#palette: potpourri

[catzeyegems]

◇ bsd ships as accessories & trinkets (1/?): steincraft

tumblr | pillowfort

[chaotic-feminine]

It's good to be making character sheets again. I put too much time into this one just figuring it all out. That includes figuring out how the hell to keep Tumblr from absolutely destroying image quality, which has more or less proven a fruitless task. It was fun dropping a lot of lore easter eggs for her into this sheet, even if only I get it for now.

Here is the transcript of the character sheet's text under the cut:

Title: VANILLA Breakout text: - She * her - Wood elf/human - Bisexual - 5'0" Text beside her raised hand: Scar on neck + scar on hand Palette labels: Skin, Eyes, Attire Text under eyes: Meant to evoke "retro shoujo" style and dark brown glass. Likes (beneath the sun icon): - Sentimentality - Parties and festivities - Spending time with loved ones - Gardening - Making garments and jewelry - Good food with good company - Hot people Dislikes (beneath the cloud icon): - Unjustifiable arrogance - Being nitpicked - The fashion police who aren't her - Food that's too bitter - Bad smells - Not being tall enough to reach things - Hot people Inventory: - Text under inventory: These are the items you'll most likely find on her, but any others often depend on the day... Inventory labels: - Tasty treat (pictured: Crostata) - Sun-shaped amulet - Sachets of potpourri - Glass knife - Leather journal Lore information: - Barmaid (tavern wench)/ Jeweler - Mostly illiterate - Does no harm, takes no shit - Learns quickly by observing - Homemade gift-giver - Lacks physical strength but compensates with audacity

I would like to personally thank everyone on the CLIP studio resource library for their contributions that made this less maddening of a process. You all are real for that.

[luxyhomeinteriors]

How to Incorporate Natural Elements in Bedroom Design

Choose Natural Materials for Furniture :

Opt for furniture made from sustainable and natural materials. Wooden beds, bedside tables, or chairs crafted from oak, teak, or bamboo not only add warmth but also exude timeless charm. Reclaimed wood is a great option for eco-conscious homeowners, combining sustainability with rustic elegance.

2. Embrace Earthy Color Palettes :

Natural elements come alive in spaces painted with earthy tones. Soft greens, warm browns, sandy beiges, and off-whites mimic nature's hues. You can also introduce these colors through bedding, curtains, or accent walls for a cohesive look.

3. Use Organic Textiles :

Natural fibers such as cotton, linen, and wool bring comfort while aligning with the theme. Choose organic bedding, throws, and cushions to introduce texture and visual appeal. Handwoven rugs or carpets in neutral tones can add an extra layer of warmth and charm to the space.

4. Bring in Plants and Greenery :

Indoor plants are a simple and effective way to bring a natural vibe into your bedroom. Opt for low-maintenance options like snake plants, pothos, or peace lilies, which not only thrive indoors but also enhance air quality. Place them on bedside tables, windowsills, or in hanging planters to add a refreshing touch of greenery.

5. Integrate Natural Lighting :

Maximize natural light by hanging thin curtains or blinds that allow sunshine to permeate the space. Large windows and skylights may help you feel more connected to the outdoors. If natural light is scarce, use warm-toned LED lights to simulate the radiance of sunshine.

6. Incorporate Stone and Natural Accents :

Stone elements like a pebble-based bedside lamp, marble tabletops, or a stone feature wall can add an earthy feel to the bedroom. Accessories like terracotta pots or clay sculptures further enhance the natural aesthetic.

7. Decorate with Nature-Inspired Art :

Artwork inspired by nature can subtly integrate the outdoors into your bedroom. Choose paintings, photographs, or prints depicting landscapes, florals, or wildlife. Handmade macramé wall hangings or woven tapestries can also add a bohemian touch.

8. Use Sustainable Flooring :

Natural flooring materials like hardwood, bamboo, or cork are durable, eco-friendly, and visually appealing. To add warmth and softness, layer the floors with jute or wool rugs in natural tones.

9. Install Wooden or Wicker Accents :

Wooden or wicker decorations, such as lampshades, baskets, and headboards, provide a raw and rustic feel. These components provide richness and depth, making the area seem inviting.

10. Incorporate Water Elements :

A tiny indoor fountain or a tabletop water feature may provide the calming sound of running water to the area, making it more relaxing. These materials are very efficient in generating a Zen-like mood.

11. Optimize Airflow :

Good ventilation is a natural element often overlooked in design. Ensure windows are strategically placed to allow for cross-ventilation. Ceiling fans with wooden blades can complement the natural theme while improving air circulation.

12. Create a Connection with the Outdoors :

If your bedroom has access to a balcony or garden, design it to seamlessly blend with the indoors. Use glass doors or large windows to create an unobstructed view of nature, fostering a deeper connection to the environment.

13. Add Natural Scents :

Incorporate natural fragrances using essential oils, potpourri, or beeswax candles. Scents like lavender, eucalyptus, or sandalwood can evoke a sense of calm and relaxation, aligning with the overall theme.

14. Focus on Eco-Friendly Practices :

When designing a nature-inspired bedroom, prioritize eco-friendly choices. Use non-toxic paints, sustainable materials, and energy-efficient lighting. This not only enhances the natural aesthetic but also supports environmental well-being.

15. Keep the Space Minimalist :

Nature thrives in simplicity. Avoid clutter and choose a minimalist approach to design. Select a few key elements to emphasize the natural theme, creating a clean and calming environment.

Conclusion

Including natural components into your bedroom's décor is a lifestyle decision that promotes peace and well-being rather than being a fad. Carefully choosing decorations, colors, and materials can help you create a peaceful haven linked to the splendor of the outside world. Start simple, play around with many ideas, and see how your bedroom becomes a peaceful, natural refuge.

Read More...

Visit our Website for More Details : Bedroom Interior Designers in Chennai

[mealvaan]

Channel

TW. Death of a loved one.

Along the treacherous uphill paths straying from Gridania towards the west of the Black Shroud, there stands a tent several yalms off the road. The maw, made of Sylvan patterned cloth and silvered, hanging adornments, is deceptively small, for the body is concealed in the thick Twelveswood canopy. One enters the domain alone, scurrying on the outskirts of this dangerous neck of the woods, only to be welcomed by a warm lounge, a soft settee, and a hospitable valet. 

“Lady Sorrel.”

A familiar voice calls through the beaded curtain, followed by a familiar face. The Keeper wanderer, dressed in thick robes of expensive make but modest design, bows to his Lady in deference. 

She is a shroud of grey adorned in white, her ears, arms and tail more metal than flesh if for the sheer amount of jewellery that adorns them. She is only weighed further by her silken hood and gown, yet her posture is immaculately held all the way to her ringed fingertips. In this low light, the palette of her skin is not telltale; her Keeper heritage is only truly hinted by the scrape of her fang against her plump bottom lip, as a huntress might as she envisions her prey.

“You have a visitor,” he announces, then transitions to a much quieter, and exceedingly quick voice. “Merewald is from New Gridania. His lover died at Carteneau — this cycle’s battle.”

“I had hearrrd of this one’s coming,” his overseer purrs in a tone that takes up her room and then some. “Please, brrring the visitorrr to me.”

“Right away, Lady Sorrel.”

Merewald is scraps of midlander, swaddled together in muddied hempen cloth. Underneath is tousled tawny brown hair, an asymmetrical smattering of freckles, twin pools of desperation, and — he won’t fool him with his beggar’s garb, no — fine boarskin leather underneath, no doubt provided by the Trappers’ League.

“Please—” He immediately drops to one knee, as if she were an Elemental herself. He snaps up towards her not long after. “You’re the one they call Saint Sorrel, yes? You can speak with the dead?”

She regards him as a snake swallows one whole.

“… Yes?” he asks again, shoulders deflating. Is he speaking with a statue?

“To speak is one thing,” she offers with the flowering motion of her left hand. Then the right blooms much more slowly. “To channel is anotherrr. I can convey yourrr deepest desirrres to yourrr dearrrly beloved, and yourrr loverrr’s to you… But if you arrre weak of soul, it may not be the converrrsation you arrre looking forrr, Merrrewald.”

Merewald looks on in shock — had Lady Sorrel been listening to his conversation with her servant in the other room, or had she truly heard he was to come? As he searches his brain for the answer, that which leans towards the first, he ambles around his spoken words.

“I… am not weak of soul,” he says determinedly, perhaps defiantly. “I will have my message conveyed to her no matter what it takes.”

“Excellent.” Her hands fold and cascade towards the pillow in front of her. As he sits cross-legged on the ground, he notices that faintly outlined in flickering candlelight, the ceiling is endless valleys of cloth, one of which being a translucent veil that hangs between herself and him. Behind it, there is a bowl of flowers and sticks afloat in clear water, not dissimilar to doused potpourri in look and scent.

