#i love a good klimt

[taylortruther]

Who is your favorite painter? I’m usually not someone who gets emotional by paintings but I saw photos of paintings by Gustav Klimt and for some reason it made me so emotional which is odd because that never happens before.

Also if he’s some super awful person, I have no idea. I literally did zero research on him. I just happened to stumble on a photo of ‘ the kiss’ and I had a visceral reaction to it. And then I went and looked at more of his work. It also shows how little I know about art because I’ve been on the planet way too long to have never seen that painting before 💀

omg klimt is one of my favorite painters!! i have a tag just for him (see below)!! oh i love that you had such a strong reaction to him, that's what art is all about!!!!!!!!! i love his portraits, especially judith, but truthfully every klimt is a treat to admire.

i love mucha, because i once saw a theater production of romeo & juliet and the poster was done in his style. i love the way he paints hair, but i also just love that so much of his art is accessible. like, they're beautiful, but he was also illustrating advertising campaigns!

john singer sargent - especially for rosina, capri girl on a rooftop, and his murals in the boston museum of fine art.

frida kahlo, because her command of color and symbolism is just amazing. as an artist and subject, i find her breathtaking. and i feel seen by her mustache and unibrow and the fact that she was so fiercely proud. and this isn't her art, but this photo of her and diego rivera (don't lecture me about their relationship, i know) is one of my favorite photographs in the world. i also just learned about alice rohan, who has kind of a similar place in mexican art, i think? and i also enjoy her.

vermeer, especially for girl with a pearl earing (which i initially learned about from the movie lmao), but the things people say about his control over light and color is just... true. it's incredible given the time. also, the intrigue over the stories behind his paintings really captures the imagination further (uh oh, i have a parasocial relationship with a 1600s dutch master!)

i have recently started loving marlene dumas, who comments a lot on current events/pop culture. her portraits are somehow subtle and grotesque and make me want to keep looking at them.

and i feel the same way about jenny saville - she makes bodies and faces look so beautiful and terrible and fascinating. it feels very REAL. the weight and warmth and blood in all our bodies feels tangible when i look at her art. (these might be nsfw) closed contact?? prop?? magnificent.

i love looking and pondering over joseph cornell's art boxes. i don't know if i *get* them, but i love them. also he's not a painter but whatever.

and for very modern, i enjoy robin isely and fumi nakamura and their work with wolves especially.

[peiikko]

shelley duvall's productions from the 1980s

[wigglewigglewigglenot]

Working on cross stitch holiday gifts, here’s a wip of The Kiss by Gustav Klimt! The cross stitch pattern is from AwesomePatternStudio on Etsy ☺️

The original painting for reference:

[dollanichii]

Not a lot,just forever

[andyevej]

There can only be one Ra // WIP

still on my grind of never finishing anything

[pumpkinrootbeer]

Listen. I understand people only care about the ian/mickey when it comes to shameless, I respect that. But the fact that I haven't seen a single person talk about the scene in season 6 where a forlorn lip looks longing at gustav klimt's "the kiss". i have to go kill myself now

[sparksflys]

I saw this painting today! It's the one that is in animal crossing, big achievement for me 😌

[megachaoticstupid]

Birthday hunt

Summary: it is your birthday and Copia, with the help of the ghouls, prepared a quest for you

Word count: 3028

A/N: Since it is my birthday today, i decided to make something wholesome for Mel and I and it got out of hand 🤣 @her-satanic-wiles happy birthday to you! ❤

Warnings: none Masterlist

You woke up rather early for you on your day off. It was just around ten and you had a whole day ahead of you. Not just peeking through the closed curtains, the sun was high in the sky and you could tell it held its grudges specifically against you, blinding you painfully. You lazily left your warm bed, showered and slipped a shirt with one of Copia’s favorite bands on the front. Copa wasn’t there but there was breakfast waiting for you. It was still warm and had a note on top of it with slightly curved handwriting.

“Buongiorno, amore. I made breakfast for you but I am sure that you decided to read it first. Unfortunately, I will not see you until evening but I found a way to occupy you for the time being and remind you how important you are to me. Eat well and go on adventure! Happy birthday!” 

You chuckled, feeling your cheeks heat up a bit and flipped the note on the other side.

