#iron tablets for women

[ferrotone]

Health benefits of taking iron supplements

Are you feeling tired all the time? Need help with frequent hair fall or lackluster skin? You may be experiencing the effects of iron deficiency. But worry not because there's a simple and effective solution at hand: iron supplements. We all know that iron supplements assist in the formation of healthy red blood cells, but did you know that it has benefits beyond that? It increases iron levels and helps with other symptoms associated with iron deficiency, eventually improving overall health. 

In this blog, we'll explore the remarkable health benefits of incorporating iron deficiency tablets into your daily routine and how they can transform your life. So, let's dive in!

Boost Hemoglobin, Boost Energy

Iron is crucial in producing hemoglobin, the protein responsible for carrying oxygen throughout our bodies. Taking iron capsules gives your body the boost it needs to maintain healthy hemoglobin levels, resulting in improved energy levels and reduced fatigue. Say goodbye to those midday slumps!

Enhance Immunity, Stay Strong

Iron is not only a key player in oxygen transportation, but it also contributes to a robust immune system. Ensuring an adequate iron intake gives your body the tools it needs to fend off infections and stay strong in the face of illness. With a strengthened immune system, you'll be prepared to beforehand for whatever health challenges come your way.

Better Performance, Better You

Iron supplements can be a game-changer if you're an athlete or simply enjoy an active lifestyle. Iron is essential for optimal muscle function and performance. By replenishing your iron levels, you can experience improved endurance, stamina, and overall physical performance. Take that extra lap, conquer that challenging workout, and unlock your true potential!

Reduce Fatigue, Reclaim Your Energy

Low iron levels often go hand in hand with feelings of constant fatigue and weakness. On the brighter side, iron supplements can help alleviate these symptoms and recharge your body. Say goodbye to dragging yourself through the day and hello to newfound vitality and energy!

Improve Cognition, Sharpen Your Mind

Iron isn't just vital for physical health; it's also essential for optimal brain function. Studies have shown that iron plays a crucial role in cognitive development and mental clarity. Incorporating iron supplements into your routine can enhance your focus, memory, and overall cognitive abilities. Boost your brainpower and take charge of your mental game!

Assist in a Healthy Pregnancy, Nurture Two Lives

Iron supplements for women are essential, as they are more prone to iron deficiency. During pregnancy, the body requires higher levels of iron to support the growth and development of the baby. Iron tablets can help prevent anemia in pregnant women, ensuring both the mother and the baby receive the necessary oxygen and nutrients for a healthy journey together.

Improve Skin Health, Radiate Confidence

Dreaming of glowing, healthy skin? Iron can contribute to collagen formation, a protein that keeps our skin supple and youthful. By taking iron pills into your daily routine, you can support your skin's health and improve its overall appearance. Get ready to radiate confidence and let your natural beauty shine!

Minimize Hair Fall, Embrace Luscious Locks

Struggling with hair fall and thinning locks? Iron deficiency can often be a culprit. By replenishing your iron stores through supplements, you can promote healthy hair growth and minimize hair fall. Unlock the potential for luscious, vibrant hair, and let your mane steal the show!

Final thoughts

The health benefits of taking iron supplements are undeniable. By boosting hemoglobin levels, enhancing immunity, improving cognitive function, reducing fatigue, promoting healthy pregnancies, enhancing skin health, and minimizing hair fall, iron supplements can genuinely transform the lives of those with iron deficiency.

If you are constantly tired, struggling with weak immunity, or experiencing hair and skin concerns, consider taking Ferrotone iron supplements into your daily routine. It contains important minerals like iron and folic acid that help fight iron deficiency. However, it's essential to consult with your healthcare professional to determine the correct dosage and ensure it suits your specific needs.

Remember, unlocking the power of iron supplements can help you regain energy, strengthen your immune system, sharpen your mind, and achieve a healthier, more vibrant you. Embrace the journey towards optimal health and vitality by giving your body the needed iron. With iron supplements, you can take control of your well-being and thrive in all aspects of life.

[it-may-be-dull-but-im-determined]

Regular reminder that things like calcium and tannins actively interfere with iron absorption when you take supplements (aka don't drink tea or dairy or calcium tablets when you take them), and taking it with vitamin C actively helps iron be absorbed.

There was a TikTok post about an advertisement for “blood-making pills for weak women” someone found in a newspaper from the 1890s and everybody seemed to think it was just an example of the weird misogyny of the day and age but no. Anemia was a massive public health concern. It always has been through history but part of the reason we have this idea of old timey women thought history being physical weak, chronically cold and pale and fainting is because they often they were. Anemia was also a massive problem for men in that day but even now it disproportionally affects people who menstruate. So tonics full of stimulants and “healthful vitamins” were marketed at young women in pages upon pages of advertisements in every newspaper. People generally felt like shit all the time back then.

[districtsof-treason]

.

[rhodesrider]

Special Princess

Mafia!Roman R. x Little!Black!Fem! Reader

Warning: mentions of violence, mentions of weapons, age regression, affirmations, praise

Minors! DNI! 18+

~

In the car, Y/N was criss cross on the seat watching different gameplays on her iPad while teething on her toy silent in the back, Roman was humming the bluey theme song while driving which gave some looks from solo and jimmy. Worried about him keeping his reputation up for a while now they wondered that if it’s mostly Y/Ns fault. I mean Roman is suppose to be this big bad mob boss, controlling the territory and keeping things under control with an iron fist. Instead, he balances work with his girlfriend who acts like a child. She doesn’t dress like the other women Roman has messed with, when they would wear night dresses and show as much skin as they want, Y/N just wears hoodies or overalls. Long sleeve shirts or short sleeve but overalls and sneakers not heels. It worried them that Y/N was probably a bad influence on Roman their boss.

“Hey Ro, when we get back to the house can we talk in private?” Solo asked as he was in the back with jimmy nodding at him planning the convo in their head. “Hm? Sure man. Oh do me a favor and tap Y/N when I pull over?” He nodded and looked at her examining her again. A child. A child in a grown woman’s body. He never understood it and nether has jimmy. But they don’t question it because it’s their bosses girl. After they pulled over to the stop they were doing the drop off, solo did as told getting Y/Ns attention making her jump some looking around. She took off her headphones taking in her surroundings looking directly at Roman as he opened the door. “Sweetie I’ll be back with the boys ok?” He asked in a calm sweet tone as solo and jimmy got out, “Stay here with mr.heymen.” He ordered and she nodded getting a kiss on her forehead. She waved at Paul sweetly and he waved back watching them go in the building. She started looking around every inch of the buildings and corners of the area and went back on her tablet drawing a picture for Roman. Sending it straight to him.

“Hey boss man you know we never question you…” Jimmy started getting a bit impatient needing to know why this girl is with them. “Sounds like you are about to question me thou.” He looked at jimmy slightly. Jimmy just shut it down and looked around the warehouse building. “Why they wanted to meet us here?” “I am not sure but keep ya eyes peeled.” They nodded. Roman looked at him phone seeing the photo Y/N drew and texted her “Thank you princess.” Soon hearing the other doors open the meeting is starting. Showing to the meeting was mister Ziggler and his bodyguards, simple transaction. Roman smirked seeing the briefcases behind him as well. “Mister Reigns, how are we today?” Dolph asked. “Good, I’m glad we were able to get some more supply. Especially from a trusted source.” Roman smiled. “Likewise, so ready for the wire transfer?” Dolph asked quick being money hungry but Roman looked at him not born yesterday. “Go on and put some product on the table, solo examine it.” Dolph smirked. “You don’t trust me big man-“ “I don’t bring snipers to my transfers. Especially ones that are ready at the mark.” He smiled as Dolph was starting to turn pale. Jimmy and Solo were confused, they couldn’t see out the window but were looking around outside not seeing a set up anywhere. “You got paranoid last time we met Roman-“ “Not the slightest.” He smirked. “Now let’s check that material.”

After the transaction, they walked out the building untouched. Jimmy and solo still had the guns out. “Put them away, she doesn’t like seeing that mess sometimes.” He warned them and they nodded following orders. They filled the back with the briefcases and Roman checked on Y/N seeing her in the same spot watching bluey sucking on her thumb some. “Hey we talked about that pretty girl, where is it?” She shrugged her shoulders. Roman went in her bag and pulled out a box with a fresh pacifier. He slowly removed her thumb making her pout but gave her the paci as she was calm again. “That’s my girl.” She giggled from the kisses he gave all over her face and went to the front to drive. The boys got back in looking at Y/N again getting a weird feeling now but let it go till they got to the house.