Next to the bowl, bisected by the hanging veil, is a strange setup. A picturesque cowrie shell of pure white sits mouth-up, one end kowtowing, the other pointed towards the heavens.

It sits atop a wheel of six painted woodblock carvings, each depicting an aetherial element: a sky wrought with storm clouds, a tree caught alight in flame, a mountain in peaceful stasis, a portrait of a falling snowflake, a tidal wave at its peak, and a migratory formation of cloudkin. The three conquests and the three submissions.

These devices are depicted godlessly, the only deific symbol being the icon of Nald’thal perched on its centre, but it feels almost more Shroudian in nature as a result. These are the kinds of things a Hearer would listen for. 

“Brrreathe in.”

He inhales deeply.

“Brrreathe out.”

He relents.

“Hold, Merrrewald,” she asks him, raising her hand at him. 

“Wh… What is it?”

“I am sensing…” She massages her temples. “This is most unprrrecedented.”

“Please, tell me!”

“Listen closely, listen well. In all my rrrituals, this has only happened once beforrre. Do you feel anything like this: a weight in your stomach, a pounding of your heart, or lightheadedness?”

“Yes, all of the above,” he says with jaw strung tight.

“As do I, Merrrewald, as do I. This is known as a Confluence. Arrre you familiar with this concept?”

“A… confluence? No.”

“The rrrealm of the rrrecently passed — the Lifestrrream, as you might call it — is tightly interrrwoven with ourrr materrrial plane. So much so that therrre is little of it we notice, unless you arrre gifted by the Gods…” It is implicit, but she speaks, of course, of herself. “But this is not a seamless feat. Therrre are weakerrr porrrtions between wwworlds — holes, one might say, orrr rrrifts.”

“You mean to say… a rift sits over us now?”

“Yes. It will allow me to channel with grrreaterrr ease — convey morrre complex sentiments. But it will only last the next half a bell, if that. I would estimate a quarrrrterrr. Norrrmally, I would spend some time explaining this prrrocess to you—”

“Nevermind that!” he rasps. “I have to leave before night falls too dark anyhow. And there is so much I want to say. Let’s do this now.”

“Verrry well, Merrrewald,” she says, and the candle flickers between them. “Close yourrr eyes… Focus on yourrr hearrrt.”

He closes his eyes properly shut, crinkling at the seams.

“Tell me of the soul we seek. Tell me who I am looking forrr.”

“Wendreda,” he whispers painfully. She can hear each syllable stabbing at its heart. She memorizes the colour of his blood. “She was my wife of two years. We were planning to have a baby, and we had been trying. Then, the Grand Company of Eorzea called for her. That wretched thing returned. She was selfless, and generous, and braver than I’d ever be. She said she would go to ensure a better future for our child to be… and…” He falters. “I don’t know if you can see this in her soul, but she had blue eyes and brown hair, like mahogany, and she was about up to my chest when I slouched…”

As he speaks, she hums an inexplicable tune, though it seems reminiscent of a Gridanian lullaby. Soft like wind-chimes, crooning like strings. 

“I have found herrr.”

“Where is she?”

He opens his eyes.

The cowrie shell is moving. Its end snaps, pointing towards Saint Sorrel’s side of the room. It then glides, rotating on its back to sweep along until it lingers before Merrrewald, gently caressing his form with its direction.

“It is attuning to herrr prrresence,” she says calmly.

“She’s h-here?” he asks, tears nearly in his eyes. He notices the cowrie slowing to a snail’s pace before him. “She’s passing behind me… like she did when we were cooking together in the kitchen…”

“You rrrecognize herrr prrresence, and she yourrrs,” Sorrel says. “Allow my instrrruments to rrreconcile with you both.”

The cowrie then completes its large circle pointing to the rest of the room, then gradually slows to inertia. Merewald gulps.

“Is she gone?”

“Wendrrreda is still herrre, rrrest assured.”

“Why did the shell stop moving?”

“It has attuned to yourrr wills. Now, it need only rrreprrresent them.”

He leans forward, looking over the shell with enraptured curiosity.

“You must keep yourrr eyes and mind focused on the shell,” she says, pushing the wooden wheel oh-so gently towards him. “Now… Ask what you must.”

“Please, Wendy.” His voice is broken, shards of itself as he was when he had entered. Were his eyes not so hollowed, there would be tears bursting forth from them. “Did… Did it hurt when you died?”

For a moment, there is nothing. He looks as if his entire form could shatter—

Then, the cowrie shell spins. It’s a mere nudge, but a noticeable one that orients the directionless cowrie towards the element of fire, where it comes to a halt.

Merewald gasps. 

“Fire… Wendy, no, my poor sweet Wendy. Saint Sorrel, what does it mean?”

“The felldrrragon’s brrreath consumed all,” she whispers, choppily as if translating from a foreign tongue in real time. “She stood herrr grrround, but… she was terrrrified, and it hurrrt like nothing beforrre.”

“Of course you did. I know you did. I’m sorry I couldn’t have saved even a piece of you for the lichyard,” he says, words tumbling forth like a faucet fully opened. “Why did you go? I begged you to stay.”

The cowrie begins to spin wildly, nudging his eyes’ whites further as he follows it. Finally it ends on the view of the mountain, and Merewald’s gaze darts up for Saint Sorrel’s wisdom.

“It is as she told you…” she says. “She had hope forrr the futurrre.”

“But what future? We don’t have a child for me to raise. I don’t have you, Wendy. What future were you protecting when you knew you could die like this?”

The cowrie moves only a mote to the left, landing on ice — pointing directly towards Merewald.

“What…?”

“It was forrr yourrr futurrre. You werrre herrr light. She wanted to ensurrre you could achieve yourrr drrreams, even if she could not be therrre to see it.”

“That stupid sentiment again,” he says, clutching his head. He sighs shakily. He watches as the cowrie vaguely passes over him again, a slow cruise of the shell’s head from one of his shoulders to the other, and tears finally fall. His are shuddering sobs, felling the mountain of his stature into a heap over his side of the table.

“Merrrewald,” Saint Sorrel soothes. “I feel a grrreat love forrr you coming frrrom this place. But soonerrr than I had anticipated… the confluence will pass—”

“But you said quarter of a bell!” he cries, shocked from his voice. 

“Alas, could I contrrrol the tides of the Lifestrrream, I would. If therrre is anything else you wanted to say, do so now.”

Merewald takes a deep breath. With the last of his conviction, he musters what words he can as he wipes the wetness from his eyes.

“I want to adopt a child,” he says. “I want to do so in your name. I want to carry on our dream. Will you let me, Wendy? Will you forgive me? For… for doing this without you?”

The cowrie shell shifts with conviction towards the flock of birds. Merewald doesn’t need to ask what it means — he weeps joyously at the notion.

“Thank you. Thank you. Please. The baby I wish to adopt is a girl. She is unnamed. What do you think of the name Agnes? I know it was your favourite — I just want to be sure.”

The cowrie jerks slightly off the center of the wheel to swivel over to the element of ice again. Saint Sorrel’s eyes widen; Merewald meets her gaze to find her shocked expression.

“What’s the matter?” he asks worriedly.

“Oh—” she catches her breath. “She… she loves it so much, and you so much… It came so powerrrfully…”

He falls into tears once again.

“Agnes it is. Do you—”

The candle snuffs out, leaving the two in darkness. Merewald looks at the curls of smoke that rise from it.

“Is that it? Is that my time?”

Suddenly, Sorrel collapses into the back of her side of the tent, her arms falling limp.

“Saint Sorrel!” Merewald moves over to check on her, her valet following in through the beaded curtain.

“That… is all I could musterrr…” Sorrel speaks weakly, looking to her client with a blurry gaze. “I am sorrrry I could not keep herrr forrr longerrr…”

“No, no, you have done more than enough,” says a tearful Merewald. “Thank you. You are truly a saint among our people.”

Sorrel’s servant places a hand on Merewald’s chest.

“Please, sir. I will tend to my Lady; she will need for rest after channelling more than she is used to.”

“Of course, of course. I’m sorry. I am a thousand times grateful.”

“If you would follow me, we can arrange for your payment and I will see you to the path.”

“You are most kind, sir.”

The valet leads Merewald out of the main room and into the lounge once again. There is the telltale jingle of gil as nearly the entire contents of his purse is emptied onto the desk, a golden rainshower of endless bounty. There’s the shuffling of cloth and bags and leather as he arranges himself once more, a dishevelled, brown shadow cast in the corner of the tent. Then, with the Lady’s attendant in tow, he leaves the abode proper.

Sorrel lays silent, one eye open as she watches the entrance with bated breath.