“Bah! You found a secret letter so soon?! Well, hopefully you ate and you are ready to go on this glorious hunt! The first riddle will be the easiest so far and I am sure you will crack it up easily. “This was your favorite for a while. It’s name also belongs to one of my favorite bands. That night I realized something important for me” Good luck, amore and don’t forget that I was made for loving you”

You chuckled. While you ate waffles with strawberries, you though over the riddle. He was laying it on thick in this one and you still couldn’t help but feel excitement for what’s to come next. Of course, you knew what he was writing about. When it happened you already were close, teetering on the edge of something closer than just friendship. It was a New Year’s Eve ball. You danced a lot and laughed a lot and generally had the greatest time. He held you a bit too close during dances. Your heart was betraying you the whole evening, making you yearn for something you never thought would be yours. Together you were swaying to the music, smiling at each other and his arms around you felt so natural that you were on the verge of blurting out your confession. Instead, you saw Klimt’s painting in the farthest corner of the banquet hall. Relived and at the same time torn by your own feelings, you took this opportunity for reprieve and dragged him to the painting just to blabber about it for thirty minutes straight. And he listened to you with the softest smile on his lips and a twinkle in his eyes, still keeping his hand on the small of your back. 

You smiled at the memory dressing up and then hurried out of the room, skipping the steps on the stairs whenever you could. You needed “The kiss”. Once you got to the needed hall, you almost flew to the painting. It was still in the same corner as three years ago. The reproduction, made by some of the most talented members of the church, was still as beautiful as you remembered it. It was bright and beautiful drawing you gaze to its colors, bedazzling you making you blink so you could return to the present. Luckily, it wasn’t hard to find what you needed. You just searched the frame of painting carefully until you felt an envelope tucked behind the frame.

“Aha! I knew you’d find this, amore. But just like I said, it was the easiest so far. That night gave me a push I needed to finally confess to you. I was (and still!) deeply in love with you but my own self-doubt was preventing me from taking this step. But that night changed it all. You were shining as if you were the sun that’d decided to join us in celebrations. You stole my breath and made my heart beat faster. I couldn’t tear my eyes from you the whole evening and was jealous whenever you danced with other partners. And when you dragged me through the hall to this painting just to pour your heart out talking about Klimt, I knew I wanted this. I wanted to listen to your thoughts and stories; I wanted to embrace and love you and kiss you every day of my life. I still want that and still feel grateful to you for blessing my life”

You feel your eyes prickle a bit from tears. You wanted to never part with him and you loved him so-so much. Sometimes you felt as if your heart was ready to burst from the amount of love you always held for him. Sniffling, you flipped the note once again and saw his other riddle.

“Hope you are still interested to find your surprise, but for now you should guess this riddle. “They are small and unimposing but if you make a horde of them, they will destroy cities. Find three of them and you will find the answer.”

You went over this riddle several times and only on the last reading you managed to guess what he meant. His rats. You smiled and hurried out of the hall and up the stairs to your shared rooms but there were none of them. You frowned and searched everything, even the small balcony in case Copia decided to give them sunbaths. Once again there was nothing. You turned on your heels towards the exit, hoping to search for them in his office, and saw a poster on the door with cut out letters from papers

“We got the piccoli ratti if you want to see them alive and well, bring a cake from the kitchens to Cardinal’s office as soon as possible”

Chuckling, you shook your head, folded the paper and hurried out of the door down to the kitchens. Today was a leg day. 

The kitchens were empty and the only cake you found was in the fridge, covered only in white cream. You shrugged your shoulders and walked out of the door going to the east wing where the clergy’s offices were. After countless staircases you finally reached Copia’s door and opened it. The picture you were met with was so funny that you almost dropped the cake laughing hard. Aether was holding the cage with rats solemnly while Swiss turned around in the chair, making a caricature of don Corleone.

“You barge in here without respect…” he said slowly spinning away from you.

“Yeah, here is the cake, give me the rats and I will go”

Swiss tsked, made another round on the chair and shook his head dropping the act.

“No can do. You will have to wait for…” he glanced at the clock. “five minutes”

“Why is that?” you asked propping your hands on your hips and frowning at the ghouls but they remained indifferent. Aether gently put the cage on the table and glanced at Swiss giving you several papers. 