Later that night, the boys sat in the office to finally talk to Roman about this. “So y’all wanted to talk?” They look to the side seeing Y/N in a giant pink play tent in her own little world watching tv and coloring. “Well it’s about…um…it’s about her.” Jimmy said finally pointing at the tent. Roman looked to the side where the tent was then at the boys, “About her? How do? Also she had a name. Don’t be afraid to say it.” Roman said looking through his phone some. “Look we know Y/N is yo girl and we respect her but-“ “But?” Roman asked surprised that solo was questioning him as well. “-why doesn’t she act normal?” By the time this was asked, Y/Ns headphones were off and she listened in. A bit hurt by their questions making her think she did something wrong. “Well y’all she’s been through a lot, she does this to cope, this is her therapy. I will admit that I was a bit worried about it as well, but I support her no matter what.” Jimmy nodded his head in understanding. Solo was still a bit worried. “What about your image sir?” “My image is fine. She doesn’t affect my imagine.” Roman said paying full attention now. “For all know she’s more help then you both ever was.” He was starting to get mad with all the questions. Y/N didn’t like the look on their faces, so she sighed getting out the tent and going over. “Baby we talking go back to your tent.” Roman asked low but still a bit pissed which scared her some but stood her ground. “I’m sorry that I’m hurt your image, I can just stop if you want. To help a bit better…” Roman’s look softened and he sighed, “Baby you’re always big help.” Jimmy and solo looked at each other, how and she’s always in the car? “Remember that nice picture you gave me?” She nodded and went to get her book she drew in showing the picture. Solo looked at it and recognized it some. “Those buildings…” “Yea there were people looking at birds up top so I drew them too!” She giggled. It hit Jimmy and solo so fast looking at the photo again seeing the truck parked and the other building they were in to do the transaction.

“That’s how you knew.” They both said in unison.

Roman knew about the snipers because of the drawing she drew, matter of fact she always draws something and shows Roman when he’s in meetings and other functions. She’s technically doing a perimeter check. “Yep my little artist helps me like that.” “And other ways…” she mumbled. “Oh right, we didn’t see anyone when we were escorting you out back to the car-“ Jimmy stopped and looked at Y/N who was smirking some evilly. “Ain’t no way.” “I was trying to find a bathroom.” She smiled. What really happened was she went in the building and handled the snipers so they wouldn’t be ready to shoot. Solo remembered Dolph trying to contact the snipers but no answer came their way of course. “So you just lil miss killer?” “You worry about yourself next time please.” She hissed. Her eyes from a lightly playful brown to a dark evil black made it clear that what her lifestyle was is her choice. Roman choose right, he smirked and was honestly proud. But what he noticed was she was out of her headspace. “Go take it up to the bedroom princess, we can watch a movie tonight if you want.” She nodded trying to calm from her sudden anger and walked away going to the master bedroom. “Wow…” Jimmy said never seeing that outta her. “Did you know Paul?!” They turned to him while he was in the corner the whole time. “I had no idea.” He smiled and went back on his phone. The brothers looked a bit dumbfounded and Roman just sighed. “I appreciate yall worrying about me and my image because my image is y’all image, but I assure you as yall saw. We will be fine.” They both nodded and left the room leaving Roman in a smirk. “I know what I’m doing.”

Roman got into the bedroom seeing that the anger got Y/N tuckered out. She was sleep hugging a pillow and the tv was on My little pony. Roman got ready for bed and as soon as Y/N could smell his body spray she cuddled up on him smiling. He smiled as well and kissed her forehead. “I love you so much baby girl, I’m sorry they questioned you. Never change ok?” She nodded half sleep and Roman turned off the lamp light drifting to sleep.

[mixelation]

i've finished reading xiran jay zhao's iron widow! here is my review so far (contains spoilers, including the "twist" at the end). my tl;dr is that it starts as a fun revenge story but both the quality of the narrative and the writing itself decline over the course of the novel. you might like it if you want a power fantasy where the main character is unapologetically violent and selfish, and you don't mind cardboard characterization or shallow worldbuilding. if you want a nuanced take on how misogyny functions in a society, a book about strong female characters (as opposed to a singular, capital Strong Female Character), or you find descriptions of anime-style action scenes cringey, you this book may not be for you.

on to the full review ->

iron widow is a scifi-fantasy YA book set in alternate timeline china, where humanity battles invading alien "hunduns" using gundam-esque giant robots called "chrysalises." a lot of the worldbuilding draws on the aesthetic and certain social norms of ~old timesy~ china (iirc zhao has stated they pulled inspiration from lots of time periods, but my familiarity with both historical china and chinese historical fantasy is very low, so i am absolutely not the person to label anything beside "the past"). so you have people checking tablets and riding around in hovercraft and using modern slang, but a lot of Aesthetic elements are more traditional, and society is deeply, deeply sexist in a way that.... feels old-fashioned (wording chosen to set the Mood apart from how modern misogyny tends to work). for example, the main character has bound feet but also uses phrases like "railed on."

chrysalises, the giant robots, work by the pilot channeling qi. for whatever reason that's not really well explained, they require a copilot to boost their control/power over the chrysalis. think "drifting" in pacific rim, except here when pilots are not compatible with their copilot (this seems to rely largely on "qi levels" and pilots don't seem to have control over it), the "weaker" copilot can become overwhelmed and die. in this setting, the main pilot is always male the copilot always female, with the copilot usually dying. this part of the premise as it is described on the back of the book confused me as a setting for a ~feminist~ story, because why would men always win in a wild mind-meld, battle-of-wills situation? however, the main character slowly figures out that it's not that men are inherently stronger pilots-- it's that women are always paired with a male pilot the military has tested to be stronger (based on qi levels), and then later one of the plot twists is that the chrysalises are designed to weaken the female copilot. this is because, in the way sexism works in this society, "families wouldn't send their sons to be pilots if they knew they could be killed by some girl." (not an exact quote, but what one character gives as the explanation)

weaker female copilots are called "concubines" and teenaged girls are frequently sold to the military to be concubines. if the concubine survives, she's dubbed a "balanced match" for the male pilot and they become quasi-married. more on this later.

this leads us to wu zetian, a "frontier peasant" who offers herself up to be a "concubine" (co-pilot). we learn that zetian's older sister was sold off by their family to be a concubine, but was murdered by her assigned pilot. like, regular murdered, not killed by a psychic link the way most concubines are. so zetian, having a shit home life, and under pressure to sell herself as well, decides she will enlist and then murder her sister's killer.

now, i had a lot of fun with the beginning of this story. but in order to get into this book, you have to accept upfront that zetian is very firmly the main character, and she is always right and ridiculously strong, clever, and resilient just because. she runs her mouth even at the risk of violence, and is usually meant to be right about whatever she's saying. she rejects her role in society just because, and she decides she doesn't care if her whole family is punished or even killed for her actions because they're terrible to her, and the reader isn't really expected to criticize this. despite having no formal education, she always knows what she needs to know to logic her way through things successfully, and she can strategize and debate on par with people whose literal jobs it is to do these things.

for the first ~25% of the book, this is fun. zetian has decided fuck the system, fuck her family, and fuck her own life-- if they're going to kill her, she's bringing her sister's murderer down with her. she doesn't care about having to endure demeaning tests or people insisting on putting her through painful make-up routines. this is a girl who just has murder on her mind, and it's pretty entertaining.

then, she's shoved into the co-pilot seat of a chrysalis with the man who killed her sister as the main pilot, and through some messy mind-scape battling, she kills him. she takes control of the chrysalis and wins the battle. and then..... the book sort of stops having a real plot, and everything slows down.

see, in the first chunk where we're reading a vengeful murder plot, everything is centered around this one goal. zetian's extreme personality makes sense because we're reading about someone who's actively thrown her life away for revenge. we're on board with it and we wan to see how she manages it. this premise allows for an unhinged protagonist making unhinged decisions.

so what happens next, if she accomplished her goal a quarter of the way in? the military decides to pair her with a character called li shimin, who is the current top pilot. he's the top pilot in that pilots are given scores (their battles are televised and they're treated as a celebrities) and also he has the highest qi level. he's also a convicted murderer and was recruited off death row. sounds fun, right? wrong. shimin is a cardboard cut out of a man. he barely speaks. the only thing he really does is drink and fight people. he gets into physical fights with little provocation. the narration makes a big point of really driving home how big and intimidating he is.... and also how he's an ethnic minority. i cannot comment on if this was meant to reflect any real world group or how they're treated, but overall shimin's characterization make me slightly uncomfortable AND he's just not very interesting. later we find out he's an ex-scholar who murdered his whole family after walking in on his brother raping someone (yeah, i..... idk), and he used to write poems. i think this was meant to make him seem more fleshed out, but the character writing needs a lot of work, so "ex-scholar and poet" is a very informed trait.

if you've followed the buzz on this book, you'll know one of its "draws" is that the end game ship is polyamorous. so, zetian has a second love interest. his name is yizhi and he's the fifth son of the richest man in the country, and he made friends with zetian before the start of the novel. the way they met and bonded doesn't super make sense, but i'm willing to buy into it. yizhi has been infused with SLIGHTLY more personality. he signs up to work for the military as a strategist, which is how he gets to hang out with zetian and shimin. his contribution to the plot is mostly just that he has money to throw at problems. oh, and he can give their chrysalis a boost of qi for extra power and starts hanging out with them in their cockpit during battles. why others don't also do this, and why pilots need to parasite a copilot instead of just having other people around for extra qi, is never explained. zetian has a line where she says something like "don't you know a triangle is the strongest shape?" so i kind of dig what i think zhao was going for (that they balance each other better than just two of them would), but it's not really a realized theme.

