#Ink & Quills::Aesthetics

[f4irychuu]

"The truth of these days is not that which really is, but what every man persuades another man to believe."

~ Michel de Montaigne

[neithergodsnormen]

Aegon Tag Drop

🐲

[iriswave]

Studying art history ✨aesthetic ✨

Yes, the aesthetic makes the studying go by easier lol

[frogs-frogs-and-more-frogs]

[siriusblack-the-third]

marauders aesthetic: dark academia

sirius: chin length silky hair in a shag cut. fingers stained with motor oil and black ink. drives everyone crazy with the bold black eyeliner he gets marlene to teach him. twirls his wand and quills between his fingers. old leather jackets thrown over messily buttoned shirts. tie hanging untied around his neck. reads any book he can get his hands on. always has a peppermint on his person. if you're close enough to get a sniff, he smells of damp grass, leather, parchment and mint. chess comes as easy as breathing to him. can't sleep at night, so he climbs out the window and sits on the top of gryffindor tower to stare at the stars. french is his first language, and he speaks italian, greek and latin. only has to study occasionally for herbology. a properly made macchiato, always. half smirks and cocky grins, and grey eyes that spark with mischief. cruel streak a mile wide, so he hates getting angry. a little bit of a slob (it drives james mad). won the under 19 europe duelling tournament at age fourteen. god tier poker face. climbs into james' bed after particularly terrifying nightmares. hums french songs to him to calm himself down. david bowie, led zeppelin, ac/dc, sex pistols. immense raw power that sizzles under his skin and smells like lightning storms. his magic is visible in his veins when he gets emotional. silver eyes, sharp glare, wicked words, even crueler spells. mastermind behind more than half of their pranks. when he laughs, he sounds like the pureblood he is; all refined and perfect. at six feet four inches, he's the tallest of the marauders. loves giving james shit for being shorter than him. plays the violin, and composes sometimes. it reminds him of the nights he locked himself and regulus into the music room at home and played till his fingers bled. perfect waltz, perfect posture, perfect table manners and perfect posh accent.

.

remus: curly golden brown hair in messy undercuts, lanky body and lean muscles. five foot nine inches and hates it. leaves when a person lights up a cigarette; says the smell is overwhelming on his senses. always has a cup of black coffee with him, but never drinks it. comfy jumpers, pressed trousers, perfect uniform, prefect badge pinned to the front. piercings— tongue, ears, nose and lip. charms the tongue piercing to taste like chocolate. hates reading, but does read a few of the books that james recommends. will never give up a chance to sleep in. polite smiles and genial nods in the presence of teachers, quirked eyebrows and infuriating smirks otherwise— he's a two faced little bitch and he's proud of it. doesn't get angry, but does get annoyed. hates confrontation, and will get out of one as fast as possible. sharp wit, sharper tongue. dry, sarcastic remarks under his breath that make peter cry with laughter. a human heater. fingers stained with blue ink and chocolate smudges. if he's not with the marauders, he's either sleeping or studying in the library. best at defence against the dark arts, but still not as good as sirius and james. speaks welsh, scots gaelic and old english. learns french and latin from sirius. a complete, utter mess; everything from his school satchel to his wardrobe to his bed is chaos (james despairs over his habits). absolutely loathes history of magic and potions. favourite subject is care of magical creatures, mostly due to the chaos that professor kettleburn causes. elton john, cher, tchaïkovsky. cannot play any musical instrument, but loves it when sirius and james duet together. smells like chocolate, cinnamon, and honey. owns a diary, and gets called a girl for it by peter. has chronic joint pain that is aggravated by the scotland weather. difficult relationships with his parents, but he still loves them and they love him back.

.

james: messy curls long enough to be tucked behind his ears. the only one who can beat sirius at chess. had an indian accent the first three years of hogwarts. plays the piano to calm himself. six foot one inch and hates it because sirius keeps giving him shit. fingers stained with charcoal, graphite, and alta dye applied for bharatanatyam. always moving, can never sit still unless he's reading or sketching. kajal lining brown eyes and dotted behind his ear for good luck. bright smiles and fondly exasperated shakes of his head. mother hen because "none of these idiots can be trusted to look after themselves". brown skin that just gets darker from quidditch practice in the sun. reads literally anything he can get his hands on, genre does not matter. dozens of journals filled with detailed sketches of anything and everything that catches his eye (a couple of journals are dedicated solely to green eyes. a couple more are filled with sketches of sirius). outstanding at transfiguration and arithmancy. never has to study (it drives peter to apoplexy). does not get offended or angered easily, but will go off on anyone who insults his friends. fits into any clique— jock, nerd, theatre kid, musicians, you name it. hopeless romantic. hates messes, always nagging his friends to clean up after themselves. chai, always. unapologetic mama's boy. proud of his indian lineage. rises before the sun does. always has cold fingers, and steals sirius' jackets. burrows into sirius' hugs for warmth. long, scalding hot baths. mother tongue is marathi. speaks hindi, urdu, french, latin, tamil, greek and sanskrit. loves every subject except history of magic. listens to any genre of music as long as it sounds good. loves balls and galas because he gets to dress up and dance. always has some sort of indian confectionary on him— barfi, laddoo, maisurpak, gulab jamun. it adds a sugary layer to his chandan perfume.

.

peter: buzz cut, but wants to grow it out. steals james' books and never reads them. smells of earth and a woody perfume his mother got for him in fourth year. can't play chess for shit, but is better than remus at gobstones. his bed and closet are well maintained and always neat. laughs a lot (it sounds squeaky), and his eyes twinkle when he smiles. best at herbology and care or magical creatures, but he hates the latter. a sarcastic twerp and a sneaky little shit. has the normal sense of humour— the other three boys thrive off of dark jokes. absolutely loathes studying, but needs to do it, so he does (while grumbling good naturedly about sirius and james not needing to). whistles when he walks the corridors of hogwarts, with his hands in his pockets. loves the waltz, and always has a record playing at low volume whenever possible. atrocious sense of style/fashion, and gets heckled by sirius and james for it. has notebooks upon notebooks filled with little doodles that are surprisingly good. always listens when sirius or james play the violin or piano, and sometimes drags remus into a waltz to make everyone laugh. claims to be annoyed by james' mother henning, but everyone knows he adores it. friends with a lot of the younger students, and always has liquorice or lozenges on him to give to them. cat person, terrified of mcgonagall. he loves watching james perform bharatanatyam, and asked for lessons in fourth year. he gave up within a month, saying he would stick to waltzing, thank you very much. always, always, has a granola bar filled with nuts somewhere in his pockets. does not understand why mint chocolate is a thing, and absolutely refuses to eat anything that has mint in it. steals james' confectionary and gets tackled for it. will eat ice-cream no matter the season, even if he has a cold.

