on your own environment and make it as writer friendly as possible. But also never underestimate the power of changing things up once in a while.

For example: I typically write in my room where I know no one will distract me. I do short spurts of writing when I get home from work and do longer sessions on weekends. I put on a random playlist and shuffle it, but occasionally I change it up and play video game OSTs.

I tend to change the colour of my pages in Google Docs to be pastel colours so I can still see my words but feel less intimidated by the white of an empty page. I avoid snacking on chips while I write because I dislike grease and flavouring getting on my keyboard.

On the rare occasion when I’m on a weekend trip, I bring my laptop along so I can still do some writing during quiet moments before bed.

This is just what works for me. I’m well aware some of these environmental factors are very niche but you gotta experiment to see what works for you!

Speaking of your environment…

3. Minimise distractions but know when you need to take a break

As much as I would love to, you can’t write while scrolling through Tumblr lol. It’s a classic piece of advice but for a good reason. Focus on the page in front of you and put your phone far away from you if you have to.

But also recognise when you’ve had enough of writing. I’ve found that sometimes during a long writing session, I start to skip words or my descriptions start to not make any sense or something else. It’s a pretty good sign that you need to take a quick break and give your brain a refresh.

Go outside, put on a short YouTube video, do some chores, scroll tumblr, just do something short and sweet that will allow your brain a little break so you can get back to writing once you’re done.

If you are really struggling with staying focused and in the zone, I would recommend trying a writing sprint.

I only found out about these this year but they have been massively helpful in getting me to stay focused.

Set a timer for however long you want (I usually go for 10 minutes) and write non-stop until that timer goes off. You don’t even need to worry about grammar and spelling. Just get the words out and you can edit them later.

It helps identify when it’s break time and sometimes you’ll find that you’ll want to keep on writing after the timer has gone off.

Sprints also help out with the next tip…

4. Just get the dang words out on the page

I will be completely honest, it took me a really long time to understand this piece of advice because it felt obvious. Turns out I was wrong! So let me explain!

Your first draft is your worst version of your writing. No one else will see it so give yourself full permission to fuck up.

Write as many ‘he said, she sighed, they did x’ as you want! Write meta jokes for yourself when you can’t remember how much has passed in-universe! Write parts that you’re still on the fence about including! Write bad jokes you’re not sure will land! Write whatever you want!

Then, once you’ve finished writing and you’re onto proofreading, go through your work multiple times and note what you need to change.

Have you used the same word multiple times in this one sentence? Use another one. Do you like this theme that seems to have developed during the writing phase? Go back and include it more. Is this character repeating an action too many times? Find something else they can do that matches the mood.

Your first draft is supposed to be messy and incomplete. The proofreading stage is where you act as your own worse critic and fix any issues you see.

And if there’s still an issue you’re having trouble with while you proofread? Highlight it and come back later. It’s not going anywhere.

By actually focusing on your writing and getting words on the page, you are more likely to stay in the zone and keep writing! You just need to take that first step and start writing.

Hope that helps anon! At the end of the day, writing should be fun, so try to enjoy every step of the writing process, however you can ❤️

[herrscherofmagic]

A look at the past & future of Honkai design: Simplicity vs. Complexity (Part 1)

Link to the YouTube channel of the person whose thumbnail I yoinked off of Google Images for this; it was the best image of the new Hyperion that I could easily find which is why I used it for this.

TL;DR:

Original Honkai Impact 3rd designs tended towards large, simply shapes that gave battlesuits (and other stuff) a strong "mecha" vibe. Many newer designs are trending towards more complex designs that do away with these simple and recognizable shapes, instead using more overlapping textures and ornamentation to create detail. Some designs balance the two, using large and relatively simple shapes that still carry enough detail to stand out as newer while still keeping the original vibes.

Because of this, I think there's gonna be a very clear visual split between Part 1 designs and the APHO+Part 2 designs because of this split between simplicity & complexity, and some Part 1 designs feel off because they stray too far from the original design motifs, making them feel out of place even if they're still good designs on their own.

~

I've been thinking a lot about the design philosophy of Honkai Impact 3rd for quite a while now. As someone interested in concept art and illustration and who's played video games for more than 3/4ths of their whole lifespan.

And obviously I'm not alone in this, given how often I've seen discussion of Honkai's character design. Whether it was the march of the pastel battlesuits or the techwear of the part 2 cast or the upcoming Garuda Fu Hua battlesuit, many people have had many opinions both positive and negative.

But I've wanted to do a sort of "deep-dive" for a while now, because I think HI3rd is a really interesting case where we can see the co-existence of (sometimes drastically) different designs made years apart from one another. It's normal for the style of a franchise to grow and change with time- my personal example is Halo, with obvious differences between Halo CE, Halo 3, and Halo 4 in mind. But typically that has been done over the release of different games over many years, not so much in consecutive releases within the same game. HI3rd's not alone in this regard, of course :)

I don't want to label anything as "bad" or "good". I can like or dislike something, and that's my personal opinion. Of course I COULD try to label designs as bad or good, but I'd want to back that up with serious analysis and get the opinions of other players, and that's way too much effort for a reddit post. Instead, I want to present some different designs in Honkai and share my thoughts, so others can feel free to agree, disagree, elaborate, etc. More of a matter of casual discussion rather than trying to present some solid theory, I guess you could say?

What I will say is I intend to label designs based on whether (or how) they fit into HI3rd's aesthetic(s), so that's the main point- not so much whether an individual design is good or not.

To start with, I'd like to talk about the simplicity vs. complexity of Honkai designs because I personally feel like this is the biggest problem I have with HI3rd, outside of story issues that is. Not because of designs being "good" or "bad", but because I feel like Mihoyo has been moving towards a new design philosophy that's different from what I loved most about HI3rd when I first started.

I opened with the comparison of Hyperion because I think it's a perfect example of this concept, and if we can understand what the difference is with Hyperion then I think it'd be more apparent with battlesuits as well. I also have another image that highlights some of the biggest differences between the two models:

I had mixed feelings about the reveal of the "new and upgraded" Hyperion during the moon arc. It's a neat design I'll admit, but I felt like it deviated a lot from the original Hyperion, not as a difference in fidelity and detail but rather as a difference in the fundamental design of the ship.

What I like so much about the original Hyperion is, as you might have guessed by now: its simplicity. Hyperion was comprised of much larger, blockier shapes with more clear silhouettes. It's actually the same reason I love the design of Halo's UNSC frigates, funnily enough. I'm a huge sci-fi fan and I absolutely adore spacecraft and vehicle design, so I really appreciated the design of Hyperion cause to me it felt very original.