okay, so if zetian killed who she wanted to kill, then what's the rest of the book about? good question! it's a little unclear. zetian survives copiloting with shimin and they're declared a balanced match. then the buddies of the pilot zetian killed try to kill her. then the military tries to kill her AND shimin by sending them into battles when they're too tired. then zetian asks yizhi's rich dad to help them with their PR so the government will stop trying to kill them. then they decide to "take back" a province the hunduns took over years ago. then zetian realizes the chrysalises are rigged against female pilots and they go and kidnap and torture a guy to make him confess to how it's done. then they go to take back the province and zetian finds the cryopreserved body of an ancient emperor and his dragon chrysalis. oh, did i not mention him? yeah he's some legend that gets brought up a couple times and then suddenly he's there at the end. but he doesn't do anything. he just agrees with everything zetian wants to do, for some reason, and what she spontaneously decides to do with her new giant robot is go take over the government. she kills multiple people. then the book ends with them finding out they're on the hundun's native planet. okay???

the last 75% just reads like a bunch of things happening because why not. this by itself isn't necessarily bad, but the events are not well connected nor do events get set up in a way where you understand why they occur in the order they occur. zetian stays angry and determined, but her actual overall goal evaporates and instead it just feels like every few chapters she just decides on a new thing she wants. one could argue her overall goal is "claiming agency" or "survival," but they narrative doesn't really carry either of these themes through. for example, in the first quarter of the book, zetian repeated emphasizes she's ready and willing to through her life away if she can get her revenge, and i believed that. but after she miraculously survives.... that willingness to throw her life away vanishes, but not in a "character has undergone development" way. it's just not there anymore.

the writing isn't amazing in the first quarter, but i thought it was fine. it steadily declines over the course of the book, making it feel like a rough draft where zhao was losing steam. instead of getting to see characters interact and play off each other, we just read descriptions of events and conversations. this is nitpicky, but one thing that was starting to drive me crazy through out the book is that the narration frequently would be like "oh, earlier so-and-so showed me this" and then it would be something that could have EASILY just been included at the beginning of the scene and would have also been INTERESTING to see.

the world has a lot of elements going on, but there is a huge problem with telling and not showing, so even with lots of details, the worldbuilding feels shallow. for example, despite zetian saying defeating hunduns has to be a priority, i don't know what happens if hunduns successfully invade an area. we're never shown a ransacked village or hunduns killing anyone but unnamed pilots. the narrative spends a lot of time talking about different element qi and the advantages and disadvantages of each element, but this never actually becomes plot relevant. the pilots are paraded out to the public as fancy celebrities and zetian and shimin have photoshoots for PR, but this also never really becomes plot relevant besides being well-liked being something zetian decides would be a good idea for a few chapters. we don't even know what zetian's relationship with her sister is like, even though she decides to die seeking revenge for her.

i want to expand on that last part a bit. zetian states repeatedly that she wants to help save other girls from becoming concubines, and yet no stakes are attached to this. shimin accidentally killed a concubine he was in love with before the start of the book, so we get some flashbacks of her, but otherwise we never see the impact (or lack of impact) of these young girls' deaths. like, that character really only exists as a tragic backstory for shimin. there's no sympathetic concubine character that dies to drive home the point (although there IS a mean concubine character that presumably died and zetian never thinks of again); there's no meeting a family that misses their daughter; there's no dramatically prying open a cockpit to free a concubine. there are two other female pilots who are balanced matches, and one is a bitch to zetian and the nice one backstabs and attempts to kill her later. zetian never sympathizes with another girl or woman for more than a few lines, including her own sister, so it is unclear why saving girls is so important to her. there's a brief moment where the "nice" female pilot points out to zetian that living in poverty and being terrified of hunduns attacks likely contributed to the various types of misogynistic abuse going on in her family and that providing more support for them would help them.... and zetian sympathizes with her mother for maybe a paragraph.... and then at the end of the book she decides to murder her family. Uh. Okay? Oh, and when the "nice" pilot betrays her, she says it was because the military had her kids and was threatening them. zetian decides to literally crush her to death. Feminism, I guess.

when i read through reviews of this book, the negative ones largely complained about zetian as a character. i always take reviews complaining the main female character is a bitch with a grain of salt, because often they're just bullshit and also i like horrible women. i liked zetian alright for the first two thirds of them book, although she starts to come off as weirdly arrogant at some point. (she starts to refer to herself as one of the most powerful women in the world due to her qi level, even though this does not help her physically, politically, or socially, and she has very little actual agency until just revives a frozen emperor at the end and goes off the rails.) however, this time i think the complaints are merited. you ever read a dark harry fic? or a "naruto gets chased by villagers, becomes powerful and murders them all" type fic? it's like that but if those types of writers were 5% more aware of social issues. zetian is self-righteous about wanting to change the pilot system, but her actions do not indicate she actually gives a shit about anyone but her and her boyfriends. so in the end it seems like even though she's preaching about saving girls, she's actually going, "me! what about me! how dare you do these bad things to ME!" which like. obviously it's fine to be angry about wrongs done to you, but it comes off like she's less upset about systemic problems and more upset the systemic problems happened to HER. there's a lack of nuance and character work that would make or explore this difference.

hmm, what else. i don't really have specific compliments or complaints about the romance aspect, other than the inter-character relationships aren't really built up well. there's definitely effort put into the zetian-yizhi and zetian-shimin relationships, it's just that.... neither of the boys have a ton of personality....? also there's a few oddly placed asides about zetian not feeling ashamed of having two lovers, which feel more liek they're there to justify it to the reader than zetian's actual internal monologue. it's okay, zetian. i did not for a second think you were a shamed of a single thing you've done.

The top review on amazon says, "Wow… this is everything you could want from a science fiction novel." Iron Widow is sci-fi the way Star Wars or Pacific Rim are sci-fi: it's fantasy with robots. Except there's no loving descriptions of engines revving or switches being flipped. There's not even cool little alien dudes; I don't even know what a hundun looks like.

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Unexpected 14

Sequel to Unsolicited

Warnings: non/dubcon, pregnancy, pegging, Lloyd being the worst, and other dark elements. My username actually says you never asked for any of this.

My warnings are not exhaustive but be aware this is a dark fic and may include potentially triggering topics. Please use your common sense when consuming content. I am not responsible for your decisions.

As usual, I would appreciate any and all feedback. I’m happy to once more go on this adventure with all of you! Thank you in advance for your comments and for reblogging.

As you choke down the iron tablets with a glass of prune juice, you wrinkle your nose and let out a noise of disgust. Worse than the vitamins and the constipation, you feel the shirt tight across the new curve of your stomach and how it peeks out in an ungainly fashion. You're only happy no one is around to witness how gross you are.

Lloyd's absence has been peaceful. A mission which has stretched on two weeks and left you anything but lonely. Quiet mornings and similar nights, only briefly interrupted by his check-ins. You keep the phone close if only stave off any concern or further interruption of your solace. You might be alright if this is the usual. If you could count on a respite from the torture of his existence.

You rinse out the glass and burp up a nasty mouthful of prune flavoured reflux. You cringe and put the glass in the rack. You have no plans but you aren't restless.

You find little things to do. Sometimes you walk on the treadmill and watch a reality show about women with overinflated lips, other times you settle down with a book, rolling your eyes at the ridiculous thrillers Lloyd keeps in perpetuity, or you simply zone out in front of the television. With your cravings running wild, your time is merely counted as hours between meals.

You make your way to the door and ease it open. Spring is coming, the snow is thawing to mud, and the air smells like rain. You take a seat on the simple white bench and rub your back as you watch the sky. You wince as the speaker beside the doorbell clicks.

"Enjoying the view, peaches?" Lloyd asks from his remote observation.

"Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere," you grumble, "I'm not that fast."

"Aw, baby, I know you're not gonna run," he taunts, "I'm just... enjoying the view myself."

You sigh and slap your thighs before you stand. You grown, keeping a hand on your hip as you move slowly. The extra weight, not much at all, is already straining in your back. You squint at the doorbell where you know the lens is.

"Dick," you utter as you pass by and go back inside.

"I didn't say you couldn't go outside," his echoed voice follows you inside, "wait, peaches... Mrs. Hansen. Give us a turn."

"Lloyd, leave me alone--"

"Wait, wait," he speaks, the noise of his fumbling rubbing against the mic, "better angle. Well, well, well, look at you. Is that junior I see peeking out beneath your shirt?"

"Stop," you hug your stomach, trying to hide it as you spin, dizzily searching for the seamless cameras.

He's quiet. You wait. The empty static dies and you think he's gone. You shake your head and go to the living room. You flop down and lean your head in your hand as you search through the menu for something to put on and fill the void.

As you hit play, the door flies open and jolts you from your comfort. You crane your head to look over your shoulder as Lloyd struts into the entryway, "honey, I'm home. And horny!"

"Jesus fuck," you snarl and turn back to the screen.

"Aren't you happy to see me, peaches?"

"Could've warned me--"

"Where's the fun in that?" He taunts as he comes behind the couch. As you drop the remote beside you he bends and kisses the crown of your head, "honey bee, I got an idea."

"Uh huh, that's always a good sign."

"Yes, you're a woman, you like simple things," he leans down and crosses his arm across the back of the sofa, "let's go shopping."

"Nah, I'm not really--"

"Look, baby, as much as I love seeing that soft tummy, you're gonna need something that fits and you're only going to get bigger."

"You think I don't know that. Lloyd, please, don't act like you care."

