#catholic queen

[artthatgivesmefeelings]

De Mariano Yzquierdo y Vivas (Cuban-born Spanish, 1893 - 1985) Isabel I de Castilla, 1940 Museo del Ejército, Toledo

[castilestateofmind]

"Pizarro started from nothing, rising to a life of conquest and glory. He toppled the Inca with an act of Odyssean cunning. After years of war, he went out in a blaze of glory, fighting off assassins even in his old age… is this not Bronze Age Mindset?

Is this not greatness?".

-Alaric the Barbarian.

[lostl1sbons1ster]

[oleandro-drag]

saint sebastian tended by saint irene but they're both drag artists

felt like this might be something this site would enjoy

on stage: oleandro & delfi oraakel, photographer: peroksiid (on ig as oleandro_drag, delfi_oraakel and peroksiid)

[neo--queen--serenity]

The Black Butler revival will, of course, in this day and age, be the complete embodiment of pro-ship vs. anti-ship discourse, given the subject matter.

But for those of you who are watching this for the first time in 2024 (which includes myself!), there are certain things about the show you simply must understand, for the sake of media literacy.

The first is that Black Butler is supernatural gothic romanticism at its core. This genre alone should tell you that the relationships integral to the plot will be complex, messy, and toxic, by default. That is not only a huge part of this genre’s appeal, but very much the point of the story.

The themes are dark, the terrible things that happen to the main characters are dark, and therefore the relationships at the forefront (and in the background) will reflect that.

The gothic genre has been alluringly popular for over a century (longer, if you know your history) because audiences are entranced by the macabre, the tainted antiheroes, the monsters who live inside us all. It’s popular for a reason.

That being said, understand that whether you, the viewer, ship Sebastian and Ciel or not is irrelevant. Their bond doesn’t need to be understood as romantic or sexual, but it sure as hell isn’t normal. It isn’t healthy. And the audience knows that. That’s the draw. It’s what makes them compelling to watch.

Ciel and Sebastian’s relationship mirrors many gothic novels, poems, and penny dreadfuls written in the Victorian Era (the very same time period in which Kuroshitsuji takes place). The Victorian folks who read these tales for the first time ate that shit up, because it was tantalizing. It was shocking. It was inappropriate, and monstrous, and violent, and erotic, and went against societal norms. But that was the point.

A huge part of gothic romanticism is the blatant sexualization of the relationship between the “monstrous” characters and their human counterparts in the story. Sex itself doesn’t need to take place for their bond to be sexually charged. The forbidden nature of their relationship—which typically involves layers of social taboos, moral ambiguity, or simple infatuation—is what makes their interactions erotic. Sexual contact rarely ever actually happens in these stories. It’s the taboo nature of their bond that creates the tension.

One of the many reasons audiences love this genre is the constant question of morality in its themes. Who, between them, is the real monster? Could the human character have ever been saved? This genre is often associated with tragedy, because the bond forged between the characters in these stories are destined to end in death and destruction. The reader knows it can’t end any other way. How can it?

But an integral element of these gothic tales is the catharsis that comes with this tragedy. The corrupted human often gets what they want in the end, even if it’s at the cost of their own life. Whether they regret their choice to foster this monstrous relationship varies on the story, but it doesn’t change the trajectory of their descent.

Sebastian and Ciel’s relationship is the whole plot of Black Butler. Their closeness bears a grotesque ick factor, but it is deliberate. It is a constant reminder of how unnatrual their bond truly is. Rationalizing or watering down how abnormal they are about each other misses the point entirely. They will never have a normal, healthy relationship, and that’s what moves the plot forward.

That’s why you’re watching it.

[thomascromwelll]

Aneurin Barnard as Richard III in The White Queen | 1x09

[angelspearlheart]

[belle-keys]

The Greens: Queen Alicent Hightower

“What have I done but what was expected of me? Forever upholding the kingdom, the family, the law. While you flout all to do as you please. Where is duty? Where is sacrifice? It's trampled under your pretty foot again.”

– House of the Dragon Season 1 Episode 7, "Driftmark"

[virginangelgrl]

all white frills.

[castilestateofmind]

Queen Joanna "the Mad" of Castile watching over the casket of her dead husband Philip I of Castile.

Francisco Pradilla, 1877

[dirtytransmasc]

ok but like, Modest!Alicent Hightower au (more modest than she already is) cause I feel like it, it adds ✨layers✨

Alicent who veils her hair during her day to day life, elegant laces and silks adorning her long ginger-brown hair, covering it completely at the Sept.