“Nothing’s bad,” he said nonchalantly. “We just need to hold you here for a bit and then off to the hunt you go»

You sighed impatiently and turned your attention to the small notes and the envelope in your hands.

“Mia cara, I am glad you remembered the mighty beasts – Rigatoni, Ditalini and Rotini. I still remember when you saved my Rigatoni the day he escaped his cage. If it wasn't for you, I would have lost him and if it wasn't for him, we wouldn't have met, si? This encounter showed me how kind and sweet you were, worrying about the small creature most people would have ignored. I can’t expres how grateful I am for that with words, but I hope my actions will tell you everything. As for the birthday hunt… Rigatoni gives guidance, Ditalini gives place and Rotini says number. Good luck, I am sure you will deal easily with this small task ♥️» 

The next three scribbles you were given just a few words. Rigatoni’s said “our first encounter and one of your favorites here”, Ditalini’s named the “5 row” and the cutest rat Rotini gave you a number – “ten”. You sighed, waved at the ghouls and swiftly walked out of the door, ignoring Swiss’s protests. After all, you had riddles to solve. 

You quickly climbed the stairs, going up, up, up to the fifth floor, to the place where you met each other for the first time – the library. Once there, you swiftly walked inside and ignoring siblings of sin you started pouring through sections. You loved a lot of genres and authors and the church’s library provided you with myriads of books to enjoy and fell in love with. It was hard to imagine what he meant by “one of your favorites here”. You went through every section, climbing from genre to genre until you noticed a pair of siblings of sin, giggling over a book and looking so charmed with each other, that you remembered a scene from the past; the puzzle finally clicked in your head. You swiftly went to the romance section, and here in the fifth row you immediately grabbed “Pride and prejudice” from the tenth shelf. Inside there was a letter.

“Congratulations, bella ragazza! You are almost finished with running around the abbey, I promise! I still remember how much I was charmed by you on a first encounter. So much so I ended up reading this book just for a chance to talk to you (you held it in your hand that day). Back then I hoped to find a friend in you. Your kindness and wit drew me that day and never let me go. The book was wonderful, but you were even better. Now please return to our room, there will be a dress for you and a final direction for my surprise”

You smiled, holding the letter close to the chest and then you swiftly returned to your quarters feeling a thrill run in your veins. But there was no dress waiting for you. Slightly disappointed, you sat down in the chair, going through the letters from him and once again feeling his love warming you like a good warm sweater. 

Time passed, you checked the phone and sighed. He might have forgotten about this step, overwhelmed with his duties or other preparations. As soon as this thought crossed your mind the door suddenly opened and you saw Aurora carrying the dress for you. The one you have wanted to buy for so long but never got around to actually buying it. It was of a deep red color gradually turning black down to the hem and had a low cut. You just loved it since it was simple and a touch sexy.

Upon seeing you, ghoulette freezed, holding the dress closer to her chest and blinking several times as if not believing that you were real and standing right in front of her.

“I…You shouldn’t be there” she said, frowning. “Did those two let you out so soon?”

Now was your turn to frown and cross your arms on your chest

“That’s my room and I can be there for however long I want to and whenever I want to”

“No-no,” she shook her head sighing and placing the dress on the bed. “You just solved these riddles far too quickly and now the others should hurry up since we are falling a bit behind the schedule…” she noticed the look in your eyes and mischievous smile spread on her lips. “I am not telling you anything else! Cardinal’s orders”. 

 “And when should I dress up and go to Copia?” You asked curiously, trying to guess what else Copia had decided to do for you

“In an hour and a half” she clicked her tongue and flopped on the bed. “We can watch a movie and if you are up to it, I could do your nails and hair”.

You looked at her, then at the notes from Copia in your hands, and nodded. After all, you could get even more pampered on your birthday.

Two hours later, you followed the instructions stated in the final note from your cardinal. You went into gardens, right toward the gazebo covered in roses. You had been there for your first date years ago and now you were curious about what he had prepared this time. Unfortunately. last time almost ended up to be a failure: the food got burnt and you got bitten by mosquitos and had to use ointment while he tried to wave them away. You chuckled at the memory and quickened your steps, wanting to get there faster.