"Well, I do care. About my dick and how you make it feel, but nonetheless, I think by the time I get you in a cute little maternity dress, I'll be at full staff--"

"If I agree, will you be quiet?" You snap as your ears burn.

"I'll try but you know me well enough, peaches, I don't exactly know when to stop."

"For all your flaws, self-awareness isn't one of them," you mutter and push yourself to the edge of the couch.

Lloyd comes around and offers his hand. You haul your ass off the cushions and stand straight.

"Don't worry, baby cakes, I know you missed me," he winks, "that's what I like about you, the emotional repression."

💎

Your feet ache, even in the Vans you convinced Lloyd to buy you on the way in. New shoes are never comfortable but preferable to the unreasonable heels he keeps in good stock. You traipse behind him, nonplussed at the prospect of new clothes. You've never been a shopper and the last time you tried….

Well, you met him.

The memory chills you and floods your current reality. The realisation that a singular mortifying encounter became your foreseeable future. He sure had a way of ruining even the most mundane things.

Several stores down and you could collapse already. Even as he carries the load, you feel as if you're bogged down, hauling a boulder across the desert. You struggle to keep up with his long strides.

"I think we got enough," you puff, "really, not like I go anywhere."

"There's one more stop, then I'll take you home and rub you down," he winks as he nearly bowls over another shopper, his shoulder hitting theirs with an indifferent force, "get you oiled up and relaxed."

You sneer at him, even as the suggestion bubbles beneath your skin. No, he's not going to get to you. He interrupted your you time. One more he's ruined it all and for what, so you can buy stretchy leggings.

He turns into a black fronted shop, the pink moniker sending your heart into overdrive. No. He doesn't stop.

You trail behind him reluctantly. Shameless as always, he stops before the table of thongs and drops the bags by his feet, he stretches a lacy vee and faces you, holding them up to measure.

"Low rise so enough room for–"

"Lloyd, jesus," you cover yourself instinctively, "we're in public."

You feel the steady boil, the tingle that creeps up your thighs and ensnares your chest.

"Never stopped me before," he goes back to fishing through the displays, messing up the carefully folded piles, "satin… now what's the point in these?" He raises a thong that's little more than string, "well, if the point is to get me hard–"

"Quit," you beg as his words carry and the associates giggle at each other. Your cheeks burn even hotter, the sudden surge in your core surprising you.

"Let's find something to try on," he gathers the bags with one hand, several pantites clutched in the other, "hello," he greets the women behind the counter, both young and dressed in sleek back, "do you mind if we leave these? We're gonna have a look around."

"Uh, yes, sir," the blond chirps, "we'll keep an eye on them, no problem."

"I'm sure you will. Gorgeous blues," he compliments, "and that smile."

You frown. That's not cool. You're standing right there. It's not jealousy but the fact that he has no regard for you. That these young girls must assume you're some nag of a wife, easily forgotten for a pretty face.

You roll your eyes and strut away. He follows and chuckles. He's not dumb enough to think you care, surely not. Or that you would even think of dragging him out a fucking him in the backseat--

Because you wouldn't.

He take a leather corset and tests the resistance, "guess this is probably too much, we need something flowy."

"Whatever you want," you shrug.

"What's wrong, baby?"

"Nothing, grab what you want and let's go. I'm sore and hungry and tir–"

"Horny? Ah, okay, okay, sorry, I just thought… it's been two weeks."

"Don't," you growl, "I'm hardly in the…" you pause and stare at his hand as he grabs a baby blue teddy with an open front. It's like you can feel his touch already, "...mood."

"This," he wiggles the teddy, "looks cozy. Easy to rip off you."

"Sure," you swipe it away, "whatever gets me outta here." You go back to the girls at the desk, "hey, can I get a fitting room, please?"

"One sec," the blonde jingles her keys on her belt.

She comes around and you follow her to the back area. She lets you into a stall as Lloyd wanders up.

"You go to school?" He asks as you pull the curtain shut.

"Uh huh, law."

"Oh, sexy, a lawyer," he flirts, you can picture him stroking his dumb mustache, "freshman?"

"Sophomore," she replies as you strip down.

You shake your head as you pull on the teddy. You don't like how much of your stomach shows or how your tits feel like they're gonna fall out of the cups. You peek in the mirror, oh great, they also look humongous.

"Lloyd," you call as the girl giggles, "can you help me with this?"

"Yes, honey," he returns, "sorry, wifey's expecting and she's not as limber as she used to be."

"Aw, you're so helpful," the girl praises shrilly, "just let me know if you need anything else."

You face Lloyd as he comes through the curtain and you grab the front of his jacket. He blinks and gives a startled grunt, "hm?"

"Shut up and sit down," you swing him around and shove him onto the bench, "I'm should fucking smack you, you know that?"

"You should," he say brightly.

You narrow your eyes at him. He watches you boldly, mockingly. You hate him so bad but you also can't think of anything else but the way his shoulders look so broad and his chest strains his jacket tautly. You grab his belt and fumble with the buckle.

"Wait–"

"Shhhh, you'll get us in trouble," you hiss.

"Baby, it's not me making trouble for once," he sits back with a grin.

[nihilizzzm]

I have something hilarious to share. I study history and rn I have this lecture from ancient history. Yesterday we analysed the life of Shamshi-Adad — a great leader of Assyria. He based his actions and politics heavily on Sargon the Great (who btw I always mispronounce as Sauron the Great and my professors are fuckin dying every time).

So anyway, bitch was talented leader, conquered a lot of lands and shit, BUT WHAT I WANT TO SAY IS THAT HE HAD TWO SONS. And due to the survival of many clay tables from ancient Mari WE HAVE CORRESPONDENCE HE HAD WITH HIS YOUNGER SON (Yasmah-Adad).

Let me just say he roasted the shit out of this poor guy, while also praising the older one (sounds familiar lotr fans?)

Here are some golden moments from those letters, and bc I study and read them in polish translation, I stole english version from online sources (I checked if they are correct tho, so i hope it’s all fine).

You are a child, not a man; have you no beard on your chin? While here your brother is victorious, down there you lie about among the women […].

But there is more, this time Yahmad-Adad answered his father.

Thus (speaks) Yasmah-Addu, Your son. I listened to the Tablet which Adda sent me, which ran as follow: 'How much longer do we have to keep you on a leading rein? You are a child, you are not a man, you have no beard on your chin! How much longer are you going to fail running your household properly? Don't you realize that your brother is commanding enormous armies? Do you even command your palace and household properly?’ That is what Adda wrote to me. Now, how can I be a child and incapable of directing affairs when Adda promoted me? How is it that, although I grew up with Adda from when I was a child, now some servant or other has succeeded in ousting me from Adda’s affections? So I am coming to Adda right now, to have it out with Adda about my unhappiness!"

…

It’s so fuckin Denethor, Faramir, Boromir coded i can’t—

Also the title Adda for father? Ironic.

So yeah. That’s all i wanted to say today, go drink some water now

[adoptedmadrigal2]

The beginning

The beginning of something new. Things are gonna get wild

Pepa, Julieta and Bruno vowed they'd stay close to their home as adults. Not long after they turned 20, Pepa and Julieta both got married to their high school sweethearts Felix, and Agustin.

They both got married in 1990; Julieta just after new years on her and Agustin's five year anniversary, and Pepa that summer on her and Felix's four year anniversary.

1995 came around and they had bought a large house and were getting ready for their babies birth. Ironically both young women had gotten pregnant around the same time, about three weeks to separate them.

"Mama! What are you doing here" Julieta said as she opened the front door

"I came to bless the house before any new arrivals make their grand entrance. I have no doubts that your baby will make things dramatic. Juli do you know how much of a pain you were to birth?" Alma said as she came in and sat her bag on the counter.

"She was the dramatic one? I thought you said I was the dramatic kid," Pepa said recalling a prior conversation

"She was the dramatic birth, you were the dramatic child. There's a difference. Julieta came into this world being dramatic you never stopped pepi." Alma said

The soon to be grandmother pulled out a very old looking candle.

"This candle blessed mine and your father's house. It kept the four of us safe the night he died. It was like the house came alive just to protect us. It's now time to pass the gift along." Alma said to her three children, Felix and Gus watching from the staircase off to the side.

She placed the candle on the floor and sprinkled the top with something that resembled sugar. Then she lit it.

"what's going on?" Julieta said when the candle began to flicker.

The candle shone so brightly no one could tell what was happening, but when it dimmed once more the candle looked restored and had engravings on it.

"why are the doors glowing?" Agustin asked looking at the doors along the second story.

Pepa, Bruno and Julieta approached one of the three glowing doors.

First was Julieta who touched the knob and watched the door shine and engrave itself. The design was medicinal looking. She didn't know what it meant but waited for her siblings

Bruno went next. His door engraving an hourglass design Bruno's green eyes glowed for a moment and then a small green tablet appeared in his hand. He didn't look at it but waited for Pepa.

Pepa grasped the doorknob at last and watched as weather patterns engraved themselves, she was confused and above her head sprouted a small grey cloud.