The new Hyperion retains most of the same characteristics, and it's still recognizable as a version of Hyperion. But it bothers me just how much the design was changed. Many of the simple shapes of the design were broken up into smaller parts or almost totally changed, like the cannon going from a sleek polygonal barrel to a spikey... thing.

To me, it feels like Hyperion was redesigned with the idea of trying to make it more "futuristic" or "tech-y", or perhaps it was even designed with some retro anime motifs in mind like the Space Battleship Yamato. But it seems as though this was done by adding many objects that broke up the original silhouette, as well as inventing lots of new detail instead of adding details to complement what was already there. The shape of the winglets was greatly changed; the vent-like structures were totally changed; the barrel was completely changed; most noticeably, the bridge was drastically changed.

The new Hyperion model is technically "better" in terms of fidelity and the amount of detail it has, no doubt about it. But I think changing the fundamental shapes of Hyperion so much really hurts the charm of the original design, to the point that I was actually quite disappointed to see that Mihoyo used the new Hyperion design in the CG of the Captainverse Hyperion farm event. It seems as though Mihoyo wants to consider this as the new default impression of Hyperion, and not a special one-off thing from the moon arc.

I think this can be seen across other aspects of the game, too. In general Mihoyo has moved away from simple designs and towards complex designs, and I think there's been a lot of hits and a lot of misses with this.

For instance, I'd like to compare the three Herrscher Kiana battlesuits: HoV, HoFS, and HoFi.

There's a clear trend of an increase in complexity across the three battlesuits. HoV's design uses fewer and larger shapes, HoFS adds more and smaller shapes, and then HoFi is almost totally devoid of any large clear shapes.

To me, this is what distinguishes a battlesuit that "feels like Honkai" from one that doesn't.

Everyone starts the game in Chapter 1, and most long-time players have spent more time with older battlesuits than newer ones simply because they were playing the game before these newer battlesuits were even released. I think it's safe to say that even though HoFi is the grand "Kiana in her greatest form" battlesuit, most players will still have seen HoV's design more often because of the years that it's been around, and its prevalence in story content.

Most of those older designs were rooted more heavily in the mecha vibes early Honkai had. For instance, even though HoV is obviously not wearing a mecha battlesuit, the large blocky shapes are still reminiscent of armor, two examples being the large frames on her wings and the large white pad-things(?) on her sides. There's other obvious cases like White Comet being a skin-tight battlesuit which used glowy energy bits for its attacks, but I use the example of HoV because it shows that HI3rd was fully capable of creating battlesuits within the mecha theme without being limited to literal "mecha" designs. HoV's battlesuit is far from mecha in its nature, yet still fits perfectly with that aesthetic.

HoFi has pretty much none of that, though. It's a pretty design for sure, but it's also nearly completely divorced from that original aesthetic. There's few easily-recognizable shapes on her design, with the (very little) clothing she wears being almost entirely detail and ornamentation. It definitely fits the "Princess Kiana" or "Goddess Kiana" theme in isolation, but I don't think it delivers on that theme in the context of Honkai Impact 3rd.

Yet look at HoFS. HoFS definitely has more detail than HoV. Yet there are still lots of large blank areas that define clear forms; for instance, the armor on HoFS' waist. It's reminiscent of that of HoV while still adding more detail. This gives that same effect of a slight mecha vibe. It's still an appealing design and it still feels more modern than HoV, but it also manages to retain much of the same design language.

That being said, I have to admit I ADORE the Honkai wings that HoFi has, though I wish they were a little higher in the air. That's one thing that I think Mihoyo absolutely nailed with HoFi, and I wish more of that aesthetic was kept in the rest of her design.

What's also interesting is that (in my opinion) neither of the other two main Herrscher Trio designs suffer from this. For instance, consider Mei's battlesuits:

I've included Lighting Empress as a reminder that old =/= good. I'd like to make it clear that just because it's an "original" battlesuit doesn't mean it's a good one. I said before that I didn't want to label stuff as good or bad but this is a clear exception and I hope y'all can understand why, lol

We can certainly argue about whether HoO Mei's design really fits the image of Raiden Mei. It's a vast departure from her other battlesuits when it comes to her palette, for better or for worse. I didn't like it at first but it has grown on me, and I think part of that is because of that concept of simplicity vs. complexity.

HoO has way, way more detail than the other two Herrscher Mei battlesuits, no doubt about it. But it also retains many large and recognizable shapes. Nothing on this battlesuit is bulky like HoT or other older battlesuits, but it still gives off the feeling of being armor despite being so thin. Much of the detail is created not by overlapping layers of ornamentation and texture, but rather by using intricate shapes with clear silhouettes and light detail inside that outline.

And HoTr is obviously a mecha design, so I don't think we need to elaborate on that one :)

The point is that it's absolutely possible to make detailed and beautiful battlesuits without getting rid of the original shape language that HI3rd was built on. HoFS is a bit dated now but still much newer than HoV, yet it keeps the vibes. HoO is also far newer, yet it still fits the theme of battlesuit. HoFi, though... not so much.

Finally, I want to talk about the elephant in the room: the Part 2 character designs.

Once again, here's the link to the YouTube video by Matt Is Playing, where I pulled this image from!

Much like HoFi, there's very little trace of the OG Honkai mecha aesthetic in these battlesuits. It's not to say that they are inherently bad because of that* , but it doesn't quite feel like "Honkai Impact 3rd".

*except Dream Seeker, I'm sorry but what the heck is going on there???

But the thing is that this design philosophy isn't even new. In fact, it's years old by now... because we see this in APHO.

For a long time now, APHO has had battlesuits that tip-toe on the very edge of the original Honkai aesthetic. So the designs of Part 2 aren't actually some new and drastic shift in Mihoyo's design philosophy- rather, it's reinforcing a design philosophy that was introduced with APHO.

These new characters all feel out of place if we compare them to the original battlesuits. They don't use the same simple forms, instead using dense and overlapping details. But if we compare them to the APHO cast, they fit right in. We can argue about the merits of the new character designs in other terms, but I think these discussions have to keep in mind this context.

I'd say the APHO designs work well in the setting of APHO because they're following the same aesthetic. As we enter Part 2 and once we see more of the story and setting of Part 2, it's very possible that these new character designs will feel more natural and more like "Honkai Impact 3rd".

But it's a different Honkai Impact 3rd.