[ruumirmir]

"Hey, hey- did you hear? Lord Regrator promoted someone as the new branch manager of our bank!"

"Don't tell me... it's him, isn't it?"

"But of course, I heard the harbinger is playing favorites now-"

.˚ *꒰ঌ There's a new Venator Dux in town ໒꒱* ˚.

Pantalone x Male!Reader | Part of the Loverboy series .༊·˚

𓆩♱𓆪 Summary - When you feel the caress of a mask; an identity, Who do you become? Or, a profiling of Pantalone's loverboy. 𓆩♱𓆪 Author's note - Finished cooking Pantalone's Loverboy a little bit more with this character layout. While a good chunk of his aesthetic has been pinned down, I probably won't go further to draw any sort of outfit or character design for him. As of now, I'm keeping his finer details ambiguous enough to classify as a M!reader. @eluxcastar comrade wake up new Loverboy content just dropped.

➷ 𝐅𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐢 𝐕𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐤

Under the hierarchy of Regrator's ordinance, Fatuus above a certain level of authority don masks signifying their position. Ordinary agents working with classified business information must never run the risk of disclosing their identities after all. One such mask, dipped in a red of warning and adorned with a platinum wing on it's brow is the telltale identity of the bank's Venator Dux. Whether you stand against him in a negotiations meeting, or battle, he's no less intimidating without it.

➷ 𝐇𝐲𝐝𝐫𝐨 𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧

"Hydro represents faith, regardless of how misguided it maybe." "This vision is given to people who either have a strong dedication towards something, or have a desire to help or protect others." From wind to water; That day celestia's eye honed in on the fool falling past a shattered window, dragging down another with him. "How amusing..." they'd think, and brush past the reject to bestow heaven's blessing upon the far more pitiful one.

➷ 𝐁𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐱

Also called 'wine red' or 'black rose'. Like the lovely wines of plum occasionally imported from Liyue. Like blood to snow in the region colored head to toe in muted greys and blues.

➷ 𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐬𝐦𝐨𝐬

A flower that smells like fresh chocolate. They symbolize peace and tranquility. It is said that Chocolate Cosmos in particular mean “I love you more than anybody can.” Is it more obvious. He offers to pin it on the Harbinger's coat with a knowing grin. A frost-sensitive flower; It requires partial sun or full sun, and flowers from mid to late summer. It cant flourish naturally in a frost-bitten habitat and is artificially kept in greenhouses, only glimpsing the sun every few days through tinted windows. Pantalone barely needs to lift a finger to commission a set of cosmos flowers turned to jewelry for his Loverboy to wear.

➷ 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐒𝐰𝐚𝐧

A Black Swan signifies an insight about yourself that changes your position from one of victim to victor. Black Swan is a graceful reminder to move from any position where you feel powerless and at the mercy of external forces; it is time to reclaim your personal power. A coin always has two sides however; The black swan theory states that, "It is an unpredictable event that is beyond what is normally expected of a situation and has potentially severe consequences."

➷ 𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐒𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝

Equal parts strategic leader and hands-on agent, the Venator's blade is no less mightier than his pen. Come hell and high water, his feathered quill can enlarge thrice over to chase down it's targets with a mind of it's own, like a missile dart. You wouldn't fare better in close quarters either. The feather reinforced with hydro can sharpen it to the degree of splitting icebergs and necks alike. Why else do you think his ink occasionally flows in hues of red?

➷ 𝐈𝐜𝐲 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫, 𝐂𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞

The steely frost seeping into his coat, A heady spice from the smoke warming the air, and the slow bittersweet aroma that doesn't hit you until after he's gone; an aftertaste.

➷ 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐎𝐥𝐝 𝐅𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐁𝐨𝐲

"I can serenade and gently play on your heart strings Be your Valentino, just for you" "I'd like for you and I to go romancing Say the word, your wish is my command" "Ooh, love (there he goes again) Ooh, lover boy (he's my good old-fashioned lover boy, ooh) What're you doing tonight?"

➷ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐅𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐲

"Faithfulness to something to which one is bound by pledge or duty.""In the shimmering expanse of ice and snow, I pledge my unwavering devotion and undying loyalty to the illustrious Tsaritza, sovereign of this frozen realm. As the frost bites deep and the chill of winter grips our souls, I stand firm in my resolve to serve her reign with pride and honor." "With every breath, I swear to defend her name, her realm, and her legacy, even if it means laying down my life upon the icy plains, for in her sovereignty lies the very essence of our existence. Today, I embrace the cold embrace of eternity, knowing that I have lived and died under the banner of our revered Tsaritza, with unwavering loyalty burning bright within my heart..." And he didn't mean a single word of it. He wondered when that would be the death of him.

[aldernic]

we've decided that we are going to do an aldernic coining event for november ^^ probably best to post the prompts and everything a tad early so folks can get prepared and decide if they want to give it a try, right?

so! each day of november will have two prompts. you can coin something based on one prompt, both, or even disregard them entirely! you also don't have to coin every day (and you can combine the prompts of different days or do them out of order). you can also coin as many or as few labels as you'd like for any given day! feel free to post early or late, too

the only real rule is that anything coined for the event has to be related to alderns in some way (this can mean aldernic labels, but it can also mean genders, allions, omninouns, etc. etc.)

please tag all event coining posts with 'aldernic' so we can easily find them! feel free to tag us as well. for an event specific tag, you can use 'novemberalderns' :D

the prompt list is below! we'll pause the queue while the event's going on and resume it afterwards. everything coined for the event will be reblogged right away instead of being added to the queue!

day 1 - interest/blorbo

day 2 - music/poetry

day 3 - space/ocean

day 4 - underground/sky

day 5 - spooky/cute

day 6 - human/nonhuman

day 7 - queer/sunny

day 8 - disability/moonlight

day 9 - masc/fem

day 10 - neu/androgynous

day 11 - xenine/null

day 12 - feruvel/kenochoric

day 13 - eyes/heart

day 14 - personal/inspired by someone else

day 15 - ink/quill

day 16 - soft/comfortable

day 17 - food/drink

day 18 - camera trap/night vision

day 19 - light/dark

day 20 - weather/wind

day 21 - texture/aesthetic

day 22 - mechanical/digital

day 23 - cryptid/sharp

day 24 - color/weapon

day 25 - antlers/bones

day 26 - metal/elements

day 27 - forest/fen

day 28 - poison/venom

day 29 - warm/cold

day 30 - animal/plant/fungi

tag list here- no pressure to reblog or interact at all, of course!