"Bruno? What's that?" Pepa asked

"I don't know. But it says something," he told Pepa

"well? Are you gonna read it?" Julieta said impatiently

"it says 'to my children. I may not have been there to see you grow but I'm proud of how far you have come. This is a blessing for all generations of madrigal children starting with you three. To my oldest Julieta, you have the gift to heal ailments with food. My only son Bruno, you can read the future and show pieces of the past. And lastly to my little red Pepa, your mood controls the weather in whichever room you're in. I wish you the best, Pedro'" Bruno reads

"Dad?" Pepa said. The cloud above her was drizzling slightly

"Soo... I can see the future now." Bruno said

"Your father always dreamed of magic and magical abilities. When I sprinkled a touch of his ashes on the candle it miraculously brought his dreams to life for your families and furthermore." Alma told

Bruno's eyes shone green unexpectedly and another tablet showed up in his hand.

"do you want to know what you're having?" Bruno asked

"I know I'm having a boy" Julieta said

"it's a girl, I'm telling you," Agustin refuted

"team girl all the way" Pepa said, Felix nodding behind her

"you're both having girls," Bruno said.

"what?" Julieta squawked

Here's to the beginning of something wonderful to come.

Two dramatic births later and Isabela Melody, and Dolores Alayne were finally here. Ready to take on the world, and become the beginning of something beautiful.

Hope you enjoy ❤️

[butternuggets-blog]

FOR WANT OF A NAIL

@baldwin-montclair @adowobsessed @sylverdeclermont @nicki-mac-me @thereadersmuse @kynthiamoon @wheresthesunshinesblog @adowbaldwin @beautifulsoulsublime @lady-lazarus-declermont @adarafaelbarba-blog @dogblessyoutascha

Part Fifty-Nine

Summary:  Baldwin Montclair had a string of ex girlfriends, a single child, and a  lifetime longer than most people could dream of to make all kinds of  mistakes. His family knew one which kept coming out of the woodwork to  irritate him every other century

Also on AO3

In a quiet corner of a quiet tavern in a dark and distant country two men sit.

They are listening to a third man.

The third man speaks of broken promises, of houses turned nameless and shattered to dust. Of a planned design woven through the years reaching up, up, up, until at last it came to its hour at hand.

Two men ride forth from the tavern.

________________________________________________________________

It was a fine, warm day. Yvette skipped downstairs, readjusting the fastenings on her hair as she went. The eighteen-year-old had been enjoying the dry weather and had decided that today was the perfect day to go riding.

She had settled on a red cotehardie, with a supportive shift with thin straps underneath hidden by the length of her neckline. Current fashion held that if one had the figure for it one could get away with wearing only their cotehardie without anything underneath; women were not supposed to be so brazen, and Yvette was happy to ape the trend without actually committing to it properly.

She collected her riding boots from the boot boy, and stopped by the kitchens to pick up a small cloth-wrapped bundle of sweetened hardtack and an apple. She slipped the food parcel into her pocket and strolled out across the castle grounds towards the stables.

'You are going out today, I take it?' Martin smiled, looking up from his wax tablet. He nodded at Tobias, the stableboy, who dashed off to fetch Yvette's saddle and tack.

'I am going to Les Joigneaux and back' Yvette said brightly. The lake was on the outskirts of Beaune and a beautiful place for picnics, and ice skating in the winter.

'Would you like me to go with you? Or Victor?'

'No thank you,' Yvette shook her head and helped Tobias as he started to lay a saddle cloth across the back of her palfrey and strap on her saddle.

'I would like to have a day to myself.'

Martin nodded and tapped her side. 'Are you missing something?'

'I do have a knife, ɸatīr' Yvette laughed and pulled a sharp dagger from a hidden fold of her gown. It was slim and well-made, with a fine wrought-iron handle that was perfectly balanced and fit in her palm like a glove.

'Good. Be back before dark.' Martin kissed her cheek and helped her up into the saddle, her horse obediantly standing still awaiting instructions as Yvette lent back down and gave Martin a hug.

'I promise. I love you ɸatīr.'

'I love you too, dereling.'

Yvette dug her heels into the side of her horse, giving her father a quick wave as she steered her horse out of the stables and out of sight.

****

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Two men dash away on their chargers, thundering south along the forest path.

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There were flowers in her hair when they found her. They had fallen from the branches of the trees lining the edge of the track.

She looked serene; if it wasn't for the blood she would have looked like she was sleeping. Martin gently picked her up and carried her home one last time.

[without-it]

ok i lied i love to update u guys. heres updates and general tips and goals for the next fast ❤️

said id wait till thursday but at my core im a little silly guy who loves to lie and tell untruths!! so heres the fasting tea abt wrapping up that last 90 hour fast and starting this one

first off, the refeeding and weight gain update from the two days of eating "normally" : weight update this morning, from my last weigh in on monday, i gained about 1/3 of a pound (i lost just over 10 pounds so really good return) so really happy with that honestly. refeeding is such a huge and often overlooked aspect to fasting, and if its handled wrong it can often negate all ur hard work.

when i refeed i focus on PLAIN low calorie foods. if you end a fast with curry to be perfectly honest ur gonna shit urself to death and have a fucking miserable time lmao. my go to is a PLAIN UNSEASONED steamed veggie dish (usually steamed broc and corn, broc bc low calorie and corn bc i am a corn GIRLIE), and often with miso soup to go with it. unseasoned foods help with the upset tummy after ending a fast, and get ur body used to actually processing glucose again. and miso soup is just a nice low calorie simple food to add some fun into that meal. pls dear god do not eat sweet foods / high salt / high seasoned in general / or heavy meat or sauced dishes as a fast breaking meal. if youve fasted for more than a 4 days im not joking you can literally end up dying from that so just be responsible shawtie damn. (look up refeeding syndrome im not a doctor so im not gonna give u the lowdown)

things to focus on during the fast to help prevent rapid weight gain: drink ur god damn liquids. i dont care if ur getting water in thru diet soda or tea or fizzy water or even coffee. that is water, that is a pro and do not listen to ppl who say that water "doesnt count". when you restrict liquids during a fast you will obvi lose more weight in the short term, but during refeeding if u start drinking normally again (as i really hope u are lmao) you will gain this water weight rapidly. u turned ur body into a desert for a few days, and best believe the second u have more liquid ur body is gonna hang on to that for dear life. its better for u and less stressful in the long run to just keep up ur liquid intake during fasts trust me.

and then this is my go to routine for every fast:

every day i take these suppliments: high strength collagen, iron, zinc, a womens multivit, and the unsung hero of fasting? FIBER TABLETS. bro i can fast for over a week and still not be constipated bc im on my SIGMA FIBER GRINDSET

and then my daily intake: at least a liter of water every day with the "Endura brand low carb sugar free electrolyte drink" (in lemon lime flavor) (i put 2 scoops aka 2 serves per liter of water) the taste is super mid but honestly drinking that every day on my last fast made things such a breeze. literally like no headaches, no cramps, minimal dizziness, and my sleep was mostly uneffected.

then i also have either a can or two of coke zero. yes i know it has 1.1 calories and diet coke would be technically more appropriate for a fast, but i hate diet coke and u will not catch my ass drinking it

and then a cup or two of green tea with a 0 calorie sweetener. no recommendations on the sugar bc honestly i swap between brands depending on whats avail at my grocery store that week lmao.

all this liquid and high variety keeps me kinda full, and provides fun taste enrichment so i dont literally go monkey insane drinking plain water for a week. cool if u can do that but ur literally a psycho and not to be trusted frankly

so current goal is at least lunch time saturday. i have plans to do lunch w my friend but honestly if im not rly hungry then and i wanna keep the fast going im just gonna cancel that lunch or even push it to dinner to just get a few more hours in!

as usual, expect weight updates every morning. the starting situation is: 87kg exactly ( 191.8 pounds) , 20% of my weight loss goal achieved. see yall tmro for the update!

[doc42]

The Dreamers of the Day

"I am dreaming," she said. "A waking dream, a walking dream. I am alone and lost."

Daenerys thinks to herself, and we already see it happening in Meereen, "the story goes on, with or without you." She's going home back to the Mother of Mountains while Ser Barristan rides silver in her image and name.

When she chooses "fire and blood" she does exactly what the people of Volantis have been asking of her all along.

Back in Volantis, we see dead dreamers hung on spears:

At the bridge's center span, the severed hands of thieves and cutpurses hung like strings of onions from iron stanchions along the roadway. Three heads were on display as well-two men and a woman, their crimes scrawled on tablets underneath them. "The woman was a slave who raised her hand to her mistress. The older man was accused of fomenting rebellion and spying for the dragon queen." "And the young one?" "Killed his father."

Just as dead dreamers lie in the heart of winter:

Because winter is coming. Bran looked at the crow on his shoulder, and the crow looked back. It had three eyes, and the third eye was full of a terrible knowledge. Bran looked down. There was nothing below him now but snow and cold and death, a frozen wasteland where jagged blue-white spires of ice waited to embrace him. They flew up at him like spears. He saw the bones of a thousand other dreamers impaled upon their points. He was desperately afraid.

And, as we see with absolutely everybody after all these years still fighting for Prince Rhaegar his final battle despite Robert Baratheon's complete and absolute victory at the Trident, dead dreamers are dangerous women and men, because they live on through others.

"Take heart, Father. At least Rhaegar Targaryen is still dead."