This is why I think the idea of "simplicity vs. complexity" is so important to understanding Honkai Impact 3rd's designs. I think Mihoyo might be trying to emphasize two different phases of Honkai through this design philosophy. These are going to be two very different halves to the same game, with the designs of Part 2 possibly becoming as distant from Part 1's designs as Part 1 is from HSR.

You have the OG mecha action vibes from the good ole St. Freya days, and we have the sleek tech-wear of the era of exploring Mars, world-hopping in the Sea of Quanta, and fighting literal aliens.

For better or for worse? Only time will tell.

As a bonus, I'd like to include some extra comparisons, though I won't be adding any more analysis. It's more about having extra examples to keep in mind. Also, I think these ideas can apply to enemies and weapons as well, but that's a larger discussion I'm not yet ready for so that will come in a follow-up later on!

[car-sounds]

Valentine's Baking

Simeon x (GN)reader

1020 words

Summary: Simeon and Mc do some baking the weekend before Valentine's Day.

Simeon and you were walking towards each other through the halls of RAD, Simeon ended up being the one to start your conversation “Oh, Mc. I had something I wanted to talk to you about, do you have a minute?” 

“Yeah, go ahead.”

The two of you continue walking to the RAD exits while Simeon explains what was on his mind “I thought since Valentine's Day is coming up the two of us could bake some cookies together. I know that the brothers will probably be hogging your attention throughout that day, maybe we could get together this weekend to make some sweets that way we could also hand them out to everyone else as their Valentine's gifts.”

“Of course, I would love to!” Simeon looks delighted with your answer, and continues to explain what he had in mind “I’m sure Purgatory Hall already has all the ingredients we need and I remember both Luke and Solomon said they would be out most of the day on Sunday. If you can make it then, it would be easier to keep the surprise from them.”

“Sunday works for me. Are you sure you don’t need me to bring any ingredients?” The two of you stop when you reach the corner you usually part ways at, to have a bit more time to talk. “No, don’t worry I’ve got that covered. Let me walk you the rest of the way home, It’s nice getting a moment alone with you.” You agree and catch up with what went on in your day.

—

It’s the weekend before Valentine's Day, Simeon texted you the day before telling you the time Solomon and Luke should be out of the house, around one in the afternoon with them coming back before dinner. Hopefully that also left time for you to air out the kitchen so the cookie surprise isn’t immediately obvious.

When the wait is up Simeon picks you up from the House of Lamentation, the two of you discuss the cookie decoration ideas you both had in mind. Setting up the cookie making starts pretty much right away, Simeon had already gotten out the recipe you’ll be using, it was decided over text that making heart shaped sugar cookies would be the most on theme dessert for the holiday. He starts reading out the ingredient list directing you to pull them out so they’ll be ready to use. Once that’s done Simeon tells you to get started while he grabs something from his room, he comes back after about a minute holding a present wrapped in pink heart shaped wrapping paper. 

You feel a little guilty when you first see what he has, you didn’t have anything on hand to give to him since you were going to wait until the actual holiday. “Oh, what’s that?” He gestures the gift towards you and responds “It’s one of the gifts I have for you today, I thought it would be best to give this to you now rather than later given what it is.” 

“Thank you Simeon! You should have told me that you were going to be. I could've brought some of the things I had for you.” You say while starting the unwrapping. “Well, that would have ruined the surprise wouldn’t it? So do you like it?” It’s a Valentine’s Day themed apron, pink and covered with heart prints. “Oh! It’s so cute! Thank you” 

“I’m glad you enjoy it, I even have one here I bought for myself so we could be matching. With that out of the way let’s actually start baking. Oh, let me help you tie up your apron?” 

Once both of you decided who was going to do each step, you and Simeon got to work chatting more about whatever random things that came to either of your minds. Once the cookies were cut into their shapes and thrown into the oven, the two of you got started on the icing, it was divided into separate bowls and dyed one red, one white, one pastel pink. Simeon was helping you learn how to properly flood the icing and both of you were trying to make as many different designs as possible using some of the sprinkles the kitchen had on hand and the different coloured icing. 

Not all of them ended up original but they were still super cute. Simeon had even made some extra preparations and bought little boxes to give the cookies in, boxing the cookies was relatively quick, although there was some debate on who to give each cookie to.

It didn’t take as long as you expected and there was still a bit of time before Solomon and Luke came back. Simeon expressed interest in you staying for dinner tonight, since that's the plan there’s you have extra time to hang out with Simeon before everyone else gets back. It’s an hour before they come back enough time to make dinner together and than clean up, it goes pretty smoothly and by the time Luke and Solomon are back the kitchen is as clean as it was when they left and the cookie scent was gone from the room which would keep them from asking questions and ruining the surprise for themselves. Dinner was nice and once it was finished there was a bit of chatting before Simeon pulled you to his room. There was a cute pink box sitting on his bed.

“I said there was going to be another gift, didn't I? Go ahead, open it.” You pull off the top of the box and inside is a small heart shaped cake, it's decorated with pink frosting as the base and white frosting as decorative piping with those large pearl sprinkles carefully placed on it. “Oh, it’s so pretty! Thank you.” 

“I made it yesterday, I’m glad you like it. ” He prepared a knife and plates that were placed off to the side. It’s a delicious vanilla cake with strawberry flavoured buttercream frosting, it’s a wonderful moment between just the two of you…

Until Solomon and Luke come barging in and interrupt the moment.

Masterlist

[luxicides]

coquette fashion faves 🐇🎀⛸️💒🎧

the other day my mom inadvertently called me a bimbo for liking high fashion. to be fair, she did catch me watching rick owens fw22/23 when i should have been writing my lit essay, but who's she to judge? anyways, here's a quick list of fashion brands whose work i adore as of late. i'll try to include links to some of my fav shows from them too xx #girlssupportgirls

++necessary disclaimer: this is all just for fun!!!! obviously, these are all just my personal opinions. i'm in no way a fashion expert, nor am i claiming to be. live laugh love, gaslight gatekeep girlboss :3

and so, presenting....

LUXICIDES' DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO FASHION BRANDS IN THE MODERN AGE ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

1. MIU MIU

at this point, eeeeeeveryone has heard of miu miu. how could you not?

founded in 1992 by none other than mrs prada, miu miu has been having a (imo) well-deserved revival in the past few years. as the sister label of prada, miu miu serves as a more "youthful, playful and affordable alternative".

though i personally prefer last year's fall/winter rtw show to be more visually interesting than this year's spring/summer show, AND found their campaign with kendall jenner to be... a little lacklustre, i still love what the brand has been doing.

i just love the way miu miu's runway styling is done - going back to fw22, the incorporation of more preppy influences in their cable-knit sweaters along with the very obvious y2k references (mini skirts, lace and mesh, and those cropped tops girl!) is just... to DIE FOR.

and i'm not going to wrongfully malign the ss23 show! i thought the varying textures and how everything was just so flowy and loose. the set for this show was also incredible.