In his note he promised a good date for the two of you which will succeed all of your expectations and the scene that unfolded in front of your eyes was definitely like no other. Copia, your Copia, was holding a beautiful bouquet of roses, your favorite. He was dressed in his red stage costume that fitted him like a glove. But, despite his looks he was in a state of clear distress, yelling at someone and flailing his arms desperately. Someone, and you could see that this someone was Dew, argued back at him, gesturing even more expressively. They argued for a bit more and then the ghoul stormed out, his tail flailing irritably.

“Love?” you called out for Copia, coming closer to him. “What’s going on?”

If you hadn’t known him for long you could swear you saw fear in his eyes. He immediately closed the distance, taking your hand in his and bringing it to his lips, while blocking something with his shoulders from your view. His mustache tickled your skin a little and at the same time  this touch was spreading warmth through your body. You missed him dearly today.

“You look stunning amore mio” he says trying to pull you closer and then remembering about the bouquet. With an awkward “eh” he gave it to you and continued after clearing his throat: “Happy birthday bellezza, may Satan always bless your life and I will try to fill it with happiness.”

You smiled at him and kissed his cheek tenderly

“These are my favorite, Copia. Thank you. But what was the matter with…” 

But he didn’t let you finish your question. Making an awkward sound, he wrapped his arm around your waist and tugged you slightly closer to him.

“Ah, just some…ehh… disagreements on the menu. Nothing serious really. But we might wait a bit for food.”

He smiled sweetly at you but you could see that something was wrong. You let him usher you into gazebo and sat you down at the table with unlit candles.

“Ah, mi dispiace, I..um… let me just…” he took out a lighter and started lighting them. “I just, I was excepting you a bit later so…you know, it would have been a candlelight dinner with a setting sun, but…ehe… you shine brighter than any candles”

You took his hand in yours and smiled softly 

“I love you. Thank you for this evening and riddles. They were fun to guess and your notes were so sweet. I wish you were there; I would have kissed you every time I got something right”  

He smiled wider at you; his cheeks were getting slightly redder under his freckles and squeezed your hand in his bringing it once again to his lips.

“Well, it’s not nearly an evening, amore. We can eat and then I will give my birthday girl the best treatment and all of the kisses and more.” he finally relaxed; self-assured smile shone on his features. You smiled back only to tease him further

“So, tell me, love. Did you open the gates of hell just to add a bit of spice to my birthday or did you and the ghouls burn something in that small kitchen?”

His smile fell and then returned back, more amused than before. Then he finally chuckled completely relaxing

“Ah, demonietta, should you betray me like that?” he sighed running his hand through his slightly greying locks. “I don’t know why, but whenever I plan something grandiose for you everything goes to literal hell. Your dress didn’t come on time from the cleaning services and I had to drive to pick it up myself with Cirrus. My library note was taken by another sibling of sin and Cumulus had to track them down and forcefully take it from them. They are fine” he added when he saw you worried glance. “Then, I asked Dewdrop to watch over the food I have been preparing for you since morning and this… stronzo, decided to make the fire stronger to cook it faster. So, when we returned, everything had been burnt to crisp.” He sighed heavily and then smiled thinly at you. “And Swiss and Aether who should have watched over him fell asleep in my office. The only good thing is - the birthday cake. It is untouched and the roses were fine.”

He looked at you guiltily, ready to apologize for everything but you didn’t let him. Instead, you swiftly stood up, came closer to him sat down on his lap hugging him by the neck.

“I got the dress I wanted and really enjoyed the hunt you made for me” you sad reassuringly.

“Yeah, you were clever with them and dealt with the notes much faster than I anticipated. I made you wait.” He started again and you shushed him.

“Aurora made my nails and hair prettily and I got to watch my favorite movie” you see him open his mouth and swiftly pecked his lips. “I also got lots of love notes from a certain cardinal who cooked for me and promised me lots of kisses and even more, a whole birthday cake”

Copia chuckled burying his face in the crook of your neck, hugging you tightly.