@radiomogai @kiruliom @rwuffles @mogai-sunflowers @neopronouns @enderluna @smilepilled @daybreakthing @acronym-chaos

(we'll be coining terms, too, though they'll be on our main instead of being posted directly here)

happy coining, everyone! :]

[whumpster-dumpster]

Hello! Your blog is amazing, thanks for it! Can you imagine some whump prompts for dark academia?

I'm not very familiar with the dark academia aesthetic but I can try!

Papercuts

Ink to the eyes

Poisoned tea/coffee

Constant all-nighters

Topical poison on book pages

Burns from candles or sealing wax

Elegant "love" letters from a stalker

A fall from the ladder/stairs in the library

Dabbling too deep into tomes of dark magic

Whumper punishing Whumpee for poor calligraphy

Eyestrain/headaches from long reading and low light

Hand injuries from writing for too long without breaks

Whumper plucking Winged Whumpee's feathers for quill pens

Hiding bruises and/or scars under their cardigans/blazers/tweed

Overheating in said fashion (or caught in cold weather without it)

Whumper blackmails Whumpee after getting ahold of their private writing

Whumper inflicting wounds on Whumpee that are meant to emulate tragic classical art

[kurokonobrainrot]

Hey, if you have time/interest, could you draw chibi Aomine writing his autobiography? 🤭

Hi, months later here he is, chibi Aomine! He writes with a quill for ✨aesthetics✨

I just noticed that i forgot to add an ink pot, so let's say that it's not a quill but a regular pen with a quill design. Momoi got it for him because he kept ruining the paper with ink stains when he used a quill

flashback to the time I spilled my entire pot of ink on the carpet on myself back when i used to draw exclusively traditionally.

I also spilled it on my computer once, it miraculously still works but the sound only work with headphones now.

[crownedtargaryen]

ahhh yay!!

i would like to request something for modern!bran if that’s okay🙏🏻

i was thinking maybe modern!bran with goth reader?

like just headcanons or an imagine, whatever you’d like

you don’t have to do this if you don’t want to :)

lipstick. modern!bran headcanons

MASTERLIST pairing: modern!bran x goth!reader (a/n): I'm so sorry this is so short! Being goth has a lot of different types in that aesthetic, so I tried to generalize and keep it as unspecific as I could! (this Bran goes with this headcanon post I did of him) all notes are appreciated. tag list: @thethreeeyed-raven @howyouloveyourdragon @hopelesswritergall @fairysluna @clairacassidy @ad-astra-again @its-actually-minicika

SFW

• Bran loves you so much

• he ADORES when you sit on his lap and you do his makeup

• though, he's SUUUCH a pain to put makeup on

• he's always laughing and moving, trying to lean in and kiss you

• you have to yell at him, giving him a small smack as he cackles

• "what? can I not have a kiss?" he'll feign innocence that'll make you roll your eyes

• black cat and golden retriever

• he loves letting you dress him up in gothic themed clothing, so proud of any and all outfits you give him

• posts pics of you. over dressed gothic partner with the underdressed basic gamer

• he loves to bring you on his streams, the chat LOVVVES you

• he'll do "partner picks my aesthetic" streams with you, just adoring how excited you get in contrast to your darker more standoffish look

• def looks a bit strange seeing you side by side, but he doesn't care. ur his pfp on EVERYTHING and loves the way you present yourself

• def been called a discord mod with his kitten which has plagued your day to day life where he will jokingly call you kitten

• "that's a lot of talk for my discord kitten," he'll tease, knowing how frustrated it makes you.

does NOT shut up about how he wants to do beastboy x raven

ORR BATMAN X CAT WOMAN he’s OBSESSEDDD

def will call you emo for your aesthetic, laughs so hard when you’re get a bit angry with him

“hey! don’t be mad, maybe i like emos.” he’ll coo, just making you huff then kiss him to shut him up

def will let your paint his nails shades of black and grey, wears that shit with pride

LOVES it when you put on dark lipstick and kiss all over his face. he’s done that smudged lipstick tiktok so many times 👀

even though you’re the more intimidating outer shell of the relationship, bro will fight god for you

someone says shit about your aesthetic, calls you emo or says something harsh, he’s ON IT.

only he’s allowed to poke fun at his partner. someone says shit?

lets just say he’s almost killed a few people

forces you to teach him how to use a wax seal

he’ll nag you for hours, and you finally teach him and he’s over the moon

then one day, he’ll show up with a parchment letter that he’s tea stained for you. you honestly don’t believe it at first

bran didn’t SEEM like the type to do this, but gods he DID IT HE WROTE YOU A GOTHIC PARCHMENT LETTER QUILL AND INK AND EVERYTHING??!!

He LIVES to make you smile with gifts like that

constantly bugging you about what new clothes or shoes you want, what jewelry you may like, what antique gothic trinkets you think are beautiful

then within days they’re in ur hands and you just are like “oh.”

HE LOOOVES taking you to museums of antique medieval gothic resorts

he loves to hear you talk about them, grinning at your excitement and passions and how beautiful you look when you talk so much you run out of breath and have to sharply inhale before continuing

after taking you to the museum he’ll take you on a romantic moonlit picnic with only candles he brought and distant street lights illuminating you both

and he’ll softly go

“i love you…” pause. “even though you’re kind of emo.” then break into a cackle and beg you not to get up and leave

NSFW

• absolutely loves how your black makeup runs down your face when he tails the fuck out of you

• he loves the sight of your hair scattered across the bed as he pins you down, mascara running down your cheeks as you cry in pleasure

• he loves when you have dark lipstick on and kiss all over his body. gladly takes pictures of it and posts it on his private twitter

• usually after sex his face is covered in dark lipstick smudged over his swollen lips and flushed cheeks

• he loves ripping your dark thigh highs apart, immediately delving in your goods with the thin cloth RIPPED APART so easily.

• sometimes gets frustrated because of the layers to your outfits

• he's a switch, loves when you dom him and leave him a begging crying mess with lipstick marks on his thighs and hardened buds on his chest

will never ever stop joking about “you love dark things? let me make some dark ass marks on that pretty little neck.” while he growls and pulls you onto his lap with a cheeky grin

[lalalian]

dragon riding equipment | aethergarde academy dr

date: november 23, 2024

it's been a sec since i've done a longer post (like a little over a week or smth.. right?)