Alicent who wears dresses with long heavy skirts and always covers her elbows with billowing sleeves.

Alicent who conceals her silhouette with thick shaping garments. they also just helped her back during her pregnancies and taking care of kids (her servants recommended them so she'd have full range of motion and support)

Alicent who was stripped of her modesty, her dignity and sense of security whenever Viserys wanted her. stripped of it by her own father when he sent her to Viserys's chambers in a dress that didn't cover as much as she would have liked, especially when she visited a man with those (silent) instructions.

Alicent who lets her hair down around people she trusts. covering it around Rhaenyra after she abandoned her, a blow to Rhaenyra, a blatant "you hurt me and broke my trust". letting Criston see her hair after he becomes her sworn sword. covering in front of Viserys until he demands she stops. Alicent putting a little makeshift veil on her daughter, who wanted to look like her mum, promising it would protect her from how loud the world was.

Alicent who only trusts her closest servants to dress her, and even then insists on being in a full shift before they can come in.

Alicent who felt stripped bare while giving birth to her children.

little Alicent looking up to her mum who was also very modest, and spending her childhood playing in long skirts.

Alicent who wears shawls and scarves out in public or at events. Criston watches to make sure she remains properly covered. her hands fiddling with the patterns or tassels while she talks to others.

Alicent doing this with her kids:

Criston offering her his cloak when she's put in bad situations like sudden crowds or outings.

wearing flowy but opaque fabrics during the summers, looking ethereal and goddess-like with her layers skirts and sleeves.

the whole Larys situation being even more sickening.

all 3 of her sons being protective of her modesty alongside Criston, always offering their cloaks to her or standing to block her from the wind or wandering eyes. Aegon holding her veil in place when it's windy, Aemond placing a cloak over her in public, Daeron fiercely defending his mum from lusting glances or lingering stares.

Helaena continuing to veil with her mum when they go out, they love matching veils and trying ornate styles.

Alicent fixing her daughters veil in attempts to get it to stay in on dragon back. it doesn't. but they don't mind the extra bonding time none the less.

gold veils that literally make her look like she's dripping in gold.

tucking her babes in her shawls or holding them against her skirts that are practically swallowing them whole.

Alicent collecting layers. Ornate undergarments that cover her arms in gold and embroidered patterns, some almost like tapestries others more simple. undershirts that cover her neck, with "choker" patterns and sewn in jewels. modest nightgowns and robes made of the softest, most breathable fabrics in existence.

covering her face on holy days/days of importance.

I just have so many thoughts.

[isabelleneville]

@perioddramasource: Period Drama Appreciation Week 2024

day five | favourite aesthetic

R E N A I S S A N C E / E A R L Y M O D E R N C A T H O L I C I S M (as shown in The Borgias, The White Queen, The Tudors, Becoming Elizabeth, The White Princess and The Spanish Princess)

[tomicscomics]

12/22/2023

Hail-lelujah!

___

JOKE-OGRAPHY: The angel Gabriel says, "Hail, Mary," when he meets Mary for the first time.  In the original Bible story, this phrase is a greeting ("hail" means "hello" or "salutations").  In this cartoon, however, Gabriel's signature catchphrase is instead used to answer Mary's question about the weather ("hail" can also mean "frozen rain").  You might be worried that Mary will get hit by more hail if she doesn't get inside, but I assure you that's nothing compared to the mix of compliments and life-changing revelations Gabriel's about to shower her with. AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is yet another Tomics Resurrection, where I've taken an old cartoon -- so old that it was stored on a cassette tape -- and remastered it, quite masterfully.  See the original below.  You'll notice Gabriel is dressed in black, which I originally thought would contrast well with his wings.  I was technically correct, but not spiritually so.  Meanwhile, Mary has a veil that covers her whole head.  Ah'uh'nuh what kinda hats they had in the Bible days, but this one was hard to draw when she moved her head, so I destroyed it, as I do all things which displease me.

[jameslmartello]

[angelspearlheart]

Things you find in your grandmothers cabinet

[lady-clouves]

I know it’s probably just because I missed something, but it doesn’t make any sense to me whatsoever that Alicent would marry Aegons and Helaena to each other. Alicent’s probably the most devout woman of the Faith I’ve seen in the show. Alie literally replaces all the Targaryen tapestries with ones of the Faith and puts seven pointed stars everywhere. I mean it’s literally a sin in her religion for one to marry their siblings, and I doubt she would let her children commit something that could damn them to the Seven Hells.