After a good five minutes, the wanderer returns alone. 

“You alright?” he asks, peeking through the curtain. His shoulders are lopsided and one leg is tucked behind the other. That butler’s posture has completely faded. “You didn’t actually pass out, did you?”

“No,” says Sorrel. Immediately, she takes her hood off, placing the bundle of cloth and bijoux into her lap. “I had to distract him and end the appointment quickly. I went too fast and—” She points at a splash of water on the wheel.

“Oh, he wouldn’t have given a shit.”

“He’s from Gridania! He’s more like than anyone to notice conjury in the ambient aether. The city-state is rife with it,” she insists, wiping the droplets off the wooden apparatus. 

“Yeah, so he’d think, ‘Wow, this sure is a lot like the air I breathe every sun,’” he mimics, then nudges her with his knuckles, then offers her a hand. “C’mon, sis. Come check out the haul. We wrung him dry and then some.”

“Well, that’s the cost of closure, isn’t it,” she sings, taking his hand and hefting herself up. “Where do you want to eat next sennend then?”

“I’m thinking the Bismarck.”

“Ooh, a proper vacation…”

[kuviostudiointeriordesig]

Designing for All Seasons: The Famous Interior Designers in Bangalore Guide to Year-Round Home Comfort                  

Our lives are intimately intertwined with the changing seasons, each bringing its unique charm and challenges. While we eagerly anticipate the vibrant blossoms of spring and the warmth of summer, we also relish the cozy moments of fall and the quiet serenity of winter.   

Just like nature adapts to the seasons, our interior spaces can do the same, creating a harmonious and ever-evolving backdrop for our lives. Here, we embark on a journey of seasonally versatile interior design by Kuvio Studio - the Famous Interior Designers in Bangalore, discovering how to adapt our homes to the shifting moods of the year.          

The Essence of Seasonal Versatility      

Creating a seasonally versatile interior design isn't about a complete overhaul with each season change. It's about embracing the essence of each season while maintaining a timeless and adaptable foundation. Here's how you can achieve it:     

A Neutral Canvas for All Seasons      

Start with a neutral base. Neutral walls, floors, and larger furniture pieces provide a versatile backdrop that can seamlessly transition between seasons. Think shades of white, beige, grey, or soft pastels. This neutral canvas serves as your year-round foundation.      

Seasonal Colour Palettes         

Infuse seasonal colours through textiles, accessories, and decor. For spring, bring in pastel accents like blush pink and mint green. In summer, opt for vibrant blues and sunny yellows. Fall calls for warm earth tones like rust and olive, while winter can be accentuated with deep blues, rich reds, and cozy greys.        

Indoor Plants All Year Round      

Indoor plants are a timeless addition to any interior and can be enjoyed throughout the year. Choose plant varieties that thrive in different seasons.    

Multi-Seasonal Artwork           

Invest in artwork that resonates with multiple seasons. Landscapes, abstract art, and minimalist pieces can provide a timeless and seasonally adaptable aesthetic.

The Power of Scent       

Scent has a profound influence on our perception of seasons. Use seasonal scents through candles, diffusers, or potpourri to enhance the ambiance. Fresh florals for spring, citrus for summer, cinnamon and spices for fall, and pine or cedar for winter can create an olfactory connection to the seasons.         

Textiles and Fabrics          

Swap out textiles to reflect the seasons. In the warmer months, use lightweight, breathable fabrics like linen and cotton for curtains and throws. Come winter, switch to heavier materials such as velvet, wool, and faux fur for a snug ambiance.       

Seasonal Decor Elements           

Integrate seasonal decor elements strategically. For spring, the Interior Design Firm Bangalore suggests placing fresh flowers in vases and using botanical-themed artwork. Summer can feature nautical or beach-inspired decor. In fall, decorate with pumpkins, candles, and cozy blankets. Winter calls for festive ornaments, twinkling lights, and faux fur rugs.        

Lighting for the Seasons         

Adjust your lighting to match the seasons. In summer, maximize natural light with sheer curtains and strategically placed mirrors to reflect sunlight. During darker winter months, incorporate warm, soft lighting with candles, fairy lights, and cozy lamps.      

Functional Furniture Layouts       

Keep your furniture layout flexible. Choose versatile, modular furniture that can be rearranged to suit the season. For example, in winter, you may prefer a cozy seating arrangement around the fireplace, while in summer, you might want to create an open space for air circulation.        

Practical Storage Solutions       

Store seasonal decor and textiles efficiently. Invest in storage solutions like under-bed storage containers and closet organizers to keep off-season items neatly tucked away.      

Kuvio Studio Seasonally Versatile Interiors: A Year-Round Journey of Design        

Creating a seasonally versatile interior design with the guidance of the Famous Interior Designers in Bangalore Kuvio Studio is not about constant upheaval but rather a gentle evolution that mirrors the ebb and flow of the year. It's an opportunity to connect with nature's rhythms and savour the unique beauty each season brings.  

By incorporating these strategies, your home can effortlessly adapt to the seasons, providing a constantly refreshing backdrop for the unfolding chapters of your life. So, embrace the seasons and let your interior design be a reflection of the ever-changing tapestry of nature.             

[kritik0110]

Sensory Serenity: Aromatherapy and Spa Design Synergy

Aromatherapy and spa design have a remarkable synergy that can elevate the sensory experience of any space. By harnessing the power of scent, along with thoughtfully curated divine design decor elements, you can create an environment that not only appeals to the eyes but also engages the senses on a deeper level. In this guide, we’ll explore how the union of aromatherapy and spa design can transform your home into a sanctuary of sensory serenity.

1. The Essence of Aromatherapy: Delve into the history and benefits of aromatherapy. Understand how essential oils interact with our senses and emotions, and discover the profound impact they can have on our well-being.

2. Designing for the Senses: Explore the concept of designing spaces that engage all five senses. Learn how to integrate visual, tactile, auditory, taste, and of course, olfactory elements to create a multi-dimensional experience.

3. Harmonizing Scents and Colors: Discover the connection between scents and colors. Explore how certain scents can complement specific color palettes, creating a harmonious and balanced atmosphere within your space.

4. Scented Ambiance: Learn how to disperse scents effectively throughout your space. Explore options such as essential oil diffusers, scented candles, and potpourri to infuse your home with calming and invigorating fragrances.

5. Aromatherapeutic Zones: Explore the idea of creating distinct zones within your space, each infused with a different scent to evoke specific moods. Learn how to transition from a relaxing bedroom oasis to an energizing workspace with the power of aromatherapy.

6. Mindful Materials and Textures: Select materials and textures that amplify the sensory experience. Discover how soft fabrics, natural materials, and tactile elements can complement the soothing aromas in your space.

7. Scent-Enhancing Decor: Curate decor items that enhance the aromatherapeutic environment. Explore how to incorporate items like oil diffusers disguised as elegant sculptures or aromatic herbs in stylish planters.

8. DIY Aromatherapy Crafts: Engage in creative DIY projects that combine aromatherapy with design. Learn how to make scented sachets, essential oil-infused candles, or personalized reed diffusers that complement your decor.

9. Scent Profiles for Different Moods: Explore the diverse range of scents and their effects on mood. From calming lavender to invigorating citrus, discover how to choose scents that align with your intentions and activities.

10. Creating a Holistic Oasis: Integrate the principles of aromatherapy and spa design into various areas of your home. From bedrooms to living rooms, bathrooms to workspaces, learn how to transform each space into a holistic oasis of sensory serenity.

Conclusion: Sensory serenity is the art of harmonizing aromatherapy with creative spa designs to create spaces that engage and uplift the soul. By curating scents, colors, textures, and design elements that resonate with your intentions, you can craft environments that nourish both your physical and emotional well-being. Your home becomes a symphony of scents and sensations, a haven of tranquility where every breath takes you closer to a state of perfect balance and harmony

[toraniindia]

Rafu - Torani India

In a world that celebrates love & weddings in all its forms.. We often forget to honour the next phase that binds two people for a lifetime ~ the Marriage. As they age ~ the rush & fervour of youth fades away…. & their bond transcends from being passionate lovers to life partners and protectors. Sharing parenthood, a home, family & everything in between. They look after one another, becoming caretakers & soul mates. Learning to forgive , accept and take responsibility. With a little rafu on the fabric of life, they learnt to work on the tares & differences.. Falling in love many times, but always with the same person. Our All new range ~ "Rafu” is the perfect marriage of such two worlds, A pendulum between a subtle palette of color, florals, embroideries and textured fabrics…which settles into a canvas of balance, space and timelessness. An exquisite potpourri of delicate layers.. find soft bouquets of florals on handwoven linen and organzas.