I was busy with my finals... I still am, but like... I miss posting 😭😭

Equipment will be outlined in aethergarde's student handbook too!

ANYWAY-- enjoy this incredibly long post! I'm sorry if there are any typos, I don't feel like looking over everything (T-T)

how to get your equipment (kinda)

It's pretty easy to find shops that sell dragon riding equipment in cities-- but in rural towns and villages, this kind of equipment can be almost impossible to find near you.

If you are not starting off as a noble like me, buy your equipment within the first week of school-- actually, no, get it ASAP. You should, ideally, start looking for equipment after you retrieve your egg (you need to get your egg as soon as you get to campus).

What if you don't have the equipment by the time you need to start using it? You'll be left out of lessons, standing off to the side while your peers fight or fly, which will absolutely tank your grades.

You should have your equipment before the first month of school ends.

If I have a month to get said equipment, why not wait?

There are lots of dragon riding equipment shops, but not all of them are of good quality. Rough half of the students attending Aethergarde will not be nobles, on top of that, nobles will commission the best shops-- especially luxury brand shops-- to custom make their armory, saddles, etc.

This makes the dragon equipment market rather busy around this time of year.

BUT

I'll help ya'll out, though, I can't promise you'll be the only commissioning things from these places.

school supplies list

let's start with the obvious, you'll need either an enchanted fountain pen, a regular fountain pen + ink, or some quills and ink. Quills and ink are cheaper, they're the equivalent to like, wooden pencils. Fountain pens have the same reputation as mechanical pencils. Enchanted fountain pens are really trendy! Definitely also get a set of gum wax, aka waxers (erasers); kids like to call them gummies (fruit gummy resembling snacks are called jellies here!)

You should get basic stuff like loose parchment (loose leaf paper), an academy bag (a backpack, highly recommend a messenger type bag), and writing books (notebooks to take notes in)

dragon mounting gear: includes such things like a saddle and reins, very similar to horse gear

wind-breaking charm OR riding goggles OR a riding visor: Wind-breaking charms are pretty hard to find-- I mean it's not impossible, but it's just not cheap. Riding goggles are an old rider thing, they aren't used much anymore. Riding goggles look like your typical steampunk-esque goggles. If you want a physical facial wind breaker, get a riding visor. Riding visors look similar to ski visors, but the glass lookin part tends to be tinted orange due to a strong sunglasses effect.

kinda like this ^^^^ but w/o the gas mask; if anyone's got a better idea for this btw, plz let me know!

I'm still in the works with this aspect.. mostly bc I feel like the visors don't fit the fantastical aesthetic-- but I didn't want to immediately default to using magic and charms because I want the rider uniforms to be more unique than the typical 'fighting leathers', yk? Idk, maybe the décolletage cover is unique enough.

Other sight wind-breaking options:

wind-protectant eyedrops: these are rather new (has been released to the market a year before you shift here) the liquid is runny like normal eyedrops when you put them in your eyes, but the substance begins to form a film over your eyes. The film feels exactly like contacts, so it's easy to forget the substance is still on your eye. The film only lasts for a few hours (the film will eventually dissolve), and does not do any damage to the eye. To manually remove it, use the 'antidote' eye drops (wind protectant eyedrops and antidote eyedrops are sold in a set) to lubricate your eyes, then after blinking a few times, remove the film by softly pinching it out of the eye (NOT WITH UR NAILS, USE THE PADS OF YOUR FINGERTIPS!!!). The downside to these eyedrops is that they do not protect against the sun; though, sun-resistance eyedrops are starting to come to the market. You must make sure the sun eyedrops are wind-protectant friendly, or the sun eyedrops won't stick to the film, causing the sun eyedrops to leave your eyes too quickly. These eyedrops are also pretty expensive, but it's still less expensive than rider grade wind-breaker charms.

rider grade sun-resistance charm: A lot of people carry these around just in general, especially during summer, but the one's you should buy should be rider grade. Rider sun charms are stronger and are made to be used when you're flying in the sky for long periods of time. Sun charms need to be replaced every few months; all sun-resistance charms have to (legally) have a label that gradually changes to black-- the darker it is, the less it works. It typically starts to darken after two months of use.

moving on--

fighting attire: Unfortunately, it's not ideal to fight in aethergarde's uniform-- But, it's not like it's impossible if you take the outer coat off. Speaking of uniforms, Aethergarde provides a fighting garment set that comes with the formal uniform (the pretty one). You're required to wear it for fighting lessons, including outside missions; in your third, fourth, and fifth years, you can start replacing elements of your uniform with better material. Why not simply allow students to get their own fighting garments from the start? Students need to know how to fight wearing armor made for higher ranking riders-- the material is different from lower ranking riders' uniform.

you'd be wearing smth like this but w/o all the stringy bits! consists of a lot of wild dragon hide.

a weapon: you'll need to have chosen a weapon before the end of the second month!

optional riding supplies

décolletage cover: Main purpose is to provide warmth for the face and neck area without compromising movement. It's highly recommended-- plus, you'll look cool. Many décolletage covers are charmed to always be warm and protect against harmful gases.

often looks like this but less kinky looking and the bottom part is fitted to the chest-- also not all of them have this same design, but they all do cover the same areas.

it'd fit like this ^^^^ to the body!

riding gloves: helps you have a better grip with weapons or to your saddle. If you're planning to sleep on your dragon while it flies, there's a little belt mechanism that you can loop through the front of the dragon saddle that attaches your hands to the saddle. This helps keep your body from sliding off the dragon during flight. If the front of your saddle isn't comfortable, you can loop the belt through any belt buckle on the dragon; the most common place is around the bottom of the dragon's neck (pictured in the 2nd pic). It's best to get black gloves, but brown can also work.

the highlighted yellow area is, relatively, where the most popular glove attachment is (for napping). There'd be more belts and stuff around the dragon btw, I just didn't feel like doing all that shit.

belt vial holder: you can place travel sized containers of potion bottles in the best + you can attach charms to the belt too

flight bag(s): This bag can be easily attached to your dragon's saddle, most saddles can hold up to 2-4 bags. Bags in general can be tailored to become flight bags, but it's best if the bag has some sort of tight buckle-- you don't want your bag to fall open when you're flying around!

these kinds of bags are common riding bag designs! if you have a smaller satchel you like bringing around, you can put it inside of one of these bags

how to get your equipment (actually) pt.2

Like I mentioned earlier, it's better to buy rider equipment in cities rather than villages and small towns. During rider season, it won't be uncommon to see a bunch of stalls along the streets selling rider stuff.