[madam-of-lithuania]

You like historical clothing, yes? Would you be willing to either give me some tips or resources about historical Lithuanian clothing for men? Thank you!!

Sure I who not mind, i choose the ancient baltic clothing

Early Iron Age (I–IV centuries AD)

Clothing is believed to be of a tunic style. Tablet-woven sashes with simple, longitudinal designs are worn, tied at the waist or to embellish the garment edges. The cloth is woolen, woven on vertical frame looms in a 3-shaft twill pattern. Women’s headwear is embellished with small, round or flat metal pieces, their fronts adorned with ornaments hung on twisted, two-stranded wire. Another special type of women’s headwear from this period covers the temples with a symmetrical pair of flat, ring or coil shaped ornaments. We still do not know if this jewelry was worn for specific occasions. The metal ornaments from the period are subtle in form, made of silver filigree, with incrustations of azure blue glass and framed in red, black or green enamel.

In the later part of this period, these types of ornaments, as well as elaborate multicolored glass bead necklaces brought from the Roman Empire, are no longer in evidence. The dominant technique for making ornaments becomes metal casting; decorative elements echo patterns found in tablet-woven sashes: longitudinal designs made up of dots, triangles, or series of open circles. Designs on brooches consist primarily of arched ladders. Long needle-like pins worn by women are bobbin shaped, or less commonly they have rounded blue ends, worn in pairs, joined together with one or two small chains and pinned to the shoulder region. Ornaments worn around the neck have trumpet or cone-shaped ends, often with azure blue dangles. Bracelets are massive and cut from a round piece of metal, or less commonly, made from braided pieces of metal. During this period both men and women wear such arm decorations, usually one on each wrist. Bracelets made of braided metal are especially popular.

Middle Iron Age (V–VIII centuries AD)

The clothing style as well as the cloth worn during the Middle Iron Age remains much the same as before: the woolen cloth is still woven on upright frame looms, and sashes have the same linear patterns. The metal ornaments, however, are not as subtle in style as before. They are much larger and the bodies of many of the pins and brooches are made of bronze and covered with a thin layer of silver; minimizing the amount of precious metal used.

During this period women begin wearing skull caps – a few rows of short woven decorative elements, interspersed with cast flat metal pieces, decorated with metal eyelets and strung together on woolen thread. Bracelets are still massive, with only the portion encircling the wrist being somewhat narrowed, their ends are now wider. Women wear one or two on each arm, while men adopt the habit of wearing one very large bracelent on the left wrist. This is the so-called “warrior” bracelet, intended to protect the wrist when holding a battle shield.

Necklaces made of glass beads are typically worn only by women, although men of the Aukštaičiai tribe also wear such neck ornaments. Both men and women wear amulets made of amber – typically a large bead, cone-shaped at both ends, that was hung from a brooch, sash, or woman’s straight pin. As before, needle-type pins are worn in pairs, connected with small chains and decorated with small hanging ornaments. In the northern regions these are a woman’s primary accessory clothing element; brooches, such as those worn by men, are not found with their clothes.

The women of the southern Baltic tribes use brooches to fasten their clothing. These are circular in shape, cast in bronze or silver, and often decorated with serpent head motifs, or sometimes with poppy seed pods. Men wear leather belts with raised metal clasps, and sashes from which they hang their weapons, and tall boots fastened at the knee with belt buckles.

Late Iron Age (IX–XIII centuries AD)

During the Late Iron Age the ornamentation of the clothing worn (and, we believe, the clothing silhouette itself) changes. Brooches now have a horseshoe shape rather than the earlier circular shape. We find some of them in men’s graves, leading us to surmise that men’s clothing from the period was cut down the center and that the brooches were used as buttons. The tablet-woven sashes now have more complicated patterns of geometric rhombi, and cross and swastika motifs.

Along with woolen cloth, beginning with the 10th century, we now find cloth made of linen. The larger quantity of woven material leads us to believe, that towards the end of this period, the Balts, like other European peoples, have now learned to use horizontal looms. With the advent of flax cultivation, we begin to see the use of thread made of a wool/flax combination in woven sashes and later, in scarves.

As before, women enjoy wearing knotted skull caps, although now their small metal ornaments are no longer cast, but rather hammered into various shapes and embellished with intertwined ellipses, swastikas, triangles and rhombi. These pieces are strung on braided or spun linen thread rather than on strands of wool. Bracelets are mostly of braided metal. Men continue wearing a massive bracelet on their left wrist, but now these are wrapped in a long woven sash and strung with small rings (chainmail). The Semigallian wimples are adorned similarly with small chains strung together on a long string, as are Samogitian womens’ hats/headwear. Maple tree whirligig-shaped ornaments hang from their fronts.

Clothing often is embellished with tiny round metal beads, a style especially favored by Semigallians. Samogitian women string and hang beads in a flat rhombus shape on their robes, so that as they move, the beads touch each other and make a tinkling sound. Selonian women like to pin tubular bronze pins on their robes to form various geometric designs; the tunics of the Latgalian men are similarly adorned.

Important parts of the “dress uniform” of warriors/soldiers are tall boots and a leather belt covered with hammered bronze plates ending in woven bronze tassels. During this period neck ornaments are made of braided metal with loop and hook closures. Those worn by Selonian women have flat, curved ends decorated with geometric motifs; some have additional flat metal pieces or small round bangles arranged in a trapeze shape. Often these bangles are used to form a part of womens’ necklaces along with braided elements and glass beads. As before, bracelets are mostly of braided metal, although their central portions are widened and geometric forms added.

XIII–IV centuries AD

The changes in outfits worn during the 13th – 14th centuries are even greater. Along with the traditional and locally made garments of linen and wool, we now find imported weaves of silk and brocade. Because of their expense, these materials are used only in sashes and textile-based headwear. Plaid scarves can now be found. Headwear has also changed; now it is made of sashes of wool or silk and decorated with small, four or five-sided flat plates; spaces between them are filled with threaded bead embroidery (biserio).

The shape of brooches changes, such that now we find round, cast brooches with a hole in their center used for fastening. Small horseshoe-shaped brooches are found arranged vertically on the right side of the neck, most likely having been used to fasten the opening of a dress or underclothes. Bracelets are uncommon and the ones found are now of a different shape – in the form of bands made from pieces of bent, decorated sheets of metal, or tripartite and joined with loops.

Necklaces are made from small glass beads, with rounded, four-sided, or cross-shaped dangles and seashells. Earrings are a new accessory and are worn primarily by Balt women, who also begin to wear metal-plated belts of the type that men wear, as well as a new “invention” from the West – leather pouches with closures attached to their belts. Also worn are amulets – claws of male bears encased in bronze, and cast bronze keys with rhombus-shaped tops in a gothic style.

The men’s outfits of this period are much harder to determine from the available archaeological material. Nevertheless, we can deduce that men wear woolen socks and tall boots, and linen underclothes. They sport wool tunics woven on a three shaft loom, with their garments held together with bronze plated belts from which would hang a leather pouch and knife.

[etlu-yume]

I really ought to finish these damn Transferrin Saturation paper notes but I'm struggling with the line-by-line horror stories of how fucked up it is.

Like phew I don't even know what's worse:

• Transferrin Saturation as an indicator of Hepcidin production (oop)

• >50% Transferrin Saturation exposure associated with joint symptoms

• High Transferrin Saturation (>50%) also associated with the appearance of NTBI (Non-transferrin bound iron), which is likely linked to things like *organ damage*

• Therapeutic Phlebotomy treatment linked to an INCREASED iron absorption after procedures because (somehow. I haven't found exactly HOW yet) it decreases Hepcidin production.

It's such a fucking hot mess like what do we even DO with this information??? There's no hepcidin synthetics from a few (admittedly quick) googles (I *did* check the clinical trials website and nothing of interest/help). The paper in question talks about how a Melbourne study suggests that it may be more beneficial to *NOT* treat mild cases of iron overload. Which I find wild because the same paper also points out that a low ferritin does not mean you have a low transferrin saturation, and it's exposure to a high TS% over a long period of time that seems to be associated with worsening symptoms (particularly joint pain, ability to do work, athletic ability, and libido).

From my brief googles, there's no easy lab tests for Hepcidin. There's no easy lab tests for NTBI. These are things that could be doing who-knows-what and we can't even tell.

Add to it the whole Estradiol/Hepcidin link and it just all is an absolutely hot mess and do not like the implications of where this leads nor the fact that it seems very few people in research world have looked at this. (I'm not surprised. I'm not fucking surprised. They love to run with the myth that women with haemochromatosis are protected by their periods. In the words of a specialist I absolutely loathed, "you're self medicating with periods". Yeah. Sure. Tell that to my 18 year old self. Tell that to anyone who either knowingly or unknowingly is taking a Contraceptive Pill that has iron tablets instead of sugar placebos. [Because I only just found out THAT is a thing. I was always so worried about what's in the hormone tablets, but this was a whole new level of 'wot'].)

I'm rambling because I keep stopping every couple of sentences. This paper goes hard. Sure it's not perfect and there's a lot of unanswered questions too but there's plenty of food for thought and ooooh boy I'm sorry Dr Haemotologist Sir, it's gonna be one hell of an introduction session.