FAVOURITE: pre-fall 2020 (especially this look!)

2. BLUMARINE

ngl, when i first researched into blumarine, i was CONFUSED. just because i had always seen blugirl (their brand for teenagers) being labelled as blumarine (the core brand).... thanks pinterest.

but regardless, i think blumarine is FASCINATING. to me, they've always had elements of frivolity and femininity, with their intricate embellishments, and delicate lace detailings that are just to die for - every coquette girlie's dream.

lately, though, they've been moving towards more y2k influence: i mean, the ss23 rtw show is 99% denim. look at that and tell me that doesn't remind you of britney justin circa 2001 amas !!!

in all seriousness, i love the direction they're going in. i love that they're still maintaining some of the very ethereal, dainty energy that has been at the core of the brand for so long.

blumarine almost never misses with their styling. it's like their textures always go crazy - in the best way.

though it definitely doesn't get as much attention as its sister brand, blugirl is absolutely worth checking out too. i'm personally biased towards their older collections, think 2004-2005 era. they're literally all over pinterest, so it shouldn't be hard to find either.

FAVOURITE: fall-winter 2021 rtw

3. OZLANA

to me, ozlana is like the perfect combination of every trend i love. their pieces are so delicate and so dainty, and i literally can't get enough of their styling... like the fur coats? the pastels??? the DREAMINES???? oh my god don't do this to me rn.

literally every look from their 2022 shfw runway is basically perfect. to me, at least.

like - the colours. the bows. the denim looks in particular..... and the set!!!! don't even get me started on the set design.

ozlana is another brand i see on pinterest all the freaking time. honestly, they're kind of reminiscent to fw04 blugirl in the sense that they both have such dreamlike qualities to them...

unfortunately, ozlana does use real fur :( so that does dock them down a point. but i still do love their styling, and their pieces without the fur embellishments still are quite cute!

FAVOURITE: 2021 shfw

4. CUCCULELLI SHAHEEN

pinterest also brought me to this one!

think glamour. think sparkles. think euphoria but aged up and set kind of in a vaguely old hollywood-esque era. that's Cucculelli Shaheen to me.

Cucculelli Shaheen is NYC-based, and was founded in 2016. which is insane to me, because the level of craftsmanship in their work is breathtaking. their tailoring and the patterns of their pieces are literally... chef's kiss. i'd give up my first born for a dress from them.

listen, the embellishments? the intricacy? the detail??? their pieces are astoundingly lavish and astoundingly beautiful. not to mention, their shoots are basically works of art themselves.

i'm not a bride-to-be, nor am i going to be in the near future, but their bridal collections make me..... goddamn. someone wife me up.

FAVOURITE: collection 13 OR collection 10

5. SCHIAPARELLI

yeah. you don't even need an intro to this one.

if you've been anywhere on the internet in the past month or so, and i mean ANYWHERE, you've probably seen the recent schiaparelli show. and the reactions that go along with it range anywhere from sane, logical, to absolutely batshit crazy takes.

me, personally, in my oh so humble opinion - i loved the recent show. the phrase "a feast for the eyes" was basically made for this show. i mean, the uproar (get it) over the fake taxidermy heads alone was entertaining, but the show itself was a freaking stunner.

i've always loved daniel roseberry's work. i think he does a great job of sticking to the house's codes, whilst also creating a new, exciting vision for the brand. it's what elsa would have wanted!

daniel roseberry has brought so much drama to schiaparelli in his time there - both in terms of public intrigue, but also in the actual pieces. the garments are so bombastic and literally are each works of art in their own right.

i love their use of shapes and i love the over-the-top-ness of it all. i can't wait to see what they do next.

FAVOURITE: fall-winter 2022 couture

that's it for this post, hope u liked it <3 i've never really done much fashion critiquing (unless you count me and my friends sanctimoniously picking apart chanel's recent shows), so this is pretty much new to me.

:3 hope u all have a great day!

catastrophically yours,

luxicides

[tybaltsjuliet]

1, 3, 19

01. the character everyone gets wrong

sandy from grease and i will die on this hill. “oh, sandy changed herself for a man-” and danny was trying to change himself for a woman, but people only remember sandy doing it because of the leather pants!

what i think people tend to ignore, or miss, is that by the point of the “sandra dee” reprise, sandy is not happy. like, even if you are willing to accept that sandy *was* happy as the good girl, once - and i fully am willing to accept that; i do not think a fondness for cheerleading and pastels speaks to a void in her soul - by that time, she is not! and it is not just because of danny being kind of a dick to her. there’s a *reason* sandy’s change starts with a reprise of rizzo’s song that was mocking her, and it is because pretty much everyone, bar frenchy, is a dick to her. (i feel like this is a little less apparent in the movie, but in the original production, the t-birds are right there cackling along with rizzo during “look at me, i’m sandra dee,” and even patty simcox gets catty about sandy behind her back!)

so, by this point, sandy is alienated, and lonely, and an object of mockery, and she wants things to be *different*. here’s another point that got home better onstage than in the movie, in my opinion - because, originally, the “sandra dee” reprise comes RIGHT ON THE HEELS of “there are worse things i can do” - and rizzo sings that song, not alone after sandy walks off, but directly *to* sandy. just before the song, rizzo snaps at her, “now wait just a minute, miss goody-goody! who do you think you are? handing me all this sympathy trash! since you know all the answers, how come i didn’t see zuko here tonight?” and all this after sandy has done nothing but show riz a little kindness and sympathy over her situation, and try to remind her that she does not have to go through it alone.

being a good girl, a nice girl, has gotten sandy nothing and nowhere, with anyone, for the whole two hours’ traffic of our stage. who can really blame her for wanting to change?

now, obviously, this is all pretty watsonian, and sandy is one of those characters where there’s tons of great discussion to be had about the ways misogyny *does* influence the way her story is presented. but there are a lot of other interesting things to unpack in her, too, and it frustrates me that everyone just stops at the most obvious part.