Getting stuff like academy bags, belt vial holders, and travel bottles from stalls isn't a bad idea, but it's always best to get your most important equipment from an expert with a good reputation.

Unless you know the crafter is great at making everything-- extremely durable saddles, reins, weapons, and fighting attire, you should go to shops that specialize in each part.

recommended shops:

Since common street shops will be busy this time of year, I'm going to recommend you some underground shops.

I cannot guarantee that these places will be completely empty, as they're all well-known in their own right, but they all will be able to cater to you before all of your deadlines.

Make sure you bring the actual school supplies list with you!

middle steed

Name: Aadam El-Hussein

Specialization: dragon saddles, belts, and flight bags

Summary: After his father's arthritis in the hands started becoming worse, Aadam took over Middle Stead. His dad still helps around at the tannery though! As with all the shopkeepers, Aadam and his father are extremely passionate about their jobs. Don't be afraid to ask for any innovative features; like if you think you'd sleep a lot on dragonback, you can ask Aadam to make the saddle more comfortable for you to lay in a certain position. If you're extremely worried about safety, you can always ask to have other safety features implemented in the design.

To get here:

Find the Dragonmead Brewery in Itresal (the city Aethergarde Academy is located in) the alehouse is located on Millmount Street.

There should be a space between that brewery and the bakery next to it-- go down that alleyway and pass two wooden doors. When you get to that third door, knock; either an old man (Aadam's dad) or Aadam himself will open the door

From there, you can order a saddle and all the appropriate equipment you need

Some tips:

Get another saddle commissioned by him every two years; dragons grow relatively fast, so simple tailoring won't always suffice

You can put off getting saddles until your dragon near rider flight age

Instead of bringing your dragon to Middle Stead, bring him into Aethergarde. He'll need measurements to make a proper saddle

Any metal (like in the buckles) should be plated with a matte coat or cold black iron

storm forage

Name: Reynard Ulysses

Specialization: Dragon rider armor and rider fighting attire

Summary: Reynard was born into a rural farmer family, but after his older brother ended up being a rider, Reynard moved to Itresal with his brother. Since Reynard was often tasked with preparing hide, he decided to work at a local butcher shop to help his brother financially. Oftentimes, his brother would come home and complain that he needed to replace his fighting garments. The two of them couldn't afford to keep buying cheap fighting attire, so Reynard started learning how to make it himself. Eventually, he started selling his products to other people-- over the years, he's honed his skills, and became known in underground spaces for having great fighting attire.

To get here:

Located in the southern part of Itresal in Ranger's Way

Go down the alleyway between Steel Whim (blacksmith) and the Loving Fowl Inn

Walk straight until you reach a fork; walk through the rightmost path, then go left at the end of the path

There should be a wooden sign that says Storm Forage on a door; knock on that door, you can order from there

Some tips:

You may see Callisto here

Everything you wear has to be matte; tell Reynard to plate any metal on your fighting attire with cold black iron

waning moon burrows (face wear)

Name: Yessuf Yohannes Tarik

Specialization: rider goggles, rider visors, cloaks, aerodynamic magitech

Summary: Yessuf is the only one out of all the merchants so far who was born of noble status; however, he left home to escape from the classic noble lifestyle in his early 20s. He no longer wants to be a noble, and simply identifies as a commoner. Yessuf was particularly driven to escape his luxurious life to pursue his passions and sell his products at a more reasonable price. Ever since he was young, he had a strong affinity for engineering, but when magitech came around, he took his passion to a whole different level. Though is not a dragon rider, he was always fascinated by dragons, this spurred him on to make technology that would aid riders. Yessuf is an innovative prodigy; Yessuf's shop is most likely to be busier than the all of the ones I've mentioned so far.

To get here:

Located in the central part of Itresal in Quarry Avenue

Find The Pioneer Brewery and ask for a "vermond tea served with a stick of sweetbark"

The bartender will ask you to come to the back to see the new selection of sweetbark; follow the bartender, they will take you to Waning Moon

Some tips:

Literally every single product this guy sells is amazing. Not a single one is bad, he puts in a lot of effort to make everything he sells as good as he can make it

Only sells wind-resistance charms on the weekend, but sells wind an sun-resistance eyedrops Monday, Wednesday, and Friday

His wind-sun resistance eyedrops and his wind-resistance charms sell really quick

if there's something you want that he doesn't actively sell, like, perhaps... a flying ship.. you can commission him to make one, but you will prob need to provide him with a lot of the materials

You should get wind-sun resistance charms here; they're cheaper because Yessuf does not base the price on existing market value

the dew drop: potion's shop

Name: Katherine Dowenstein (Blonde lady), Lorelai Dowenstein (Brown hair)

Specialization: Potions, tonics, elixirs, balms, herbs

Summary: Katherine Dowenstein grew up in an orphanage. Despite that, her life was rather peaceful growing up. Since she loved going outdoors, cooking, and baking, her caregivers often remarked that she'd be a great apocathary when she's older. Determined to meet their expectations, she began learning all about different plants and potions through both books and experience. When she was older, she decided to work in a potions' shop, but hated the restrictions placed on her. Kathie grew to hate her job, and her love for potions waned, but it wasn't until she healed a child who was thought to have an incurable disease secretly by giving the child tonics Kathie believed had a chance at helping her through her illness. That child was Lorelai; after she recovered, Lorelai begged to become Kathie's apprentice. By Kathie's request, Lorelai lied and told her parents and everyone else that her body simply fought the virus on its own. Kathie didn't want a lot of people knowing about her skills, as she didn't want to be confined by strict regulations any longer. Kathie started her own potion's shop; Lorelai helps her out.

To get here:

There's two different ways

One way is to find Lorelai; she frequents a bread shop called Crumb Hours at 8AM-10AM to read a book and eat before she goes to work (Mon-Fri)

Ask her if she's reading Time of Barbury by Guinevere Roth; she'll say yes, and she'll ask you to join her on her walk back to The Dew Drop at 10AM

Another way is to find the way to the shop yourself

To do this, go to the same bakery that Lorelai likes to go to, Crumb Hours, and go down the alleyway located between the bakery and Utred's Lenses

Go straight down until you reach the area where the path deviates; go left, continue down the path until you come across a fork

Go down the middle path; then knock on a door labelled The Dew Drop

Notice that the area is not the shop is not selling any potions-- only herbs

Lorelai will answer; tell her if she's selling the book Time of Barbury

She'll nod, and she'll take you down a trapdoor, which you lead you to the actual store

Once you see Kathie, you know you're in the right place

Some tips:

Katherine prefers to go by Kathie!