[thecandywrites]

The Switch Chapter 12

Oh My God. Well, in classic ADHD fashion. I had this. And then I got distracted, with, like 2 rewrites, an update on a story I had before I ever wrote this one and like I have like 7852709 other WIPs and story ideas and story lines that I would LOVE to move onto too. But none of it can go until I just FINISH THIS FIRST. Because I HAVE PLANS and plot twists and there's still more to this rollercoaster of a ride of story, I just have to get through the technical difficulties which are WRITERS BLOCK of how I'm going to get from here at point A to point B. But once I get to point B, it'll take off again.

So, after...way too long, here is chapter 12

The Switch 

Chapter 12

Once everyone came to drop off their housewarming gifts, they soon left again to give you privacy to continue with the cleanse. Then Mildred came back with potpourri and several more things in large sacks on special carts with wheels she used the rather crude but efficient elevators to get up to the floor and take to your room before she started to move things into the room, with Kragan’s, Saffiro’s and Samantha’s help. But then not long after, that’s when the deliveries started to come pouring in- furniture, silk screens on special dividers to section off sections of the apartment and you had to take refuge in the toilet in the hallway to not disturb the movers trying to move things into the rooms while also not interrupting the cleanse. Which you were sure you were passing things you had eaten as a child since this cleanse was so thorough.

All manner of things were delivered. A new mattress, down pillows, sets of sheets and bedding, furniture and loads of other household supplies. And of course foods to start to make the broths for the soups that you’d be eating for the foreseeable future that Mildred and Samantha went ahead and started to prepare while Kragan and Saffiro and the others moved things around in the rooms which Mildred really appreciated. 

All while Samantha and Saffiro never seemed to be more than an arm’s length away from each other which Mildred found amusing. And once you had finished with the first wave of the cleanse and came back to the room, you quickly noticed and found it amusing too. Now that you weren’t jealous that Samantha would be moving onto Kragan after your eventual death. But as a prospect for Saffiro? She seemed much more agreeable. But you also knew her well enough that she wouldn’t be putting up with Solowardian high society well, not without turning it up on its head or keeping out of it all together. But you also knew Saffiro well enough that you could see his instantaneous smitten state with her. 

Mildred, even though she had noticed, was much more concerned about you and making sure you would be “set up proper” in the room. And after the initial bowel movement, you were simply very thirsty and wanted chilled water with slices of citrus and mint as even more special food preparation items and ingredients and utensils started to be delivered. 

“What is this? This isn’t wheat flour.” You noted when the huge sacks of special flour were delivered to the room with oriental writing on them.  

“It’s rice and rice flour. Because you should stay away from too much wheat because while you should still have bread, it needs to be refined white flour- not wheat for the first two to three weeks and then it can be slowly reintroduced and even then- in things like pasta, or small buns, preferably stuffed with meats and things. Having wheat when it’s fried in oil isn’t good for you. But in the market, Miss Sammy showed us a group of people who settled there from the Orient. They make steamed rice bread buns that are just like soft bread, but will be much nicer on your gut. And it shouldn’t taste too different to you. Or if it does, not too much to be off putting because you’ve been gaining a more world traveled palette like Sir Kragan has. And while we were in the market, we got to try quite a bit of it and it’s quite good. When you are up to it, we can go and you can try it and I’ll try to learn the recipes to make them for you. But that being said, we did get you some varieties of the different steamed buns and filled dumplings.” Mildred explained as she handed you a special steel container that had special layers in it, each with its own steamed buns and dumplings, all made from rice and rice flour before you sat down at the table with Kragan and openned it up and were delighted to see so many layers of dumplings and buns all contained within the thing before Kragan walked you through how to use chopsticks to pick them all up to help you eat them. 

“Oh. Well Yekmeni had a lot of rice dishes. I like rice. Especially the Byrianni style.” You noted as you looked at the metal thing and appreciated its design as the scents were surprisingly appetizing. 

“And they can make noodles and pasta out of rice flour too, because you can still have the pasta you are used to, we just have to be careful about creamy sauces and cheese. But apparently most of the Orientals rarely have cheese and that much dairy in their diet, which is part of the low residue part. We just have to be careful of the vegetables because you can’t have too much roughage in your diet. No seeds, no nuts, nothing too fibrous, like beans, lentils, potatoes, that kind of thing. Lots of super refined flour breads, meats, some oils and fats now that your gallbladder can take them. But that also means you have to be careful of fruits. Like berries and watermelon, but the other melons like cantaloupes, muskmelon and honeydew melon should be ok in small portions. But figs, dates, prunes, dried apricots and other dried fruits should be avoided for the next month, and fresh fruits and cooked fruits should be ok, so surprisingly, pies like apple pie or peach pie or pear tartes should be ok, as should citrus.” Mildred said as she looked over her copied lists of foods you could have and foods to avoid while giving you the originals. 

“But the great thing about the western Europa pasta is that instead of adding cream, you can add bread crumbs, that will give creaminess without cream and if you use that huge arborio rice, granted risotto is a labor intensive dish, but again, if you stir it vigorously, it’ll give the taste of cream without having any cream at all, it’s just broth and rice. Simple and easier to digest. And once you can have wheat pasta or oats or barely and things like that, the soups should be awesome instead of just having meat and broth.” Sammy volunteered cheerfully. 

“You are literally in the one city in the world where we have cooks from all over the world, the whole of the supersphere- all under one roof. And I know this diet looks like you’re giving up everything you love, but I promise you, we will find work arounds and this just means you can find new favorite foods.” Sammy added as she had put down several other tins of the same things for the five of you to sit down and eat since Saffiro and Kragan had insisted she stay to do so. 

You looked at the list and sighed when you saw all your favorite foods on the list that were foods to avoid. You loved all things dairy. You loved berries, you loved berried fry pies the most. You loved cheesecake as your favorite dessert. You loved ice cream, and frozen custard the most. You loved fried cheese around meats too. You loved fried just about everything. And you loved melons of all kinds. Especially a really good sweet watermelon. 

“Hey Samantha, Kragan said you’re really good with books.” You began as you all dug into the food. 

“Nothing compared to what I’ve heard Kragan and Saffiro praise of you.” Samantha returned. 

“They’re biased.” You smiled with a dissmissive waive. 

“But Kragan and I are starting a luxury skyship cruise line in The Contessina Project. And because you have experience with hosting nobility here at Souja Inn along with merchants of all kinds and because you help run the Inn side of the tavern, that gives you quite a bit of experience and a skill set and I’d love to have at the very least your invaluable input on the project. And if you’d oblige me to help me find the right staff for it because in Fitsdale, I’d want to partner with Souja Tavern so that tourists can stay here while their ships get resupplied. And once I can recover, if I could talk to the owners, I’d like to talk about having a wing of suites for potential guests for the line to stay here and have the same wonderful experience here that others have.” You proposed to her as she lit up excitedly. 

“I would love to help you with that. I think that’s awesome. We are actually going to be rebuilding a wing here in just a couple of months during our off-season. If you wanted to- you could invest in the rebuild and you could have a say so in how they’re built and laid out and what materials you want and we can even get the glass makers to put your Contessina Ship logos in the stained glass of the windows.” Samantha suggested. 

“I love that idea!” You beamed happily before Samantha and yourself began to bounce ideas off of each other as Kragan simply grinned and got your journal out along with his own while Saffiro offered a new one of his own to Samantha to use to write down the ideas down as they were being discussed as Saffiro was exceedingly happy that Sammy was not only a sweetheart but just as bright, intelligent and practical as you were but was also exceptionally pretty herself. 

Then Ainsley arrived with her family in tow.  

“Hey, oh wow! You guys got moved in huh?” Ainsley asked as she and her children and her husband came into the room to see everything already moved in and situated. 

“Well I came to offer this.” She held out a box that had a bunch of scented candles in it along with a jar of special lotion and a case of the softest toilet paper you had ever touched in your life. 

“I know you’re going to feel like you’re crapping your guts out for the next day or two and it’ll smell awful, so that’s what the candles are for. The lotion is to keep you from getting any hemorrhoids while you do so. So you just get a smear of the lotion on the toilet paper and then wipe it again to get clean and you should be fine.” Ainsley admitted as she knelt on the other side of you and murmured that to you quietly. 

“Where did you get this toilet paper?” You asked her as you held up the roll, cut in such a way that the edges were clean but the layers of the multiple plied super soft tissue paper could be seen. 

“Souja Papier. Which makes all manner of paper. It’s the top of the line ultra soft kind- second only to the toilet paper in Dorierra, or so we’ve been told. Every merchant that comes through gets it by the case to take home. But it is also should be only a quarter of the price of the toilet paper that comes out of Dorierra, or so we’ve heard from suitors that have traveled to and from there to get a bride. But compared to the other toilet papers it is still pretty expensive but that’s only because you’re investing in very good quality.” Ainsley answered. 