[snowberry-crostata]

Clothing of Skyrim, Part IV: Jewelry and Accessories

As a culture that takes great pride in its smithing traditions, jewelry is an essential component of Nordic dress. Earrings, necklaces, amulets, belts, and decorative hair combs are worn by all classes, though the quality of the accessories varies with the wealth of the owner.

Most women and some men wear one or more earrings. Women’s earrings are typically crafted in gold or silver, are often a gift from her parents, and can serve as goods for bartering if she falls on hard times. Beaded necklaces are another ubiquitous accessory. The beads are made of painted wood, cut and polished stone, metal, glass, or ceramic. Other materials that might be used include amber, gemstones, carved bone, animal teeth, and coins (particularly foreign ones). The necklaces are colorful and often appear random in nature, with beads having been accrued individually over time. Coastal communities, particularly in The Pale and Hjaalmarch, incorporate shells into their beadwork. While the beads can be chosen purely for aesthetics, oftentimes individual beads have a special meaning or commemorate a specific event in a person’s life. Several necklaces and amulets might be worn simultaneously.

Clasps and brooches are used to secure capes and cloaks, and vary from simple iron loops to elaborately wrought pieces made of precious metals and set with gems. Pairs of brooches, linked together with strings of beads or a decorative chain, are often seen as decoration, particularly for married women. These can also be seen securing fur cloaks across the chest of noblemen and Jarls.

Armbands are a piece of jewelry rarely seen on non-Nords. These metal bands sit on the upper arm and are often elaborately inscribed and decorated, or fashioned in a unique shape (such as an armband in the shape of a serpent). The armbands are not simply a fashion accessory; they are often given as gifts to represent an alliance between clans or as a gift between spouses (sometimes taking the place of a wedding ring).

As they are a devout people, Nords are often seen sporting tokens representing one or more Gods of the Nordic pantheon. These vary from simple talismans carved from wood or bone to elaborately embossed and jeweled amulets. The most popular amulets seen on Nords are those devoted to Kyne, Dibella and, of course, Talos. As the Cult of Mara has spread over the last century, the Imperial tradition of unmarried adults wearing amulets of Mara when seeking a partner has gained popularity.

Hair combs, sticks, and clasps are another essential accessory for both men and women, as many Nords follow the custom of wearing their hair long. Ties, beads, metal accents, and feathers are used to accessorize more elaborate hairstyles.

Belts range from practical to decorative. Flat or braided leather and tablet-woven belts are most commonly seen on everyday clothing. Nobles and Jarls often have belts fashioned of fine leather with embellishments like tassels, coins, and buckles in steel, gold, and silver. Warriors are often seen sporting wide, heavy leather belts, suitable for supporting the weight of weapons and armor. A simple cloth or leather purse is attached to the belt, along with keys, combs, talismans, pouches and bags, drop spindles, knives, and any other day-to-day necessities.

[iampikachuhearmeroar]

hey, as someone who struggles to take vitamins regularly, let me tell y'all that vitagummies are not cheating... especially when you did take vitamins for a period, like the ones that you need to swallow whole (or crush, let's be real if you struggle with swallowing them), again vitamins that you can chew are NOT cheating.

so for years, I thought that struggling through swallowing (and gagging on... and burping up the taste of these tablets) fish oil tablets, chalky asf zinc tablets, women's multi vitamin tabs, and iron tabs.... I thought I was being such an adult, doing it the "proper way" all bc it's all my parent would buy.... but also bc I'd been taking them since high school, I might as well just continue with them, right?

but then, 2020 happened. I had my stomach tumour removal surgery.... and struggled with swallowing pills that I HAVE to take at every meal (hello, creon). I'd have the same gagging, the same choking and like refusal to take the tablet from my throat, where if I left it on my mouth too long, or tasted it, or whatever else.... I just couldn't take it. like my body would just reject it. so that caused me to break down my creon tablets into just the pellets that are in the tablet casing and put them in orange or apple juice (to mimic stomach acid).... bc after a month just being fed intravenously in hospital, it was impossible to swallow these tablets whole (which you HAVE to do). and it also put me off my food, which was. uh. not good, nor very helpful.

but once I got out of hospital and was healthy enough to try taking vitamins again, my parent was still buying the vitamins that you ~need to~ swallow whole (and I stupidly went off of creon, which is a whole other problem for another post)..... and I still felt like vitagummies were cheating and such a little kid thing to take, even after a super traumatic time in hospital.... when I was supposed to be making at least SOME things much easier for myself.... plus I had to finish those bottles of tablets bc they were just sitting around in the kitchen.

anyway, eventually, I felt like "hey maybe I should FINALLY try adult vitagummies bc maybe I do need more iron and zinc (for my skin) again, and if i could find B12 and folate vitagummies that'd be great. and I haven't looked back from the vitagummies since tbh. vitagummies aren't cheating. chewing your multivitamin and omega 3 tablets is not "childish" instead of swallowing what I find to be an inconveniently and comically large pills for both women's multivitamins and fish oil/omega 3 tablets. or incredibly bullshit chalky zinc and iron tablets.

get chewable tablets. for the love of god. they are an aid, NOT a cheat or a kids thing. it's not some weird step into adulthood or being a grown-up or some other dumbass shit to take vitamins EXACTLY like they say on the bottle, whole. especially when you're choking on them or actively struggle to swallow them bc your brain wants to burp back out fish oil at fuckin 8 am before uni or work (this was happening to me it was FOUL). take those gummies!!! or if you can't get gummies where you are, at least crush some of the harder pills up (multivitamins zinc or whatever else you might take) to make them easier to have.

although it can't be helped with some other tablets like creon and pantoprazole. those HAVE to be taken whole, really. which is a pain in the ass. but for things like your vitamins, make it as easy as possible, please.

[nightsidewrestling]

D.U.D.E Part 9 - Your Man (Set in 2020)

Note: This is set in a universe where Men VS Women / Intergender matches can happen.

Chapter 1: here Chapter 2: here Chapter 3: here Chapter 4: here Chapter 5: here Chapter 6: here Chapter 7: here Chapter 8: here

Tags: @piratewithvigor @tantamount-treason @thedollmaker16 @janetreader

Around 2000 Words. 18+ in places (those chapters will be marked as 'Mature / sexual content' just to be safe). Please inform me if you wish to be tagged or untagged from posts. If the text is in italics and orange it's Kirby's inner monologue. If the text is coloured but not in italics, it's either dialogue or a P.O.V change (P.O.V changes will be in bold and translated dialogue will appear in square [ ] brackets), Key below. Quick note on Geia's text colour: Yes I do know that as Greed she should be in yellow but I decided to colour the men's dialogue yellow so Geia was changed to be pink like the other women in the story outside of the main 8.

2nd Quick note: Eddie's parents are named (in the story) Ruth & Earl, and his brother is Eric. I have not yet decided on a name for Eddie's sister-in-law.

The Main 8: Damo - Bio. Vi - Bio. Billie - Bio. Geia - Bio. Kirby - Bio. Honey - Bio. Eli - Bio. Sara - Bio.

Eli's Vlog / Stream P.O.V:

At six Eddie and Kirby show up, joining Eli and Geia on camera, the stream in a 20 second countdown, allowing them to get settled on the two beds. Geia and Eli on one, Kirby and Eddie on the other.

"Bonjour à tous, bienvenue mesdames et messieurs. Ce soir, nous jouons à Minecraft avec Geia, Kirby et Eddie. [Hello everybody, welcome ladies and gets. Tonight we are playing Minecraft with Geia, Kirby and Eddie.]"

"Before anyone, especially Hound, says anything. Kirby didn't faint from shock, there's a lot of rumours going around. Allow her to clear them up." Geia explains, gesturing for Kirby to talk.

"Thanks Geia. Uhm, where do I begin... for those who know about my history, you'll know I used to have anaemia on and off. After the show last night I fainted, not from shock or anxiety, but because my iron level had dropped significantly since we flew out to Jacksonville. But that means I'm back on iron tablets, and I'm also taking Xanax to deal with my anxiety." Kirby explains, leaning back between Eddie's legs.

"Wow, Hound's first question of the stream, 'why is Eddie here? I thought he'd be with Moxley'."

"I'm here, 'Hound', 'cause I gotta look after my girl." Eddie shrugs.

"Yeah, and because you met my parents today, so Eddie's not letting not letting me out of his sight, unless I need the bathroom."

"So Eddie is going to be here, until, you know, either the stream ends or you two decide to leave?" Geia asks softly.

The stream goes for the full two hours, going over their allotted time by about a minute.

Gluttony's P.O.V:

Eddie drives himself and Kirby back to their motel, carrying his half-asleep girlfriend to the bed. The following morning (Saturday 15th, August, 2020), Eddie's smoking on the balcony, Moxley and him chatting when Kirby wakes up.

"I told ya, Mox, my Ma's been fretting over Kirby since she got here."

"You did tell Ruthie that Kirby's basically your wife." Moxley chuckles.

"Yeah, I know I did, but every time my Ma has a worry about Kirby, she comes back in here... Woah, hey gorgeous." Eddie's jaw drops when he sees Kirby.

Kirby stands in the balcony doorway, dressed in just a bikini, "Are you two talking about me?"

"Yeah, Eddie's mother, Ruthie, has been worrying about you after Eddie said you fainted." Mox explains, not looking up from his phone.