03. screenshot or description of the worst take you’ve seen on tumblr

gods, just one?! mentally rifling through the disney princess takes alone has already exhausted me. that said, i might have to hand it to one of the particularly devoted ambassadors of this website’s jedi defense squad, who insisted that the jedi were A Beautiful Culture requiring no reform whatsoever, and A Wonderful Found Family to the children they brought up, and Committed No Mistakes.

like, come on, now. even if i leave all my personal religious baggage at the door, there are nine movies and a massive extended universe because THE JEDI FREQUENTLY COMMIT MISTAKES. anakin skywalker was not an inherently rancid nine-year-old; he was a case study among many on why the jedi needed fixing!

19. you’re mad/ashamed/horrified you actually kind of like…

i’m kind of mad that i still like frozen as much as i do. it wounds my pride in otherwise being the haughty and pretentious flavor of disney adult.

i’m not mad that i am properly getting into ASOIAF, because i am loving these books. i *am* mad that the only reason i first put on my clown shoes and walked all the way to westeros in them is because rhys ifans hot. it’s almost as embarrassing as the number of times i’ve watched anonymous.

but the really embarrassing skeleton in my closet is that i have written more pages of HP drawerfic since i started listening to the shrieking shack podcast than i wrote any fic for it at the height of the fandom way back in ye olde FFN/livejournal days. and that’s terrible.

[glamgirlkayla]

How to Be More Feminine and Ladylike

Femininity has always come very naturally to me but as for how it started? That’s a mystery. My mom has always been a bit of a tomboy rather than girly girl. I remember putting together outfits from her closet when I was younger, wearing her heels around the house and putting on her makeup. She dressed me in the frilliest dresses to play outside in the mud haha (I would never get dirty, of course). And as I grew up, I always found myself enthralled by fashion… but not just any fashion. Feminine fashion. And it doesn’t stop there.

I’ve always had a more feminine demeanor. My behaviors and interests lean more traditionally feminine naturally. This is not something that I’ve done subconsciously but it is something that I’ve realized over time as people have brought more attention to it. With this, I’ve deducted what is considered to “be more feminine” and I’m excited to share my findings with you today!

With that being said, I believe that we all have a unique mix of feminine and masculine qualities. It’s important to own who you are and what you do best no matter where this falls on the scale. But I also understand that there is a desire from a lot of people to be more feminine and this honestly makes me so happy!

Before this whole popularity increase in being more feminine, I was looked down on and made fun for being my authentic self, which happens to be… you guessed it – feminine. People would often asked why I was always so dressed up or why I love pink so much or why I love wearing dresses. I discussed this in detail in my post about Why It’s Okay to be a Girly Girl. For some reason, these are negatives in the eyes of others. What’s even worse is that I was often judged for my appearance. People would often think I was unintelligent, untalented, air-headed, and weak. I specifically remember many situations where I was judged and punished solely on the basis of how I looked and presented myself. But that’s a story for a different day.

I’m really happy that society “seems” to be more accepting of femininity these days and to be honest, I’ve always felt a need to preserve it. I love sharing feminine outfits but I also love breaking stereotypes and inspiring others to do the same. You can be feminine and strong, fun, successful, talented, smart and masculine (crazy, right?

For now, let’s get into all of my tips on how to be more feminine and ladylike! 🙂

Dressing The Part

Let’s start with the basics! Looking feminine is all about dressing feminine. Of course, there are items that are more traditionally feminine but don’t feel like you have to dress in a way that is not authentic to you. By sharing my tips, I want to encourage you to embrace your femininity but I never want to take away the things that make you special as a person. It’s not that black and white. With that being said, these are my best tips for looking feminine!

Fashion

When it comes to dressing feminine, dresses and skirts are more traditionally feminine so this will give you a very obvious feminine look. Personally, I love dresses and skirts that nip in the waist and flare out but honestly, go with a silhouette that is flattering on you and that you are comfortable with.

You can also look feminine without wearing dresses or skirts. In this case, just look for feminine details like ruffles, bows, pin-tucking, embellishments, etc. Look for more feminine fabrics like silk, chiffon, tulle, lace, tweed, etc. And of course, look for lighter colors, pastels, and traditionally feminine patterns like florals, polka dots and more.

Hygiene

Having proper hygiene is an important part of being more feminine. However, it doesn’t have to be excessive with an hour long skincare routine haha. Just a little effort in taking care of yourself goes a long way. If you are wondering how to make your face look more feminine naturally, I think that having a good skincare routine is a great place to start.

Personally I love to indulge in self-care and it’s a ritual that I set aside time for each day and week, no matter how busy I get. My bare minimum is a morning and night time skincare routine. If I have a bit more time, I love utilizing skincare tools like a steamer, facial roller or an anti-aging device like Nuface. At home spa days are also a win-win in my book! I love indulging in bubble baths, face masks, hair masks and DIY mani/pedis.

These are things that make me feel my best. You don’t have to dedicate as much time – just do little things that make you feel good. Even something as mundane as showering can become a luxurious experience! To make my showers more exciting, I use a shower radio, shower bombs (like bath bombs for your shower) and indulge in nice hair and body products.

This might seem obvious but brushing your teeth, washing your face and brushing your hair are super simple but go a long way appearance-wise (and health-wise). For clothing, I highly recommend using a steamer for a flawless look. Things like shaving, waxing and plucking also give off a more feminine look but like everything else, do what makes you feel most comfortable. Don’t feel the need to incorporate something that feels inauthentic to you.

Hair and Makeup

How to Make Your Face Look More Feminine Naturally

How can I make my face look feminine? This is a question that a lot of people ask! If you are wondering how to make your face look more feminine naturally, I recommend a great skincare routine, feminine makeup and a feminine hairstyle. Naturally feminine facial features tend to be softer, daintier and more rounded in nature. Even if you don’t have these features naturally, you can make your face look more feminine by utilizing makeup and the right hairstyle for your face.

Before proceeding, I do want to note that femininity can look different to different people. I’m a huge advocate of working with your natural features and bringing attention to your favorites! With that being said, read on for tips on how to have a more feminine face!

Makeup

Wondering how to make your face look more feminine? Doing your hair and makeup can really elevate your appearance and create a more feminine look overall. I’ve always loved wearing makeup – for some reason, it’s really relaxing to put on. I listen to music or podcasts and make it a thing 🙂 My makeup changes depending what I’m doing. I go all out with a full glam makeup look. For day to day, I prefer a lighter look with some BB cream, lipgloss and mascara. And for lazy days, I put on tinted sunscreen and call it a day.