“Dearest…” You began as you turned your head over to Kragan who was about to eat a dumpling and paused to answer you before you could finish your sentence. 

“Yup, Souja Papier ultra soft toilet paper for the Contessina Ships, got it.” Kragan guessed as you beamed happily because he knew you well enough he could already tell where your train of thought had led to which brought an adoring smile to Saffiro's Mildred's and Samantha’s faces to see it before Saffiro reached over and felt it too. 

“Ooh, I’m going to have to get a case of it for home and my room.” Saffiro appreciated it. 

“I could have used this a few hours ago.” You admitted since you had to use the bathroom in the hall while the movers were in your room, Mildred’s room and Saffiro’s room. 

“Well, sorry, I meant to come earlier but I just got off work myself because I ran late with my other appointments today. But these should help.” She offered. 

“Thank you.” You thanked them as you hugged them tight. 

“So this is my husband Annick, who goes by Nick and this is our daughter Nadia and this is….” Ainsely introduced her other children.

“How have you been?  Your mouth getting you into any more trouble lately?” Kragan teased as he had gotten up and hugged Nick when he and his family came in and knew all thier kids by name as they did the same to him calling him "uncle Captain Kragan" which you thought was utterly adorable. 

“No, he’s been good.” Ainsley answered for him as you looked questioningly to Kragan when Kragan had said that to Nick.

“When we sailed on the Cromwell together, his mouth got us into more trouble than we could get ourselves out of, on several occasions.” Kragan insisted. 

“Well we learned valuable lessons, don’t bet against the greenhorns to get out of scrubbing the deck after being in port for three weeks and the ship was covered in seagull shit.” Nick answered. 

“Or the barnacles.” Kragan recalled. 

“And the barnacles, those damned things.” Nick shuddered at the memory. 

“Well actually we learned in Wakanear that the mermaid population there love barnacles the way we love other seafood too and usually remove them from their whale friends which was why the pirate ships never had any barnacles and could sail faster than other ships in the past. And now that Wakanear is a Yekmenian province, we’re gonna be running all the Salgria ships through there from now on. Even if it’s just a two to four times a year visit. Especially the northern vessels that get them the most just to get the cleaning service the merfolk provide in removing them so we don't have to dry dock them.” Kragan volunteered. 

“Really? The merfolk communicate with dry landers there? And not in the whole- "siren song to your death" kind of way?” Nick asked. 

“Yeah, Princess Maisarra of Wakanear has a special relationship with them and she swims with them regularly and they talk quite a bit. Even Yekmeni has a special relationship with their merfolk population. And of course all mouras do since mouras and merfolk came from the same home world and share a root language since the species evolved side by side.” You added. 

“Oh, speaking of which, I should probably call Sarah and Audrey and Yana….” You remembered. 

“Nope, I already did that, they’re packing up and should be here tomorrow. Yana is bringing Zirvush fruit, which is like a cherry, and Agnes said it should be really good for your diet. And Yana swears that it’s both delicious and nutritious yet gentle on an upset stomach. Audrey is of course bringing adani fruits and seasonings and spices and another Messengerari for us to use here so we can keep in touch and not have to continually use the common ones in the squares. And Sarah is bringing Wakanear coconuts by the case because if you’re pregnant, and already nauseated and dealing with morning sickness, coconut water will be really helpful. And she’s bringing acai and avocados and the other tropical fruits that shouldn’t have too many seeds or too much fiber for your diet and of course they are also bringing a moura healer to heal everything else.” Kragan supplied. 

“Aw, they don’t have to trouble themselves just for me.” You sighed. 

“You’re their friend. They wanted to come and help. Audrey is especially sorry she didn’t fly you to a colony and to a healer herself while you were in Yekmeni last. So now, she’s bringing one to you. That, and she’s having a hard time getting Millie to decide on finishes for her ship because her tastes change with the tastes of the Solowardian court almost daily.” Kragan insisted. 

“Oh gosh, what color are they on now?” You asked. 

“Purple.” Saffiro supplied in a deadpan tone and a tired sigh as you rolled your eyes and bit into your soup dumpling and then took a tentative sip before an explosion of flavors seemed to bloom on your tongue. 

“And it’ll change a dozen more times between now and when that ship should be done.” You muttered between careful bites of the surprisingly hot soup dumpling. 

“Well we’ll get out of your hair so you can eat dinner. Don’t worry about anything Tessa, we got you. You’re part of the Souja family now. And we take care of our own.” Ainsely insisted which was exactly what Nora and everyone else had insisted earlier. 

“Thank you for welcoming me into it.” You thanked them before they saw themselves out as you were happy to simply sit down at the table with Kragan on one side of you with Mildred sitting at the head of the table with Saffiro and Samantha sitting across from you as you appreciated how well they looked together and their so not subtle looks to each other as you gave Kragan’s knee an appreciative squeeze under the table and a meaningful look. 

“This is really good.” You appreciated about the food. 

“It is, I thought it smelled odd at first but the more you eat it, the more you like it.” Saffiro appreciated as Samantha also helped him learn how to eat with chopsticks as she had already done with Mildred. 

After you had eaten your fill, it was time for another round on the toilet as Mildred, Saffiro and Samantha quickly took their leave to give you some more privacy as Kragan was already lighting up every candle that was in that box for the inevitable smell that was sure to follow. 

“They make a cute couple.” You noted as you sat down and felt like you pissed your body weight as it had never smelled so horrible before. But your kidneys were releasing every toxin that had been built up previously. So of course it would smell like liquid death. 

“Yeah they do. But I know Sammy, she would hate Solowards. She’s a Souja, Souja’s rarely leave Fitsdale.” Kragan appraised. 

“Maybe she’d take the place by storm and turn it on its head.” You shrugged. 

“Nah, the only way she would ever come, is if she could keep her independence which Solowards doesn’t give to it’s women with primogeniture and all that. And you said that women can’t own property. Which Sammy has in her own right. She’d never give it up.” Kragan predicted. 

“How good is she with accounting books?” You asked him. 

“She’s pretty good, granted not as good as you, but she’s pretty good. She does a lot for the Inn side of Souja Tavern.” Kragan answered before you grinned mischievously. 

“Oh no, I know that grin, what you got cooking up?” Kragan asked as he braved the stench and knelt between your feet in front of you as you were still sitting on the toilet.  

“Well I’m thinking- that if a relationship were to bloom and blossom between them, I think I know a way to even the odds in her favor.” You prompted. 

“I know Saffiro. He doesn’t like girls easily. His bar is already almost impossibly high. But Samantha is everything he’s never realized he needs. He needs a strong woman to support him and his heavy burdens. Samantha is strong. And Solowards needs to change. I think if the relationship blossoms and blooms, and her and I can see eye to eye on The Contessina Project. And we can agree on what needs to happen and how it needs to work. And I can trust her with it. I could always hire her to run the Contessina Skyport. But only if she can keep that job and keep all her income from it as her own and authority and control. And therefore it wouldn’t matter if Saffiro could make her a Duchess, she’d be independent yet they could help each other and she’d be strong enough to slap my father’s greedy hands off of it. But yet, still keep it in the family in a way. Do you think she’d go for that? As far as I’m concerned, she’s an heiress to the Souja Dynasty of the great and awesome Fitsdale. Which is more impressive than the capital of Solowards which is Varidhe. And if I can explain that I hired her because of her intellect and her work ethic and qualifications and aptitude but that I only trust her and her alone to run things for me in Solowards, much less Fitsdale. And that Solowards can’t have her or our business with its current unfair laws because I don’t trust them to not screw her or us over.” You proposed. 

“Well then lets see where that relationship goes. But that’s a big vote of confidence in Sammy and your opinion in her.” Kragan praised as you finally finished and wiped and quickly washed your hands before you got ready to go to bed early because it had been a very big day and all you wanted was rest. 

 “Hey can I ask you something?” Kragan asked once you both settled into the bed. 

“Please tell me it has nothing to do with the stench in the room?” You pleaded as you felt the stench of what you passed was horrific, no matter how many scented candles you had burned and what incense you had burning too. All you could smell was a rotting corpse from the pure evil that had left your bowels and bladder had flushed from your kidneys and liver. 

“No.” Kragan reassured you.

“Sure, shoot.” You answered as you laid in bed in the fetal position with Kragan spooning you before you felt Kragan take a deep breath and then hesitate to ask what he wanted to ask which made you frown before you rolled over in his embrace. 

“What is it?” You asked him as you looked up at him in the darkness of the room, only lit up with small flickers from the candles and the incense censors and the low glow of flames and embers in the fireplace from the small fire burning in there. 