Ok so do note that the regulations placed on potions and tonics are there to (obviously) make sure that potions and stuff are safe to consume, but since it's so strict, it's hard to be innovative, and use different kinds of ingredients and recipes to make potions

"but what about weapons?"

You'll need to go to a shop that specifically caters to your weapon type; if the store sells weapons that aren't closely related to each other (like swords, bows, and scythes), it's unlikely that to shop is of the best quality. if a shop sells only daggers and swords, that means that the people making the equipment are actually specialized in making those weapons. Since there are so many weapon types, I don't think I can make shopkeepers for each!

[earls-wife]

The reposts have begun! The Wife and Earl have been married for a few years in this one.

As always female reader only!

Warnings: aesthetic appreciation of body parts, memories of sex, mentions of claw marks/bites and hickeys, stripping, possible food reference, the Earl speaks French to you

Mon bijou- my jewel

Tarts

"Why are you so anxious Mon bijou? Did that head of yours start telling lies again?" The way his voice caressed me was a blessing, as was the way his gloved hand traces my back in gentle strokes.

Poised over a letter I had ruined yet another piece of paper with dripping ink from a quill he had gotten me.

Crumpling the mess I threw it to the side haphazardly to join the others. "Yes and no, it's difficult to say really." His gentle smile and sapphire eyes met me with comfort when my head rested on his stomach to peer up at him.

"I understand. We both are cruel to ourselves are we not?" His soft lips and sharp jaw move eloquently as he speaks.

"Indeed. We should learn to do better."

"And we will, in time." In a fluid motion I'm lifted from the chair and into his arms, skirts billowing about us. "As you tell me, a break will do you good, so let us spend some time together away from our minds."

I laugh cupping his cheek to kiss the prickled skin. He would need to shave soon, for appearances sake. "And what does my lord have in mind? We are creatures of habit after all, our minds are our palaces."

"A primal practice."

"Primal?" My brow lifts wondering if he was insinuating what I thought he was as he carried me to the day room. There I found tarts of different delights to welcome me.

Setting me down on the lounge he leans over me, hair falling in his face as he chases each breath I take. "Did you have something else in mind?" He purred.

"Not at all." I smirk, brushing our noses along each other while a hand strokes his white cotton sleeve. His arms weren't bulky like most men I saw work the kitchens or garden where we stayed. His arms were lean and precise, chiseled from marble with great care by a master carver. Those cufflinks at his wrists were an enemy to my wandering fingers. He knew this of course, delighted in the games we played despite the many years we had known one another.

"Pity. I was so excited to eat these off you." He challenges my bluff, pulling away to serve himself a tart of a deep red. The red I wore for him across my lips.

Those lips pursed as I had been had by him. Again. Most of the time he won our games since he was so smart. Intelligent really, more so than any man I'd known.

Watching his posture relax an idea came to mind and I acted.

"Indeed what a pity. After all, I do believe it's your turn to be my plate." Bracing myself on my arms I smiled as he stilled and looked over. Setting his current pastry down he spoke.

"Is it now?"

"Yes."

The word came out boldly and his eyes widened. For a second I wondered if I had gone to far, his past always a gorge between us.

To my surprise I watched him wipe his hands on a wet towel and start to loosen his clothes. Lucky, lucky me.

His fingers sliding against a tiny button forcing it back through the shapely fabric of his shirt drawing my eye. I could get lost in those fingers. I could recall their taste on my tongue when he stuck them between my lips. His praise as I cried out in ecstasy when he'd been pounding into my core. Those fingers prying music from me that even I hadn't heard before. But he was ever expectant to pull me down into the throws of passion with him everytime we made love.

That porcelain skin, I knew the texture of it. Reveled in it when it caressed my own. Never rough, no facet of his body ever was despite the sharp lines his structure created. That stark white shirt fell away to reveal the supple muscles beneath. Tongue longing to lick the divets of each shadow cast, the pink healthy glow of his skin reminded me of a blossom in spring. Untouched and ready to be devoured.

The bite marks across his neck and collarbone make me smirk. Still bold and bright as the claw lines down his spine from the night before. Mine.

"Distracted already?" He teased undoing the buttons on his pants knowing where my eyes lingered.

I lick my lips. "Not at all. Just eager to eat."

[caelisfashiondiary]

౨ৎ₊˚⊹♡How I would dress "The Tortured Poets Department" Album ₊˚⊹♡₊ ⊹

+ a way to in-depth analysis over some imaginary clothes for a basically imaginary album

2.4.24

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@taylornation

@taylorswift

Edit: this was made before the title tracks dropped! so analysis regarding that will not be in this post, although I will be making a "how I would dress each track title" which should be posted within the next couple of days, it will focus a lot more on the fashion aspect!

INTRODUCTION

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please bear in mind we only have an album cover and a short epigraph! We don't know alot about this album but I'll always be a sucker for album aesthetics and the personification of Taylor albums (@alefvernon im looking at you!) if you think this album will look completely different that's ok! This is just for fun, I can't wait for the actual album to come out to see if I feel different about any of my choices! so here is my interpretation of "The Tortured Poets Department" by @taylorswift !

In order to think of the fashion we might be able to associate with this new album, (not necessarily the style or outfits taylor will wear during this era, just how the aesthetic of the album will feel, and what people will associate it with after listening in full, like how we did with Folklore) we have to look at the cover of the album along with the epigraph.

The Cover

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Now, looking at the title alone, "The Tortured Poets Department" we immediately are aware of the literary asepct of this new album, with the word "Poet" literally being in the title, that alone already gives at least somewhat of an idea of where fashion could go, maybe somewhere in the academia sphere.

After looking at the title, the cover gives a completely different vibe (at least to me) to what I was expecting. Taylor seems to be laying in a bed, with a pair of tight black shorts and a sheer tank. The first thing I thought of when I saw the cover of this album was ancient greek statues, now please bear with me, you're probably saying "how did you even think of the connection" and all I have to say to that is that it was completely off of vibes alone, that's really all there is to it lol. I will say that the color scheme of the light black and white gave me the idea in the first place, compared to her other black and white albums (Reputation and Folklore) this album seems to lean towards the lighter side, whereas Reputation leaned more towards the darker side, and folklore was more a dark gray. I feel like this lean towards a lighter and more bright Black and white will reflect in the album and its choices.

The Epigraph+ The Deluxe CD

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Now onto the epigraph.