“And a take out, I am not a complete savage to leave you hungry” he nuzzled his face deeper in the crook of your neck and sighed. “I need to tell the ghouls to not attack the courier. One more attack and nobody would be delivering us food”

You chuckled, running you hand through his locks

“And we have to control Dew’s future cooking” 

Copia raised his head, rolling his eyes and kissed you sweetly, giving you the best present – his love. 

[thedogsled]

Fireflies Bucky Barnes (The Winter Soldier) Just bringing together my love for drawing wings with some experiments with light and the same gold tracing method I used in my Klimt art. This is as good as my work gets, so please zoom in and enjoy the details! Total time: about 3 weeks in Clip Studio Paint

[moon-icarus]

the paradox of having a good father that died a bad man

someday i'll love ocean voung - ocean voung / lyra wren / forever's stream - 12.8.23 / supernatural, s12 ep22 / forever's stream - 12.22.23 / Karch_art on Twitter / i guess the old you is a ghost - unknown / the three ages of women - gustav klimt + bethanywebster / "i guess", mitski / bad's stream - 12.22.23 / bagi's stream - 12.28.23 / forever's stream - 12.28.23 / let your father die energy drink - cecilia corrigan / tubbo's stream - 12.28.23 / "the frost", mitski / ontarioparks / forever's stream - 12.6.23 / aristotle and dante discover the secrets of the universe

[the-californicationist]

Good Fences (Fluffuary #23)

FEB23: Established Love

John had been on tour through the spring and summer, and you’d spent the warm months alone. For part of it, he could talk to you freely, but near the end of his duty, he had warned you that he’d need to “go dark” for a while. Days had turned into weeks, and weeks had become months. The fiery sun had shifted across the sky, and what was once a humid morning now had a cold nip in the air. 

Then, as if he had come in on the change in the winds, he was back. Or, a version of him was, anyway.

He had been home for a few days, and while he had told you that “it” was “over”, he had been changed by whatever it was, and he hadn’t told you much else. You noticed he was sleeping for only a few hours at a time. Sometimes, he would wake you up in the mornings with a ravenous, animalistic need, and other times you would find him on the balcony, drinking coffee, enjoying the sunrise. Sometimes he would go out in the middle of the night for a cigar, and some nights he would be at your neck and your breasts and your hips with his lips and his teeth. You never knew which John you were going to get. 

But, he also seemed relieved. It was as if he had been running, sprinting full out, and had finally reached his destination.

One morning, while you were showering together, he was soaping your body as well as his own, and he made a suggestion,

“We should go to the Smithsonian today. They have the Klimt exhibit you were talking about. I looked it up last night, and it’s there this week.”

It wasn’t out of character for John to suggest a day trip, but he hated D.C., and you had only mentioned the Klimt exhibition off-handedly back in January, so it was a bit of a shock. 

“Yeah, John,” you rubbed his body with the lather, marveling at how toned and thick his muscles had become, “That sounds nice. We can take the train.” 

You admired his body as you washed him, but you also felt the shade of contempt rising like bile in your throat. He was hardened by whatever had happened to him, by whatever hell they had put him through. He was only made to look like this broad, cut Adonis because they (whoever they were) had used him like a hammer to a nail. And you resented them for it. 

As much as his heavy form stirred your core and made you crave that strength to be used on you, you wanted to rinse it away. You wanted your soft bear back. You wanted him to be chubby and happy and filled with cheesecakes and champagne and bagels in the morning. You didn’t want him to be a hammer. You wanted him to be your lover, and you thought, selfishly, that it should be his only responsibility. The world, you decided, could save itself. He deserved peace. 

But, that wasn’t up to you. He was his own man. You tried to put those thoughts out of your mind, but you had to admit that this last tour had been hard on both of you. 

The train ride was quiet, as was the stroll down to the museum. John held your hand as you walked through the exhibits, and when you came to the hall that housed the visiting Klimt pieces, you gasped. 

There, in all of its golden glory, was The Kiss.

You stepped toward it, marveling at the gold and watching the light dance across it. The Lovers were there, locked in their perpetual embrace, and she was at his mercy, literally on her knees for him, held tightly in his hands.

John’s voice rumbled in his chest, and he said,

“That’s how I feel about you. I feel as if I’ve never loved anyone until now. I’ve never been loved, and I’ll never be loved again. Not like this.”