"I know I've seen you naked, but damn, are ya try tryin' to kill me wit' that body of yours?"

"Nope, I was gonna suggest we go down to the beach, let our parents talk the day away, have an actual date... just the two of us." She whispers, pulling Eddie into a gentle kiss.

"Deal, me and you, all day long... fuck, you look so goddamn sexy."

"Eddie... Edward, my face is up here, my tits can't talk." Kirby chuckles softly, lifting his chin gently.

When Eddie's eyes meet Kirby's he smirks, "Mox, go out front and block the door. Don't let anyone in for the next ten minutes."

Mox rolls his eyes but does as Eddie asks, The moment Mox is out of the room, Eddie capitalises on the opportunity, lifting Kirby by her thighs & ass and tossing her on the bed; he climbs over her and yanks her bikini bottoms down, before practically ripping his belt, jeans and boxers off; he teases her for a minute, getting her soaked and squirming before sliding in, making out with her as they make love.

"I'm gonna fuckin' make everybody know, I'm the only man who can fuck you like this." He growls against her lips.

"Fuck, King... Eddie, you're getting me pregnant is what you're doing, you handsome deviant." She whispers between moans.

"Livin' up to my end of the deal, 'Princess', my parent's need to meet you. After that, I'm gonna find the perfect ring, I'll marry ya pretty ass, then I'm fuckin' ya in every place available, bedrooms, bathrooms, fuckin' elevators if I can."

"You'd fuck me in public?" She asks, digging her nails into his back, "fuck, Eddie, right there... oh Papi."

Eddie doubles his pace, groaning loudly as he finishes inside her, breathing deeply as he lays on top of Kirby. She smiles softly as she catches her breath.

"My girl," he growls, "my fuckin' queen. Your last name may mean 'Exalted King', but you are a fuckin' queen, my fuckin' queen."

"Is that your way of asking me to marry you?"

"It's my way of sayin' that, but more my way of sayin', I'll marry you no matter what."

Kirby kisses Eddie deeply, feeling his dick twitch inside her. Eddie groans gutturally as he gets up and cleans both of them up. He gets dressed in his 'usual' get-up, boxers, jeans, timbs, a white tank-top, his rosaries, a black graphic t-shirt and Yankees cap.

"You're a fuckin' tease," He whispers, tossing one of Kirby's 'ready made outfits' at her, "I'll take ya to the beach, if you put this on."

"I need shoes, Eddie." she grumbles as she gets dressed.

"I'll get ya a pair of timbs, you'll be fine." He shrugs.

"Wow, my very own pair of timbs, it's like we're married already." Kirby jokes softly.

Eddie pulls her in close to him, kissing her deeply, his eyes only moving from her own when Mox walks back in, followed by Eddie's parents. Kirby looks over and blushes, a wave of fearful and nervous energy flooding her mind, clearing her throat and going to button up her shirt.

Eddie takes her hands in his, "breathe, beautiful, you'll be fine." He whispers.

"Ah, she's awake, hola mi nueva nuera. cómo está [hello my new daughter-in-law. How are you doing]?" Eddie's mother asks.

"Estoy bien, debes ser la mamá de Eddie [I'm good, you must be Eddie's mother], Ruthie?"

"Oh wow, you do speak Spanish, I thought Eddie was fuckin' with us." Eddie's dad chuckles.

Eddie's mother looks over at him, mouthing 'Earl, shush'.

"I speak a lot of languages, English isn't actually my first language either, nor is Spanish."

"It isn't?" Eddie asks, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"Nope, it's my fourth. I speak Welsh, Irish, Scots Gaelic, English, French, Spanish and Japanese."

"Anythin' else I should know about ya?" Eddie chuckles softly.

"Uhm... I have a bachelor's degree, I went to college and university, the scar on my face is from a botched moment in a death-match." Kirby murmurs.

"You have a... how the fuck are you wit' me?" Eddie whispers.

"I like you, correction, I love you. You make me happy, you protect me, especially when I can't protect myself."

"You have a bachelor's degree?" Eddie's mother, 'Ruthie', asks.

"Yeah, I have a degree in 'costume and makeup design for film and television'." Kirby smiles softly.

Ruth rushes up to Kirby, hugging her tightly, Kirby looks at Eddie for help as her anxiety rises.

"Ma, take it slow, Kirby hasn't taken her anxiety meds." Eddie explains, grabbing Kirby's medication for her.

"Thank you, Kingy. I'm all for hugs and affection, but I have to either be on these, or know and trust you first." Kirby explains as she takes her medication, grabbing her phone and making a note, making sure she doesn't take too much.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, from how your parents described you, I would have never guessed."

"My parents usually leave out certain things, like how, I'm a giant, I have autism, I struggle with anxiety, you know, little things, but those little things add up over time."

"They also left out the fact you have a tattoo on your lower back." Eddie smirks.

"Edward." Ruth scolds, smacking Eddie's arm.

Eddie's father, 'Earl', chuckles softly, shaking his head and patting Kirby's shoulder, "Welcome to the family, Kid."

"Oh, uhm, thanks... I'm still getting used to everything," she mumbles, "hold on, Eddie, one sec."

"Yea, what's up, sweetheart?" Eddie asks softly.

"Is that... is that my Ice Cube 'The Predator' album shirt?"

"Yea, maybe, it was on my side of the bed." He shrugs

"Oh, I wonder why my shirt was on your side of the bed, Mr Kingston, Six-feet of sin, you are." Kirby teases playfully.

Eddie smirks and winks at Kirby, "You know you love me."

"I do, but you're gonna make my shirt smell like cigarettes. I like when you smell like cigarettes, but my stuff?"

"I'll wash it tomorrow. Today, though, I'm takin' you to the beach."

Eddie manages to talk his parents into spending the day with Kirby's folks, saying 'bye' to Moxley, driving Kirby (and himself) down to the beach, parking up and choosing the perfect place to sit on the sand. Eddie sits and watches as Kirby places down a blanket, before she returns to the car.

"Babe, what are you doin'?" Eddie asks, turning to look at Kirby.

She walks back, with a cooler in one hand and two pizza boxes in the other, "What, you didn't think I'd prepare for a date?"

"I leave you with ya parents, for five minutes, and you get all that?" He chuckles softly.

"Yeah, my mother knows what I like, she guessed what you would like, texted me she was gonna set something up, and this is the result." She explains, placing down the cooler and pizzas, as she this next to Eddie.

"I love your family." Eddie whispers.

"You love my parents and me, Eddie, you haven't met anyone else." Kirby murmurs, covering her mouth as she eats.

They sit together for about two hours, talking, kissing and holding each other close. Eddie makes them leave when it starts getting crowded, driving to a mall, cursing under his breath when he sees the crowd there.

"Eddie, we'll be fine, they'll barely notice us." Kirby whispers, putting her sunglasses on as she gets out of the car.

"You sure?" Eddie asks, staring at Kirby's ass from the driver's seat.

"Yeah, I'm sure. They're too busy crowding around that table, it looks like a petition thing."

Kirby shuts the passenger door, Eddie grumbles as he climbs out of the car. He holds Kirby's hand, leading her through the maze of stores, taking her to a jewellers.

"I want ya to find yourself a ring, one you think is perfect, I'll buy it." Eddie whispers.

Kirby nods and walks around the store, Eddie holding her hand, eventually she sees it, her 'perfect' ring, silver with an amber stone, slightly Celtic in style, sleek and simple but beautiful.

"That one," She whispers to Eddie, "that's my perfect ring."

Eddie smiles softly, "That one, the pretty little orange one? That could leave a mark... if you punched someone."

Kirby picks it up, getting it sized while Eddie waits, and they walk out with the ring, in a box. Eddie takes Kirby to get her shoes next, her own pair of timbs.

"You wear a size sixteen?" Eddie asks, holding the box of black timberland boots.

"Yeah, I am a giant, Eddie." Kirby shrugs.

"I know that, just... didn't expect you to wear anythin' bigger than a size ten."

"A size ten, on a six-ten frame?"

"Yea, ya right, dumb of me to assume... made an ass outta you and me." He murmurs.

"What?" She raises an eyebrow in confusion.

"Assuming shit, makes an ass outta you and me." He shrugs.

"Oh... I like it...Ooh, Eddie look, lingerie."

"No, you want me to have a heart attack, you in lingerie would kill me."

"Oh come on, just one outfit, just the one, please?"

"A'ight, one. Just one." Eddie groans.

Kirby grins, leading Eddie inside the store and looking for a single outfit. Eddie's breath catches in his throat, making him cough and head to the nearest bathroom. Kirby continues looking, working her way through the way through the store, taking a photo of every item she likes. She soon finds a two-piece set, bright and 'fun' looking, she pays for it before texting Eddie that she'll be outside the store.

Kirby waits for five minutes, slowly getting worried for Eddie. He walks out of the bathroom, red-faced and breathless.

"Edward Moore, do not tell me that you did what I think you did, you did not, you better have not." She grumbles.

"What, you're the one who took me in a fuckin' sex shop." He shrugs.

"Eddie, one, it's not a sex shop, it's a lingerie store, and two, did you really just wank one out in a public bathroom?"

Eddie smirks, "Would've taken you with me if I got your attention."