"and so I enter into evidence, My tarnished coat of arms My muses, acquired like bruises My talismans and charms the tick tick tick of Love Bombs my veins of pitch black ink All's fair in love and poetry Sincerly, The Chairman of the Tortured Poets Department - Taylor Swift "The Tortured Poets Department"

This little epigraph is once again, leaning into the literary aspect. If we were to take this epigraph extremely seriously (in the terms of fashion and aesthetic) these are the words that stick out to me, and what i gathered from them.

enter into evidence

detective, suit, business professional,

Colors: grays, white, black

tarnished coat of arms

battle, chainlink armor, ancient greek statues (its just the vibe to me ok!?)

Colors: gray and black

talisman and charms

Witchy, magic, supernatural

Colors: light pink, purple, and blue

love bombs

similar to talisman and charms, this reminds me of magic and witchy things. potion, spell,

Colors: light pink, red

veins of pitch black ink

quill pens, fountain pens, feeling so passionate about something that it literally engulfs you

colors: black

This epigraph gives us a slightly better look on what this album will be about, giving a better look and a better idea of what the aesthetic might be like. This album to me so far is really giving a department of detective's trying to solve a case of a lost love, and how to deal with that through poetry. ONCE AGAIN, this is completely my opinion of what we have so far and once we get more info this could change! we're working with scraps right now.

The deluxe CD also influenced my idea of the album concept, the file tab named artifacts, the patches (?) of the logo are giving old school detective department logos, as well as the bonus track being called "manuscript". It's all giving, lets solve a case, (im trying so hard not to think of the scooby doo gang rn)

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So, with all the evidence we've acquired what do I think this albums aesthetic (given by the fans) will look like? I know in my analysis I talked lots about the detective, finding evidence side of it, but really that type of aesthetic is not what I think will be at the forefront of the style of this album, it will no doubt be apart of it, but I am more focused on the Poets part of it.

I think the main focus on the fashion of this album will relate to Poets, spilled ink, and a mess of papers (like you would find in a poets workspace, or a detective's desk.)

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now, we all know that taylor likes to hint at her next era with outfits (for example, how she started hinting at Lover by wearing more pastel colors towards the end of the Reputation era) so lets look at what she's been wearing for the past couple of weeks before the announcement of "The Tortured Poets Department"

As shown above, Taylor has been seen wearing LOTS of plaid the past couple weeks and months, short pleated plaid skirts, with a dark long sleeve top or sweater (you can't tell because of the crop, but in the picture with Selena she is wearing a plaid skirt) and she has recently been rocking a trench coat style coat to go along with these outfits. This gives us an idea of the album as a whole (once again, the rep into lover example, by dressing in lighter more pastel colors, she told us that lover would be brighter and overall "happier" then REP) but what does this transition mean for The Tortured Poets Department"?

Well, plaid is often associated with academia, it is often found in european universities, as well as many schools with uniforms have plaid within the uniform. This tells us once again that she is really leaning into the literary and poetry side for this album (take a shot everytime i say that) the warm colors of the skirts and coats also give a cozy and academic feel to it.

I'm going to take the outfits taylor has recently been shown wearing, and what i took away from what we have so far of the album, and build my outfits that way, so finally....

here is how I would dress "The Tortured Poets Department" by Taylor Swift !

I feel like plaid skirts and layering are KEY to this era, turtlenecks black/white see through tights, vests, mary janes/doc martins are also other pieces that I feel fit the vibe of this album. We have seen taylor wearing pieces like this recently (plaid skirts, sweaters, doc martins/mary janes) so like I said before this could be a hint towards the aura for the new era. I've also seen a lot of people comparing this new era to Folklore, which there are some similarities, in the black and white theme, and how the way the epigraph was written which was very similar to Folklore's writing style; However, I feel that the styles and fashion for these albums will differ extremely. For example....

The Folklore Era was all about loose fitting clothing, though we didn't get to see much of taylor during this era because of the pandemic, it doesnt change the fact that everything that she wore during this era was loose fitting. In comparison to The Tortured Poets Department, where in real life she has been more form fitting with her outfit choices, looking for a more fitted look and showing more skin then she did in the Folklore era, and the cover for TTPD shows exactly that. So though both albums have very similar moods, with both being black and white, and seeming to be literary driven, that does not mean they would be dressed the same, TTPD in my opinion is short plaid skirts, fitted blazers that accentuates your body type, pearl necklaces. The only type of loose fitting clothing I think I could see in this era would have to be matched with a tighter counterpart (ex/ loose sweater with short skirt or loose trousers with a tighter top)

For another compare and contrast with the Folklore Era, I feel like TTPD would wear trench coats like Folklore did, but TTPD would wear them more form fitting and shorter to show off some sheer tights and a black mary jane, or high boot.

Overall, i think TTPD would go for a very classic, academic look. Think pearls, brown leather bags paired with a fur trimmed gloves, slacks and sweaters, circular glasses, silk bows, sweetheart necklines and fitted at the waist maxi dresses, mary janes, loafers, neutrals. with the information we have so far I think TTPD will give us old money chic looks, as well as academia and old hollywood inspired outfits!

So that's that! I hope you enjoyed me rambling on for who knows how many words about this new album which I am SO excited over! I needed to end this at some point before taylor releases more information. (ex/releasing the track titles!!! That already changed my theory a teensy bit) this post ended up being a lot more analysis than I expected, but my next post about how I would dress the Track Titles will be much more focuses soley on the fashion aspect!

tell me what you think!

do you have a different image of TTPD in your head?

what do you think the album will sound like?

I will probably go into this more later and edit if I feel the need, I want to get this out or else I'll write forever. until next time!

[fancy-rock-dove]

Chapter Head Art for Maybe Sprout Wings (Full set)

I have had just, So Much Fun working on these. This story really is built on such a great concept, and with such fantastic worldbuilding, and with action so thoroughly in tune with its themes that it really does reward digging into. @moorishflower's writing kills me in the best of ways (and in the sleep deprivation kind of ways but I have no regrets), and designing them was a great time. And on top of that, everyone here has been just, so lovely, so I'm very excited to post the full set of chapter head illustrations!

Stylistic consistency continues to elude me, but hopefully these look like a matched enough set regardless. Cursive titles are the chapter titles, block print is my own title for the illustration. Just for fun, and in tribute to the (probably truly unhinged) amount of time I spent thinking about Symbolism while making these, I'm including one selected Fun Fact relevant to my thoughts on some part of each of these at the bottom of this post in case that interests anyone!