You turned away from the masterpiece you’d been admiring to face your very own lover, looking up at him and letting his words sink into your bones, wrapping around them like golden threads, never to be taken back. 

Then, it was his turn to be on his knees. You watched him fall to the floor, confused at first and then —

“Marry me, love. I can’t live without you by my side. Please.”

He offered you the ring, a huge, round pearl surrounded by diamonds. It looked like it cost as much as the painting. You felt hot, heavy tears flowing down your face, and you didn’t even realize you’d been crying. 

But, you managed to nod and whisper, 

“Yes. God, yes. Yes, I’ll marry you.” 

The ring fit like it had been made just for you, and he rose from the ground and clutched you to his chest. All at once, you knew how the girl in the painting felt. You kissed John, and in doing so, you knew how she had kissed her robed man. You could imagine how the blood had rushed through her body, flushing her cheeks and pooling in her belly, responding to her love’s embrace. John was him, and you were her, and you were one.

[oak-n]

Your art is so crunchy I love it so much! As a fellow artist, do you mind if I ask what you studied to develop it or what you use as studies?

(Also your metal gear rising stuff is how i found you and oh my goodness what taste in video games!)

Thank you! And oh it’s hard to pinpoint my main study sources… I had dramatic changes in artists that inspired me throughout the years, and I'm kinda at a crossroads at the moment. Looking at tons of various artists daily. From the top of my mind, I always liked Gustav Klimt, Jeff Simpson, Magí Puig, Andrew Wyeth. Lots of artworks from Jugend magazine covers fascinate me right now. When it comes to fundamental studies, like improving lighting, values etc I prefer Sargent, Carl Sundt-Hansen, Repin. I think the crunchiness (it’s my official tag now i swear) comes from music/fashion photography field. I like gritty stuff. Trying to emulate all the grain, rust, charcoal, sandpaper, sweat. 

[teejaystumbles]

For the artist asks: 3, 4, & 19? I hope you have a good day!:)

3. your favorite piece(s)?

oooh it's too hard to choose! for the sake that it's one with fewer notes I'll say this old one from November 2022 - it feels like the beginning of it all, still figuring out the whole Dreamling dynamic: I call it "communion" link to tumblr post

4. piece you wish got more love?

I think both one of my dragon fic illustrations and the Klimt one deserve more love, I put a lot of effort into these paintings and rememeber painting them fondly. But I know they both have special themes and are tied to stories that do not appeal to everybody so it makes sense for them to be less popular. I'm not mad about it or anything

19. where do you find inspiration?

Music mostly, and song lyrics! Or writing/fics, of others or my own sometimes. Also other people's art can sometimes inspire me to tackle a theme or try something new. Throwing ideas around on discord with mutuals sometimes spawns fun ideas as well :3

Thank you very much for asking, have a nice day too!

[garglyswoof]

I was inspired by @push1na 's amazing klaroline version of Klimt's The Kiss and so wrote a ficlet inspired by it This is me writing on my phone in an airport lounge so hopefully it comes out ok <3

--+++--

They come for him while the blooms are still bright, trampling them beneath an army of bootheels, and it's another point against them.

Because she loves the flowers, and he will have to get his minions to replant them when he crushes this threat. He often uses her own words, thrown at him with such vitriol years ago, just to see her eyes roll and barely hide the smile behind. But she's not here with him now. She is safe, he reassures himself.

It's only been a few years with her and he is greedy for a thousand of them. Last month he'd approached her here in this yard, in the suit she'd insisted he wear “for nostalgia reasons, obviously” with the blooms flowering their riotous colors in the golden light of sunset, and kissed her cheek as she stared at him with something that made his heart kick in his chest like a prey animal.

It was terrifying and joyous and his greedy, greedy heart cannot get enough.

He told her so, just a few days before, when he'd learned of this new vampire threat and sent her off to New Orleans despite her furious protests. He couldn't put it into words at the time, that losing her would break him worse than the hunter’s curse ever had. That to touch her was one thing, but to hear her spitfire words only made this stutter step in his heart worse. Instead he’d merely said ‘I need to keep you safe,’ and he knows it wasn't enough. 