For feminine looking makeup, I think it’s important to not go to overboard. It’s better to err on the safe side with more classic, timeless and natural looks. That’s not to say that you can’t have fun with colors or techniques – just use them in moderation. Put emphasis on one feature – your eyes or lips are a safe bet. Wear colors that suit your complexion and eye color. I personally love wearing pink-toned eye shadows to bring out my green eyes. Play up the features you love the most. I was always made fun of for my full lips when I was younger but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve grown to appreciate them and this is the feature I love to emphasize the most. You will hardly see me without some type of lip product on.

Hair

When it comes to how to make my face look more feminine, hair definitely helps! For hair, the most important thing is that it looks clean. Like makeup, feminine hair styling looks best when it’s more natural and simplistic. Embrace your natural hair for an effortless look or go the more polished route. I think that this will heavily depend on what you feel more comfortable with, what suits your face and features and what you realistically have time for.

Personally, I am very basic with my hair. 95% of the time, it’s down and curled. The other 5% of the time, I love creating simple ponytails, braids and half up styles. I love incorporating feminine hair accessories like barrettes, hair bows, ribbons, scarves and headbands. Hair accessories are not for everyone but they are fun to wear – give it a try if you’re feeling brave!

[lafcadiosadventures]

Madame Putiphar Readalong. Book Two, Chapter XXVI, second half.

Pastel Hued Rococo Horror

"La femme d’un charbonnier est plus estimable que la maîtresse d’un Roi.", original illustration by Michele Armajer, second edition of Madame Putiphar.

Putiphar is wrong in her perhaps Rousseaunian suppositions. In Patrick’s case, not all loves are brothers. To prove her wrong he “treats” her with a long and minute translation of the Irish song into french. It is not a love song, but a war ballad (and, it’s a real song, @sainteverge found the original lyrics and you can read them in their translation) it is a long, long history ballad about scottish and irish clans, so long that when Patrick is finally done translating dinner is served. (Nothing against the song itself it’s just hilarious how much of a reach pompadour had to make to fool herself into thinking it was a love song, but admittedly, horniness is a hell of a drug) I can imagine Pompadour desperately trying and failing to bring the mood back to sexy. Her chance finally springs up when dinner is announced and she can bring Patrick’s attention to her outfit

Pomps appologizes for feeling “too lazy”to dress properly, she is still wearing her sheer white robe de chambre, a so called laisse-tout-faire -> don’t need to spell out what is that “tout” which the crotchless, petticoatless and drawersless robe allows to do here. (Borel’s narrator plays the puritan apologizing for mentioning such impudic garments, but he has to, because, in a way that single word sums up the decadence of a whole epoch or something (Borel mentions two linguists here: Pierre Borel, and Ménage. This is fun because Borel has a witty and contrived way of saying the meaning of the expression is obvious: laisse-tout-faire is not a word that will torture the pierre borels and menages of the future, Borel scribbles, while he crafts words and expressions that will indeed torture future translators and linguists. in the best possible ways.)

So: once dinner is announced, they leave the boudoir and step into another room whichis a puzzle in itself. What is it? A salon? A bedroom? Another boudoir? The room is filled to the brim with all kinds of furniture, beds, bookshelves with the latest Enlightenment hits, sofas, a table. The bric-a-brac makes it almost impossible to walk around the table, the rococo horror vacui becomes an impediment to circulation, almost as if it’s designed to trap Putiphar’s intended sacrificial lambs after an intoxicating meal. (only now Patrick begins to envision that Putiphar has some projects for him, yes, even after all her writhing, boob groping and verbal insinuations. He finally notices that he is physically trapped as well. Her plans are basically abduction and sexual assault) There are also no visible doors since they are all covered with gobelins. And even if he could physically escape, he thinks, he could never run away from her resentment. He realizes like Cellini before him, that the queen/pompadour’s sex is a trap where both sleeping with her, or rejecting her are deadly choices, because the power imbalance is too vast. (Patrick has more moral concerns than Cellini, who is basically his diametrical opposite)

Patrick suddenly begins to notice he needs to sit down because he has had too much to drink, and that he is not only trapped, but utterly alone with her. He is scared and disgusted with her secret plotting, and feels guilty and stupid for having accepted her invitation. Feeling tired, heavy, intoxicated and scared, weighted down too by the realization that all his possible choices are potentially deadly, and that he cannot physically leave the horror-vacui roccoco funhouse death trap, he lets Fate chose for him. He will rely on his instinctual responses and puts himself in the hands of God. (or his conscience)

The castle and the witch are trying to eat Patrick alive, Putiphar is in full fledged Hansel and Gretel witch mode, she is pumping wine and aphrodisiacs into Patrick, who drinks and eats as little as he can without being overtly rude. The arousal he felt at the beginning of the chapter is totally gone. Her lies and intentions to get him by force and treachery disgust him. Yet he shows himself bold and spontaneous. This slightly offends her, since she can no longer attribute his codlness to shyness or inexperience. It’s a masks off moment for both of them.

(in terms of form of the novel, Borel includes some Spanish expressions here like vino rancio, and alcahueta. Spanish culture shows up in the form of something delicious, the wine, that Patrick manages to resist, which shows his strength, and to name the royal pimp, perhaps with a less decorous word than what he could have afforded to include in french? Like his use of carajo in Champavert, but not foutre/vit, for example)

She still hopes to seduce him though, she tries the method she uses on Pharao. Like a character in Crébillon’s The Sofa, where a monarch forces guests to tell him stories, (just like in the 1001 nights, but more relevant to our novel about the crimes and power abuses of the powerful, just like the king and Pompadour had Sartine did as we will see) She instead forces dirty gossip of the royal family and all the courtiers into Patrick’s ears. (Borel beings up a connection between the royal pimp, the “alcahueta de la corte” La Gourdan, and Sartine, the head of the secret police. This is historical fact, some of the police reports are still existent, what is questioned and possibly a myth is that Pompadour started this not to control the other courtiers, but to incite a sexual partner that was increasingly harder to please, which sounds of course, too naif to be real. (I’ll include bellow a letter on Gourdan which I’d wager is one of Borel’s source for all of this)

It’s fascinating that, in complete accordance to the rumours, these sexual stories have both an erotic and a punitive function, the courtiers use them for their own amusement, but they also have their pimps work closely with cops to ensure they can wield power through them. (They are basically fapping to police reports. Allegorically fascinating and disgusting) But the stories lack their desired effect. Patrick is neither aroused or amused, he is disgusted. She orders more champagne, but Patrick says he’s not a drinking man. It would be “monstrous” of him not to have any vices, she claims, lacking “passion” would make him inhuman. (note here, how a man who lacks addictions/inclinations that are deemed perverse and thus condemned, because that’s the way Pompadour frames it, is someone who she cannot subjugate by the sartine/gourdan method)