Ch 1: Baobabs are some of the oldest living flowering plants on the planet and can live up to two millennia. I have a lot of feelings about the sheer volume of life these trees can contain (both spatially and in time) and what that means for how we look at them.

Ch 2: If Abel were looking to avoid anachronism, he could still absolutely have left out books that were machine-printed with moveable type, but they'd probably have to have been in Chinese or Korean, from somewhere that had already widely adopted the technology by the 14th century.

Ch 3: Homer's works contain what is believed to be the first written mention of apples in Ancient Greece. Its writing is about as many centuries removed from the events of the Odyssey as the events of this chapter are from the first recorded mention of apples in England.

Ch 4: An ink quill is definitely more aesthetic, but graphite had actually been discovered in England and pencils invented in the decades prior to Shakespeare's first writings. It's entirely possible he could've been jotting down quick notes with a pencil like any stagehand today.

Ch 5: Though Corinthian style architecture is named for the Greek city of Corinth, with which it's associated, its inventor Callimachus is actually thought to be Athenian. The spiny, curling acanthus leaves used in its motifs are generally associated with long life, immortality, and rebirth. Go figure.

Ch 6: Symbolically, clovers are a sign that others are thinking of you. They're associated with good fortune, and apparently also male energy, and seen as a sign of protection. Excellent Fiddler's Green groundcover here.

Ch 7: Three-masted, fully-rigged ships became common in Europe by the 16th or 17th centuries during the Age of Sail because the extra space for sails became more necessary with the increase in open-ocean voyages. Making them the go-to type of vessel for both trade and exploration.

Ch 8: The simple but effective design of drop spindles is largely unchanged from their first documented use in the first century CE. there's evidence of their use for spinning (making a single, stronger thread from many disparate fibers) dating back at least to the advent of agriculture, some 10,000 years ago. Definitely what I picture Clotho using.

Ch 9: The fractal, branching structures of roots, lightning, and Lichtenberg figures are all self-similar: you can get much closer and they'll still appear very similar or identical to the way they were at a distance.

Ch 10: The throne room scenes of Sandman were shot in Guildford Cathedral. The Dreaming's Castle was intentionally designed to be a mashup of a whole ton of architectural styles, but the facade and throne room definitely feel gothic or neo-gothic. It's been a classic for centuries and the gothic-style window is definitely the kind I picture Hob's room having, at least on days the castle's feeling a bit fancy.

Ch 11: The item at the front left there is a weaving shuttle. According to Artemidorus, while dreaming of most kinds of looms indicates that you should expect rest, dreaming of a warp-weighted loom -- the kind which was common in bronze-age Greece and enables multiple people to work together on the weaving -- indicates an upcoming journey.

Ch 12: I feel like I've already talked about the symbolism of this one elsewhere, so for this one, instead of a fact, a comment (that I found fun): The binding circle in this only shows up in areas covered by the puddle of the Dreaming Sea, the means by which the nature of the "gilded ring" was elucidated. :)

Ch 13: Greek ships often had eyes on their bow, which among other things, was intended to imbue them with some will and ability to avoid obstacles. The Argo famously had eyes and also some innate awareness/intelligence, and could actually speak to the crew.

Ch 14: While Calliope, muse of epic poetry and eloquence (and the one invoked at the beginning of the Odyssey) is associated with a book, scroll, or tablet, Erato, muse of romantic poetry and love stories, is depicted in crowns of rose and myrtle. My title for this one was very nearly just (Invocation pt. ii). Also, I have a headcanon that Dream has only seen very bad performances of the Odysseyif ( he's seen any at all) since antiquity. Any show that literally begins by calling his ex is something he's not gonna stay for unless he's really sure she won't actually show up.

Whew! thanks to anyone who actually read to the end of my rambling here! Clearly this whole story has been really, really fun to just turn over in my mind. Cool stuff just keeps falling out of it! Since I would literally be two photos under Tumblr's limit on this post otherwise, how about a couple bonus alternate versions at the end here? Because why not?? I added some red accents to a couple of these for fun, and though it doesn't fit the for the chapter headings, I do think it looks cool!

[catofadifferentcolor]

Random Harry Potter Thoughts (1/?): Writing Implements

I'm a huge fan of documentaries, which is why I found myself wondering while watching a series on Medieval Life why Hogwarts uses quills and parchment.

There's obvious aesthetic reasons, especially if you want to write about a magical culture that is separate culturally and politically from the modern muggle world, and which seems to have had no meaningful changes since the introduction of the Hogwarts Express.

And yet parchment is incredibly difficult to make. You have to prepare the untanned skins of sheep, goats, and cows in a laborious process that takes muggles days, if not weeks, for a single hide. Undoubtably magic can make that process faster, but it still leaves the question of where the magical world is getting enough animal hide to meet their daily needs. It could take a herd of up to 300 cows to produce enough parchment for a Bible - how many would be needed to produce the many books published by the Wizarding World each year, not to mention provide for the educational needs of all of the students enrolled in Hogwarts? And if these books aren't printed on parchment, why insist on its use for letters, homework, and notes? (And I would point out, The Daily Prophet appears to be printed on muggle newsprint.)

Then there are the quills. Even assuming magic makes it so each quill lasts longer than a muggle version would and doesn't require the same amount of sharpening, they're still not very good writing implements. Again, even assuming magic can reduce the need to stop and refill ink, it's a rather slower going than even a dip pen and requires specialized education to use - which naturally puts muggle-born and muggle-raised students at a disadvantage. Add on to this that most birds can only provide 10-12 good-quality quills a season and a student can be expected to lose that many in a single year... and now you're talking about massive flocks of birds as well which must be maintained to ensure the Wizarding World can write on all its parchment.

Perhaps the Malfoy family built their wealth supplying this market, and all those peacocks are just the prettiest part of the many flocks which must be needed for the day to day needs of the population.

Granted, much of this could be offloaded to the muggle sector, but who in the muggle world makes parchment on a commercial scale these days? And even if Wizards are just buying the untanned skins, there's still a massive magical industry that has to back it up - how many Hogwarts graduates are needed to fuel it? - to say nothing about the brows this will surly raise among muggle animal rights groups.

And this doesn't even touch on ink-making to supply all those quills - and all the potioneers or enchanters that must be needed to give them their magical properties.

So I think in the course of this rant I found my answer: economics. Enough Wizards must be involved in the sale, production, and maintenance of the parchment, quill, and ink industries that to change to muggle methods would disrupt a number of - potentially economically and politically powerful - livelihoods. You can couch it in tradition, dress it up in politics, and spend your days simply saying this is what we've always done, but in the end money talks.