“Maybe it’s not the best time to talk about this, you’ve had a really hard day, we should probably talk about it when you’re recovered.” Kragan noted. 

“Not if it will keep you from resting tonight. No more secrets, remember? What’s troubling you?” You asked as you looked into those gorgeous golden yellow eyes that still seemed to almost glow in the low light. 

“I know you love me now, but at what point did it turn from manipulating me into loving you and you manipulating yourself into loving me and you actually loving me?” Kragan asked. 

“Ah, I see why you would want me to rest and recover before you would ask me this and yeah, I can see why that would keep you awake.” You noted with a small but accepting grin before you rolled over and got the stack of letters you had written to your loved ones that Mildred had slipped into the bedside drawer to do with as you pleased, although the one you wrote to her, would be something she would cherish for the rest of her life. You used the low light from the fireplace to flip through them to find the letter addressed to him. 

“Here, read this. It’ll answer that and many other questions you could have.” You offered as you handed him the letter before you put the others back and rolled back into his chest and used his arm as your pillow to get comfortable. He used his enhanced vision even in this lower light to open it up and read its many pages, every once in a while then almost constantly the more into it he read- he petted down your head and back and pressing kisses into the crown of your head as you could hear and feel him start to get choked up as he read it. 

"My Dearest, Most Beloved Husband, Kragan. 

I hope that this letter finds you in good health and I wish you nothing but the best, and I hope Salgria Shipping can take the world by storm and that The Contessina Ships are also a great success. But most of all, I hope you can forgive me and especially Mildred and the rest of my family for what we have done to you. 

You see, only a couple of days before your offer of marriage came to my father, I had been diagnosed with very advanced side sickness and cancer that was terminal and inoperable and was given only weeks, to maybe a few months, but no more than a year left to live. That my belly would swell as if I was with child, but it would not be with a child, but rather, the tumor growing in size and from there, I would be mere days or hours from death. My entire family took the news very hard but kept such a diagnosis secret to save themselves from the runiation- since such news could cause. Especially since it would be seen as a family genetic defect, rather than a single member’s unfortunate ailment that had no cause and no cure. It was also kept secret so that the rumor mills and harmful gossip because such news threatened to destroy the family’s reputation and standing in society and business. The healers in Dorierra offered to try to cure me but for a sum of a million gold bullion. A sum that even if my father and every member of my family sold everything we had, could never hope to come up with even a small fraction of such a sum. Without my knowledge, my father agreed to your proposal simply to acquire as much funds as possible to pit them in the investments market, hoping by a miracle to even get up to a quarter or up to half such a sum. 

However, when Millie was informed of the betrothal, she threw a fit. And threatened to throw herself from the roof rather than marry you. She was the season’s Diamond of the First Water- meaning, aside from Solowardian Royalty, she was High Society’s most coveted bride and had already gotten dozens of betrothals in from every other gentleman in high society but none of them had the handsome offer you did. When Millie was informed of her betrothal to you, she came bursting into my rooms as I was already into my final confinement, preparing myself for my inevitable demise and my strength was growing less and less from one moment to the next. To the point I could not be out of bed for more than an hour without fatigue setting in and the pain from this side-sickness and cancer was excruciating if anything more than a shift were to touch my skin. 

But upon hearing Millie’s recounting of the events, I asked for her help to bring me to my father’s study since my father had refused to come into my rooms after my initial diagnosis. Especially since he had already thrown himself into making as much money as he could for a cure because he refused to accept that I would die before he could finance a cure. But I simply took his absence and withdrawal as his refusal to accept my perceived defeat and failure to be his first and greatest pawn in his well orchestrated play for fame, fortune and power. 

Once I had my father read your proposal, I must admit, I too was shocked. But with my terminal diagnosis, Ron’s bitter resentment and extreme prejudice against me and yet his already high and lofty standards that he would demand of me once I would marry him, the answer seemed obvious. So I suggested to my father to switch Millie and I in our betrothals. Ron had never met Millie before in his life and had not seen or gotten a chance to know her or possibly reject her yet. And if Millie had already decided against you based on nothing more than your kind and occupation. Then we both stood a better chance and meeting and making a good first impression with each other's betrothed instead since there was nothing in either one other than a business formality that our fathers had already agreed on without our input or consent. Millie of course was happy to get the second greatest groom in society besides our own brother Saffiro. And I was relieved to finally get a chance at a fresh new start, even if it was only for a short time. I instructed my father to tell the doctors to make up a believable lie about a horse accident that the Count and Countess Lavine would accept and most importantly Ron would accept and that would readily excuse my need for “medicine”to you. Which really was a concoction of poison meant to keep me energized, appearing healthy and strong but mask my true state of health and my other symptons of my terminal illnesses along with warding off pregnancy so that when the illness would finally run it’s course, my life and my life alone would be claimed, and no other, for even that was a burden too heavy for me to carry. 

My betrothal to Roncharles always hinged on me producing two male heirs within the first two years of marriage. And your betrothal never mentioned hiers or a time table at all. So behind Ron’s back, my father added 5,000 gold bouillon to Millie’s dowry and Senior Count Lavine accepted it. However, to induce Roncharles to accept Millie, everything was done to make Millie the most exquisite beauty possible and hopefully so great a beauty that Ron could never hope to resist. Mostly because Ron and Millie had never met before that night at the ball. Because every time I took Millie with me to visit the Lavines, Ron “conveniently” suddenly went on a hunt and refused to enter the house until I had left it first, much to his parent’s embarrassment and chagrin. 

However, in preparing myself for that ball, I had been informed by my brothers and father of your nature and personality and what approaches would work best. And when I wrote to you and you stonewalled me, I knew I was already fighting one losing battle and I did not wish to enter into another, especially at the same time. So that balcony was set up specifically by myself and my mother to make our first encounter as unintimidating, nonthreatening, and comfortable as possible. It was all done with calculated precision before you ever took your first step off that carriage at the ball. But while Roncharles was given the illusion of free choice. I knew you were too intelligent to fall for such a ploy and would readily see through the ruse. So I was determined to simply present as much of myself as you would let me reveal and let you make up your own mind about me one way or another. If you decided against me, I insisted to my father that I had already spent the last 18 years of my life being betrothed to a man who hated me. And if I was going to die in less than a few months, I refused to spend another moment in those circumstances again by forcing a betrothal onto yet another unwilling groom. And that if you refused me, you could claim any reason you wanted to refuse me, and that reason would be accepted and your dowry for your hand in marriage would be returned to you, no further questions asked. But even if all I could ever hope to be was your friend, then that was what I was going to be content with. 

Ron came into that ball and took one look at Millie, dressed up in the highest quality and most ludicrously lavish gown and accessories and decked out in more jewels than all of my jewelry in my jewelry box combined. None of it paste, all of it real. All glitter and glow. Even makeup made of crushed pearls and gold and silver dust and even diamond dust was applied to crushed flower petals and butters and balms to her skin to make her look utterly ethereal. She was made up to look like a Crown Princess and he bought into her illusion- in entirety- “lock, stock and barrel,” as you might say. He was immediately smitten and enraptured with her and she with him. And it happened only moments before you came into that ball. I was terrified he would take one look at her and dismiss her as quickly as he had me, or, heaven forbid, take one look at me all grown up and want to switch back. But instead, the moment it was evident that he was taken with her, the rest of his family and mine all breathed a collective sigh of relief, myself doing so the most. His father and mine both gave each other the nod of approval and agreement that the illusion of Ron choosing Millie of his own free will was a success. And I was told at the end of the night that once he saw her for the first time, he had no eyes for any other. Which was again, a great relief. And for him to propose the very next morning was the greatest relief of all. Because I knew that at least for the present, that she would do everything my father had always hoped I would do. And she would be happy and content and at the very least, taken care of while not exhausting my parent’s finances even more than she already had in setting up her own illusion of the perfect bride that even the brides of Dorierra would be hard pressed to compete with. Which is, sadly, all that Millie has ever wanted for herself. 

But then it was time for me to do the same with you but taking the absolute opposite approach. Instead of dazzling, I had to be more "drab" so as not to intimidate you and reinforce the inferred chasim of our social standings by Solowardian standards which was honestly a relief since I am, by nature much more reserved and discrete. Instead of perfect poise, perfect manners and layers of pleasantries and formalities, I needed to be at ease to put you at ease and embrace informality and be honest and frank without being blunt and offending so that you could be relaxed and wouldn't feel pressured or persuaded or forced into this becuase I had already heard that your parents were practically dragging you into this kicking and screaming the way Roncharles had been all his life. But instead of rebelling against it because I was not his ideal. You were rebelling because I was a stranger and thought I felt the way Millie did, without actually giving me the chance to tell you myself how I felt about it. But all of that changed the moment you came into that ball looking like a masculine version of a damsel in distress and a mighty eagle in the silken binds of peacock feathers. I wanted nothing more than to save you from your discomfort and set you free from such constraints. 