Patrick enjoys things but is addicted to none, and has none of the modern “vices” he doesn’t gamble, he can drink, dance and go to the theatre but he wouldn’t die if he had to do without those things. He is not an addict, he cannot be trapped by vicies like the courtiers The King, Pompadour, Sartine and la Gourdan surveil. Pompadour grows impatient: "Who do you love?", she asks. "I love women". And she continues her guessing game, and is so vain that when Patrick claims to love one women above all the others, who is young, beautiful and noble, she calls him a flatterer since she thinks he means her. Putiphar wants to take Debby’s ring (an old and austere relic) from him and give him a shiny new one. He refuses it since he loves Deborah, she calls her cruel, but insists on the gift, and in making him her lover. He still refuses, he cannot have two loves. He cannot divide the same love in two either (the literary/cultural theme of carnal versus holy love, divided between the angel in the hearth and the mistress) as Pompadour suggests. But Patrick still rejects her. She is indeed insulted by that open refusal, and by Patrick’s mention of Love, that is not what she wants from him. In her rage, she remembers the ace up her sleeve, which she was willing to forget if Patrick had flattered her and accepted to become her lover and her plaything: The murder conviction, his status as a fugitive from the Law. The die is cast. Left with nothing to lose, Patrick dares recall that Pompadour’s father is also someone who evaded the law, but thanks to her power and status, all of that was forgotten. The chief difference is Patrick is actually innocent, but he has no powerful protectors, (and in fact was incriminated by aristocrats) so he’ll have to pay for the crimes of another, while Pompadour’s father was indeed guilty, but given his status he’s safe from the law (once again, the theme of the law as definitely not blind and equal for all) Outraged, Putiphar calls for her men, but Patrick has the last laugh:

“Woah there! messieurs, calm down! Please wait, I still have a word to say to madame,” shouted Patrick! and, taking from the bookshelf a volume of the New Eloisa, he flipped a few pages, and added: “This word I have to say is not mine, it is that of the citizen of Geneva; here it is: “A coalman’s wife is more estimable than a king’s mistress.”

 (tr. by sainteverge )

When the lackeys attempt to grab him, Patrick draws his sword. He leaves the palace in his own terms. His attempt at bonding with the aristocracy are forever broken, since it was impossible to have them without degrading himself. It was required of him to cheat on his wife, to have sex against his wishes, to renounce to his citizenship, to adapt his tastes and opinions to those of the ruling class, to accept surveillance by Sartine, and so on. Patrick will probably not survive this book, but he values his integrity higher than his mere survival. He starts (like many other Romantic characters), his own glorious defeat arc, a kalos thanatos, death before living by rules that rot the soul.

***

Here’s an annex on La Gourdan by Théveneau de Morande, (apparently a french spy and blackmailer himself, living in London in the 18th c) found in his compilation of Gourdan’s correspondence for the Jean Nourse 1784-1866 London edition. I would wager Borel read this, not only it is cited in most papers on this subject, and the dates match, but also Morande calling Gourdan The Priestess of Cytherea, -a less popular name for Aphrodite that Borel uses in this very novel- makes me extra confident in this conjecture. Relevant quote on Sartine’s gazette and spying in the high class brothels here:

“(...)il faut que vous sachiez, mylord, que les lieux de débauche de cette capitale ne sont pas simplement comme nos bagnos à Londres : ils sont ici d'institution politique. Celles qui y président, par essence espionnes de la police, tiennent un registre exact de toutes les personnes qui viennent chez elles, et entrent à cet égard dans les détails les plus particuliers qu'elles peuvent apprendre. Vous sentez combien ils doivent être amusants. C'est sous le feu roi, et surtout à la fin de son règne, que cet historique du libertinage de la capitale était fort recherché. On assure que le magistrat chargé de cette partie en dernier lieu (Sartine, according to the footnotes) donnait une attention particulière; qu'il occupait journellement un secrétaire de confiance très-intime à rédiger de ces divers matériaux une gazette galante et luxurieuse, et que le monarque et sa maîtresse (Pompadour) en faisaient leurs plus chères délices. Le lieutenant de police d'aujourd'hui n'a pas cet avantage. Le jeune prince, ami des moeurs, rejetterait avec indignation une chronique aussi scandaleuse; il rougirait des turpitudes qu'on y dévoile. Mais ces archives d'horreurs et d'infamies n'en subsistent pas moins, comme pouvant servir à diriger le ministère dans quantités d'opérations sourdes, à lui fournir le fil de beaucoup de choses et le secret de presque toutes les familles. La dame Gourdan, par l'étendue de son commerce et par ses pratiques distinguées, devait être plus recommandable qu'une autre au gouvernement. C'est ce qui excite la curiosité des amateurs, soit pour découvrir dans son journal bien des gens qu'on ne se doutait pas d'y trouver, soit dans la crainte de s'y voir inscrits eux-mêmes. De quelque manière que le procès tourne, on espère, au surplus, qu'une femme aussi importante ne sera que suspendue dans l'exercice de son ministère et qu'elle le reprendra incessamment. On sait qu'elle a déjà réclamé les bontés des personnages en place les plus éminents ; on dit même Pompadour qui, pour dissiper l'ennui de son auguste amant, avait imaginé cette gazette(...)”

There's also this article on Pompadour and the court's policing of sex, and sexual rumours as a political tool to manipulate the public opinion. It covers some of Borel’s sources (La Bastille devoilé), some of the rhetorical strategies he uses in this chapter, like orientalizing the french despot.