He would enjoy his acts of contrition, truth be told, tangled in the sheets with his mouth tracing patterns on her skin.

The wind picks up then, ruffling his hair like it did her dress that golden-tinged summer evening, but this time it carries the scent of vampires instead of Caroline’s own. He keeps his pose casual, hands clasped behind his back, walking back towards the house and avoiding the wildflowers underfoot.  Let them think him clueless and weak, it made their destruction taste almost as sweet as the notes of jasmine in Caroline’s perf-

“No.”

“Yes,” she replies, and he looks up at her, standing in the doorway, her sundress abloom with flowers to match the yard, and his greedy heart thumps.

“They're almost here,.love. If I - if I,” he can't even say it, as if speaking the words could manifest them. He feels the impotent rage rise up, knows his next words will push her away.

Her hand cups his shoulder.and squeezes before he can betray himself. “I know.  But you won't. And you can't ask me to stay away when you're the one in danger. So you're just gonna have to learn to trust me. Plus you just gave me that fancy mini fridge and Im spoiled by how good the wine setting keeps blood at the perfect temperature.”

He grumbles at this, because he doesn't get her choice of diet when she could have it fresh from the tap, but he takes the hand at his shoulder, admiring the glint of sun off of some ancient queen’s ring he'd bestowed upon Caroline, you’ll forgive him for not remembering who, and kisses the palm of her hand, her wrist. 

Her intake of breath is a revelation, as it always is, that she is just as affected as he is. It makes him think that perhaps this madness that takes hold of his greedy heart isn't one-sided. He hoards her gasps like jewels in a dragon’s den. 

The thought steels him and his eyes are wild as he turns to face the onrush that he knows is upon them. Her hand stays clasped in his own, for a moment, and if he has the brief thought of never letting go, it is one borne of a poet’s thoughts that he’ll remember for later, when the path of his brush traps their moments together.

The sun descends, but she still shines to him, monster’s visage above the blooms of her dress, the neckline covered in blood, her hand clutching a still-beating heart. He only has a moment to appreciate her, his brilliant blonde distraction, before he turns back to the fray.

[ember-amber]

One thing I generally find annoying about most dark souls mods is the insistence they have that non-npc humanoid bosses are the absolute best thing to put in any place ever.

Both convergence mods, which I like a lot, do this. You will not fight gideon, you will fight a weird crucible knight; you will not fight High Lord Wolnir, he will be one of those vikings guys from the dlc; Curse Rotted Greatwood? no you will fight the High Druid(that is a really good fight to be honest).

Now I'm hearing they will be replacing the Leda npc fight with something else and like....why?? This is a good fight, actually the best npc fight they ever made in terms of story and themes, the dialogue is great and it's not particularly hard but its still fun. What are you gonna replace it with? Leda's armor stretched over a zamor knight with some other moves?

From Software may not have made most gimmick bosses that good, but don't replace them with something less interesting. I know you do it because humanoid movesets can be mixed and matched, and I respect that, but at the end of the day I'm still just fighting a guy with a sword.

It's why I love Archthrones, specially the new Cathedral of the Deep.

Saint Klimt is just a godskin apostle with a one reborn as it's second face, no mixed movesets, but the way they changed the contexts of these two makes them feel like a fresh fight.

And Aldrich? I don't fucking know what Aldrich is but his fight is so pretty and atmospheric. It includes the deacons of the deep bit perfectly, as if this would have been the fight had you arrived before he left to vore Gwyndolin.

Just...you can make a fight that is meaninful and cool without it being another humanoid boss, and it's not that important that you trick me into thinking this isn't a reused moveset by mixing it, just use it gracefully and don't put in 400 dragonslayer armors in there like Cinders does.

[sharkface]

In better news today I have encountered

> A guy (? kind of seemed like a boymoder but thats none of my business) who gave me an impromptu sign language lesson after overhearing me saying I wanted to learn

> Older gay couple OVERJOYED I know who Klimt is recommending I watch The Woman in Gold

> Delightful goth girl and construction worker married couple who clearly thought I was just the cutest little cookie and loved my NIN shirt and guy clocked me as a previous kitchen worker because I knew nonslip docs are good for grease LOL