The reason I felt that way was because I very vividly remembered when I was presented at the Queen’s court at 18 and I felt the exact same way you did. Every set of eyes of everyone in Soloward’s high society were on me. Looking me up and down and weighing and measuring me with just a glance. And while my mother is a Duchess and one of the leaders of Solowardian high society, even she could not save me from the Queen’s scrutiny or the scrutiny of her daughters, the Princesses. Princess Frangellica, upon watching me being presented- said that ‘it was a good thing I was already betrothed because had I not been, I surely would have died an old maid with only my fat belly to keep me company’ and the snickers among the Queen and the other Princesses soon infected the entire courtroom. And from then on, I was on a very strict diet and shoved into the tightest of corsets at social events, but even then, that first impression was impossible for me to shake or improve from.

But even with that history, I was terrified that you would take one look at me and judge me the same way they and Roncharles had done in the past. But I could not show my feelings or fears on my face or in my words, least offending you and fucking up all the hard work I and my family had already done and was already in the middle of doing. 

Because at that point, my family already had plans for your family so that you and I could make “our escape”. Gwendolyn was tasked with taking care of your sisters, Saffiro was tasked with taking care of your other brothers and my little siblings were urged to take your youngest siblings up to the nursery to play during the ball, which Mildred herself oversaw. 

That balcony’s table was filled with your favorite foods, which your mother had already provided myself and my mother the lists and recipes and the seating arrangement was set in such a way so that when and if you sat down, depending on where you sat, would tell me exactly how much work I had to do to prove the benefits of the match. But when you sat at the chair closest to the couch, it gave me hope that perhaps I had a fighting chance of at least becoming your friend. 

But that was the last of the manipulations. 

Because the moment you opened your mouth and blurted out ‘aren’t you angry about all of this?’. It was you who won me over. But I must admit, I did answer with a lie. I was angry. I was angry that I got cheated out of a life I had prepared for my entire life up to that point. I was angry that I had lived my life in so much fear of making the smallest of missteps, that I would be sure to fall. I was angry that I had spent my life being betrothed to a man who hated me to the core and would have to live in a society that only tolerated my person only because of my family and connections. I was angry that I lived in a society that did such injustice to every woman within its society. I was angry that I had never once been able to enjoy a day of my life or a meal in full and that it took a terminal illness to release me from the biggest moron on the supersphere. I was angry that everything I had ever done up to that point was for naught. 

But most of all, I was angry at Fate itself for demanding my life so soon, that only in its last moments, would it give me the love of my life to enjoy the precious but few moments I had left- with you. And from there, I was furious that I could never live the life with you that I wanted to. Because in my heart of hearts I have loved you. In my wildest of fantasies- I have grown old with you, wiser with you, more in love with you every moment after than any moment before. I would have had as large of a family as my body would have otherwise been able to bear. I wouldn’t have cared if we only had a penny and a single row boat to our names and only the clothes on our backs. But just for the chance to be together, I would have given anything. And have given everything. Even if I have to give the last of my life, just so that the latest and greatest idea you’ve ever had is to take flight. I would have loved to do nothing more than to soar in the clouds with you. To feel the crisp air in my lungs, a cloud’s gentle caress on one cheek and your hand on the other. I have loved you, heart, mind and soul. And I’m so sorry that our time together must be cut short just as we were gaining speed and height and momentum. 

But if you ever wonder if any or all of it was real, or imagined, or manipulated, please, believe me, our love was real, and genuine. And that other than the circumstances of our first meeting being manipulated to put you at ease, I never had to manipulate you personally any further. All I did was present myself to you and give you the chance to either accept me or deny me as I was. No other pretense or any other stupid bullshit. I was never a charlatan. 

Other than keeping my true diagnosis from you for fear you would retaliate against my family, I have otherwise done my best to be honest and transparent with you. Because you were never a fool, not even for love, even when I was. 

And while I will always feel guilty that you may look at this situation and feel you were taken for a fool. Hopefully, your latest dream inspired by your own true love for me, will make it back to you at least a hundred fold. And watching you soar cloud high in spirit has only lifted mine for the last time from even the depths of the grave. And I can only hope that if there is an afterlife, or a chance to be reincarnated- that we find each other again. But that we get to enjoy a full life together then, for twice as long as what has been denied to us this time around. 

My greatest regret in life, has not been feeling like I’ve been cheated out of a fairytale romance with my soul mate, for which- such a wound is beyond words. But it is otherwise- not being brave enough to tell you the truth with my own lips and face to face. You have given me chance after chance and opportunity after opportunity to tell you, and like a famous writer once said- “I was in the middle before I realized I had begun.” 

I should have told you that first night on that balcony. I should have told you that night as we were sitting under the stars hand in hand. I should have told you before you ever proposed. I should have told you before we said our wedding vows. And at the very least on our wedding night. But while my guilt has been eating away at me all along, I have been otherwise blissfully happy thanks to you. At least, I can say, with confidence, that I have lived up to my marriage vows to you. I have loved you, truly- with my whole heart and soul and mind. I have been wholly and completely devoted to you. I have never once been unfaithful or disloyal to you. I have never looked at any other with want or lust in my eyes after my eyes got the privilege to behold you. For it was for you and you alone that my heart beat for - after our engagement. And while I'm sorry our courtship was rushed, for not having much time left to live, it had to be so that I could enjoy what few precious moments I could with you. And after you unveiled the greatest wedding present in history in the form of a ship in my own name. Of which is an honor I never could have prepared myself to receive. I only wished to help it and you and every other amazing and incredible idea you have- or that we have had- become a reality. And I only hope that for such a great gift and service you have bestowed upon me, I have returned others to you in kind. And with such a diagnosis, knowing that death is coming for me, I could never in good conscience take any other's life to the grave but my own. Which is why I have done my best to ward off pregnancy. For the cost of my life is already too high a price for you to pay, I would never ask for the precious life of an unborn child to be paid with it. 

I didn’t want my diagnosis and my true health condition to kill those precious gifts before they could ever be realized or come to fruition. I didn’t want you to bankrupt yourself or your family trying to save a lost cause. Or pay any more on my behalf than you already had. Because while you feel you simply paid for the privledge to court me, I feel you paid a ransom for death’s prisoner, but for a time much shorter than what you were owed. 

You have been cheated my love. You have been cheated out of decades of time. You have been cheated out of money that was hard earned. You have been cheated out of happiness. You have been cheated out of so many great and wonderful things. And I would have loved nothing more than to offer up the world on a platter for your pleasure and taking. I would have been so happy to live my life beside you. I would have been so happy getting you the justice you deserve. I would have been happy to smear our happiness and success into Solowardian’s High Society’s faces. And I would have cheered as you continue to show the world just what you’re capable of and just how high you can soar. So far above the fray, that entire nations are mere specks on the vast surface of the supersphere. And I would have loved for you to show me a world where the sun never sets and the days are as beautiful as they were showed in the great works of art. And in theory- could never end if you don’t want them to. 

I would have loved to see how Salgria Shipping became an even bigger empire than even Dorierra. I would have loved to see The Contessina Ships bring you just as much joy and pride as I have, and as much pride and joy as you have brought me for the simple but divine right and privilege I’ve had to be your wife. Because you have clothed me in love, respect and dignity just as much as any other ever could have regal splendor, glittering jewels and gold. For what are such worthless things compared to the priceless? Especially when such physical endowments pale in comparison to the intangible, but perfect benfaction you have given me. You have loved me to the point of invention. A point I never knew possible before I met you. You have given a sick and dying girl, the chance to go on one last adventure before the grave could claim her so that such things were not just stories in books, but experiences and cherished memories, fully realized. 

It was the most painful thing I’ve ever gone through watching you sail away from your childhood home, you, and the ship you were on- shrinking down until my eyes could not distinguish it in the sky, knowing that it was the last time I would see you face to face. I sat the grass, it’s blades clutched between my weakening fingers wishing I had the wings of a bird to fly away with you, but feeling so tired and weak, I could barely stand. Wishing I had the courage to tell you the truth, and selfishly ask for you to stay so that the last things my eyes would ever see while on this side of the grave- would be your perfectly handsome face, the face of the one person I have loved more than all others. And a sight I never would have gotten bored or tired of. A face I have been waiting my whole life to finally see and know that your heart and soul were the perfect match and counterpart to my own, no matter the body such things possessed. I would  have loved nothing more than to see all the little bits of yourself mix with all the little bits of myself in any and every child we possibly could have ever had. I would have even adopted any child you would have ever had with any other. Because they were all part of you and I have loved you wholly and completely. And if those children were made in love, they would be kept in love and comfort all the same. It is a right every child should have- to be loved by the parents who made them. 