(also thanks to this article I learnt that Les bijoux indiscrets is an allegory of all that policing of sex at Versailles. That makes young Diderot's choice of an oriental setting less about exotism and fantasy -although that is definitely there- and more about making the analogies with the french court less obvious >_>)

@counterwiddershins

[bardick]

I guess these are some much needed body descriptors since body customization is kinda limited in bg3. just a quick body image cw, mentions of gender dysphoria and body dysphoria too.

lewyn is 5'4 / 163 cm. he's a short king. he likes to fly a lot so a lot of times he's just floating so he seems taller. sometimes he'll walk around in platform shoes for a few inches, sometimes you can see him in stilts (ultimate chaos time) but he's at tallest perceived at 5'7 / 170 cm

you wouldn't notice it probably but he has an ersatz eye in the left. there was an injury in their youth that led to them getting one.

however people will think they're taller than they actually are because they're mostly legs

lewyn wears a compression sports top — not a binder because he finds them too restrictive and they need their pipes. thankfully, they've always had a smaller chest but wouldn't be opposed to fantasy equivalent of top surgery

a lot of the reason for his smaller build is due to being chronically malnourished as a kid

lewyn has more piercings than the game allows. they have their nose, septum, industrial ( left side), conch (both), double helix (both), two lobe piercings (both), and belly button ... he got them all done during the pride one shot campaigns yes lol moving on

regarding tattoos : the three birds (I believe in game it's called migration) on his face, and a tramp stamp (that happened again .... during the pride campaigns good god)

lewyn has naturally pastel green hair but he dyes it every now and then for fun. the texture is like, type 2A hair. it grows out fast and sometimes they like to keep it long and style it but most times they hate the upkeep and will cut it. sometimes they cut it because it gets them misgendered as a woman. thar being said when their hair is longer they like to braid flowers into it, if it's shorter they'll wear a flower crown. they love flowers.

lewyn wears make up mostly because they enjoy the act of putting it on and being able to show the world of how he wants to be seen. he likes stuff that's a little out of them norm, such as pink eyeliner, eye shadow looks etc he's really good at it and will happily teach people how to apply make up

we're not talking about what's in between their pants lol moving on

they have scars — lots of them from growing up in hostile environments. the most notable is the one on his outer left forearm. he has some facial scars too but they're not noticeable enough

theres not a lot of obvious muscle on him but he is a proficient flute player, his preferred weapons are longbow and dagger, he walks around a lot so it's safe to assume that they're fairly toned around the core (some abs definition), more muscular around the back and shoulder muscle groups, defined muscles on the forearms, and the calves are defined. other places they are quite squishy.

[pookha]

Dream With Me: Chapter Seven

Interlude: September 19, 1998

Hermione wakes up to two gifts for her birthday.

Bonus chapter this week.

Interlude September 19, 1998

Hermione woke up early, but since it was Saturday there were no classes. If she’d had dreams, she didn’t remember them. The only thing she had on her plate today was going to Quidditch tryouts to support her friends and then in the evening, Harry, Ginny and Neville were coming to celebrate her birthday with her and Luna.

She stretched and sat up in her bed. Crookshanks also stretched and sat up. He stalked up to her and head-butted her then meowed.

“I’ll get your breakfast soon,” she said, as she scratched his chin and he purred.

She turned to her night stand and saw a parcel wrapped in pastel pink paper. It didn’t say who it was from, so she examined it, first visually, then with her wand. It didn’t seem to have any hexes or Charms on it, so she tore open the paper carefully. Inside, two small canvases were back to back with more paper protecting the surfaces. A partial vial of Luna’s Attar of Dreamless Sleep nestled next to it. The first painting was vivid oranges and whites. When she pulled the paper back further, it was a portrait of Crookshanks laying on his side, asleep in a sunbeam. It was obviously Luna’s work and it was beautiful. She flipped the canvases over and the other was a lily done in the same pinks as the wrapper. This one was true-to-life rather than abstract. Hermione saw a note in Luna’s spidery handwriting tucked into a corner.

This is a lily, not a self-portrait. I promise.

Hermione laughed.

She used her wand and Charmed the canvases to stick to the wall above her headboard. She put the vial with the Attar of Dreamless Sleep into her night stand. She heard Luna moving in their sitting room and went out to greet her and get some coffee. When she opened the door, Luna already had the coffee brewed and croissants and cheese on a plate.

“Happy birthday!” Luna said and shot a streamer out of her wand at Hermione. Red and Gold paper fell over her.

“Thank you for the paintings. I love them. You captured Crookshanks’s essence. Cat in sunbeam, still-life. I—thank you also for the attar. I’ll use it for sure.”

Luna smiled and it was like the sun came out.

“You’re welcome,” she said and held out a mug of coffee to Hermione.

“Gryffindor tryouts today?” she asked while Hermione nibbled on a croissant.

Hemione nodded.

“Do you think they’d mind if I showed up?” Luna asked.

“Nah, Ginny and Harry’d be over the moon.”

“I’ll see you there. I may be late; I’ve got morning to afternoon grounds patrol and I promised Hagrid that I’d help him with corralling some bowtruckles today.”

“Okay, when do you have to go?” Hermione picked up some cheese and ate it with her croissant.

Luna looked at the clock.

“Five minutes.” She stood up and went to her bedroom. When she came out, she was in her robes with her Head Girl badge. She had a small pack with her. As she passed by Hermione, she stopped and hugged her. Hermione returned the hug, then Luna left. Crookshanks meowed from Hermione’s bedroom and she sighed.

“All right, all right,” she said and put down food for him. She also put a tiny chunk of croissant and cheddar in his bowl. He loved them and as long as he didn’t get too much human food as a treat, he’d be fine. She took her time eating and enjoying her coffee, then studied until it was time to go to the tryouts. She looked around the sitting room before she left. Luna’s influence was obvious with the painting corner set up and a small mess of books and scrolls on the table. Hermione wondered what showed her own personality in the room and her eyes fell on the photo of her parents on the table. She closed her eyes and counted to ten, promising to herself to not be sad today, not on her birthday.

As she was leaving, another parcel on the coffee table caught her eye. It was addressed to her from Flourish and Blotts. She hadn’t ordered anything, so she wondered what it was. She ripped it open and a slim, well-thumbed book entitled Modern Sapphic Poetry fell out into her hand. There was a letter inside the flyleaf.

Hermione unfolded it and read.

Hermione,

I hope I didn’t overstep or misread sending this to you. I saw your birthday mentioned in The Quibbler. My ‘gaydar’ is usually pretty accurate, but if it’s wrong in this case, I’m sorry. My offer for coffee still stands, platonic or romantic, either one. This book is one of my favourites. It’s in the tradition of Sappho, but the poems are more modern and sound better to my ears. Enjoy it in good health.

Magda Torvalson

Hermione leafed through the book and read a short poem about a woman who’d lost her lover and how she wondered if it was okay to look for another partner and how soon. It was poignant and sweet. Hermione went to the bookshelf and searched until she found Sappho and her fragments by a Victorian author. She took it and her new book and went back into her bedroom to put them in her night stand. When she got to the Quidditch tryouts she sat alone and watched them until Luna joined her partway through