Now My Love, I am sadly running out of paper. Because I could go on for hundreds of thousands of pages of all the ways I have loved you and the life I wish I could have led with you. But I must be mindful of how much time and energy I have left. And I must, unfortunately use it wisely. So if I may leave some last advice for you. Please, head what you can.

First I ask is that you give yourself time to fully grieve me. And while in the beginning of our courtship, I mistakenly thought that while you fell in lust with me in such a short amount of time, it was easy to call lust 'love' when it would only be fated to last for a blink of time. And I thought that you would be quick to recover from me and do so pretty easily. And that in only weeks or months, you would weather the storm of grief in only weeks or months. Oh how wrong I was. I now know that that is not the case. We fell so hard in love with each other and so fast and so soundly, only Fate could be attributed to the almost instantaneous state of our relationship. And while there has been a healthy amount of lust, it didn’t hold a candle to love that blossomed and bloomed between us- right before our eyes. And for such a glorious and beautiful flower, it’s a shame it will only bloom for such a short time. Fate, for dealing me such a heavy, fatal blow, it at least had the decency to bring us together and not getting in the way of us uniting faster than we naturally could. I’m so happy that at least we got to be together, even for as short of a time that did. 

Please, do not let regret eat away at you the way it has me. And do not look back and mentally kick yourself for not seeing the signs that I was much more gravely ill than I let on that I intentionally buried and covered over and hid from you. The regret has been a burden that I only hope I have been able to bear it for both of our sakes. Also, please, do not give up on The Contessina Project. Rename if you must. But it is the future of the Supersphere and it will be your greatest triumph yet. Do not cut it off at the knees just because it’s namesake is no longer with you. Trust Audrey with it. She will see to it, that it is done correctly and I trust her to do right by you with it. And while she was aghast at the price Dorierra asked to cure me. She too sensed the severity of my sickness, and could not risk her own life or kingdom or the lives of her friends to try to cure me. Even she and Dr. Hayati sensed the severity and the terminal nature of my illness. And even they knew it was a lost cause. And I hold no ill will against them for sensing the truth. And while the healing stones bought us only a month or two more of time. Even they had limits. And Audrey wanted to respect my wishes to not kill and gut the Contessina Project just because it’s namesake was terminally ill. 

Also, hold true to the course we’ve agreed upon for Salgria Shipping. I hope that there will come a time, that the sun will never set on the Salgria Shipping Empire. And I hope you finally get the recognition for it’s success you’ve been owed all along. You’ve poured your heart and soul into it all your life. It’s only right and fair that it pays back in kind and takes care of you better than I ever could. And while I know having Salgria Shipping in one hand and The Contessina Shipping Enterprise in the other. You are strong enough to handle both. You are smart enough to chart the courses for them both. There is no one in the Supersphere who is more capable than you to do so. Never doubt yourself My Love. Trust your gut. It’s gotten you this far in life. It will take you farther still. 

Second, when you are grieving me, do not give into the way of the bottle, or any other substance or drug. Do not lose yourself to grief just to join me in the grave sooner than you naturally should. I will wait however long I have to be reunited with you, even if it’s in the afterlife. And please, for the love of all that is holy, don’t lose yourself into prostitutes either. For they will be like parasites. And they will surely keep any hiers you would give them only to continually be a drain on you financially. But when you’ve recovered and the thought of me no longer brings tears to your eyes and overwhelming grief to your heart. And that every time you close your eyes, you stop seeing my face, and your dreams of me lesson in frequency. And you are mentally, emotionally and psychologically ready to unite your heart with another. Don’t go looking for a pretty face with a pleasant voice who will agree with you on everything. But get a woman, no matter her nobility, no matter her breeding, no matter her background- who isn’t afraid to call you out, and stand toe to toe with you and stand her ground. Who is passionate about what she believes in and for what is right and just. She doesn’t need to be a genius, just smart enough to keep her wits and her head. Who is a hard worker and puts forth effort. Who will be a reasonable creature as much as she is an emotional one. Who will have a good balance and reasonableness. Someone who tempers justice with mercy. Someone with a good heart. And I want her to be able to look at you and not see someone to dupe out of a fortune, or her ticket to a luxurious life of ease. But I want her to look at you as her equal in all things. And to see your work load and only wish to put herself beside you under it’s yoke and pull with you if only to share the burden with you so that your own shoulders don’t give out. 

And I want you to see the same thing in her. I want you to find a partner in life. Who is your equal in all things. Who will bravely and resolutely walk hand in hand, step by step in life with you. Who will, and can- give you a wonderful, loving and supportive family. You have always been an adventurer and a traveler. Your mate should be wanting and willing to be the same. Ideally, she would rather have the small and simple over the large, gaudy and grandiose in all things. But who is not intimidated by any high society, nobility or royalty. Where she comes from, doesn’t matter, only that she will feel that she belongs to you. And that you belong to her. The way you have belonged to me and that I have belonged to you when we have been together. 

I’m so sorry My Love. But at last, I must say goodbye. I have enclosed some music I’ve composed for my family. If you can bear to hear it, I want you to listen to whoever can perform it and envision me singing it to you. Please, take comfort in knowing that while our love was short, it was true. And that for as strong and wonderful it was, it must be cut short. I’m not afraid to suffer and die, I have done my best to prepare myself for this, but I’m heartbroken that I must do so without you. Please understand that I only wished to spare you any suffering in watching me go through such an ordeal, especially when your presence was needed elsewhere. I can only hope that your scent in the pillow beside me will last until the end. So that even if my eyes can not behold you, to my sense of smell and my other senses, you never left my side. I’m only sorry that I didn’t have more time with you. 

P.S. Please do not retaliate against my family, for they were only moved to try to survive and make the most of an impossible situation. Please stay friends with Saffiro. For he is still young and needs guidance. Especially when it will come for him to find his own mate in life. He has had myself as his golden standard of a friend and companion. Which is not fair to any other. Especially him. He needs a strong woman. A woman who can go toe to toe with him and anyone and everyone else. A woman who is not only intelligent but wise to walk side by side and hand in hand in life the way you and I have done. This will be especially hard for him and I fear the only women up to the task are in Dorierra. And while I have asked for your own dowry for my hand in marriage to be saved for such a purpose by my father. Who knows what will happen between now and then. He may take at least a few years to recover from my loss at least. And perhaps, even if I must go, he can stay your friend. And perhaps you’ll both be recovered at about the same time and can help each other navigate unfamiliar waters and both of you can be brave enough to enter the future, better for what you have endured so far. And wiser for it too. I love you, I have loved you. And I will love you and I will be patient until we can see each other again, if not in the afterlife, than in the next life after this one.

 Your Loving Wife- Tessa"

Kragan couldn’t stop crying. He couldn’t stop holding you and kissing you all over your face as his tears wetted your face as your own tired eyes teared up in response as he put the letter down only to hold your face in both of his hands and kissed you all over your face as more and more tears came to his eyes before he moved his arm to wrap around and hold you as close as physically possible. 

“Don’t you ever think that you’re being selfish about anything ever again. I am never leaving your side again. I never should have left you and I feel like an asshole who abandoned you when you needed me the most and I will be damned if anything separates me from you from this moment on. If you can’t fly, I don’t fly. If you can’t soar, I won’t soar. Hell, clip my wings right now. I don’t need to fly or soar or any of that if you can’t do it with me. Nothing else matters to me than you. To hell with everything and everyone else. You are the only one in the Supersphere I love and need in my life. I can’t lose you. You have been and are and always will be my one true love and my soul mate. I don’t care if I have to go to Heaven and demand your soul back from the gods themselves. I will pay whatever I have to keep you with me. You are never a lost cause. You are never a burden and you will never pay for anything ever again. Not even my own stupidity. Yes Fate did us a great service in bringing us together but Fate can fuck right off if it thinks it will ever take you from me. I have worked my whole life to become as strong as I need to be to bear whatever I have to for your sake. If you didn’t have surgery just this morning, I would be fucking you so hard this bed would break into pieces, but I also want to make damn certain you are never hurt by anything. Even a paper cut, the offending piece of paper needs to be burned to have the audacity to cut you in the first place.” Kragan insisted inbetween desperate kisses and sobs as he held you so hard it was almost hard to breathe, but you were clinging to him just as hard as your tears and his seemed to intermingle before you let out a laugh about him setting paper on fire for giving you a paper cut which finally got him to crack a smile through his own tears. 

“I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you. I will tattoo those words onto every inch of my skin if I have to because they are already practically ingrained into my heart as it is. Nothing about you was ever a waste. It was only to prepare you for a life no one in that stupid fucking place that you called Solowards could ever dream of. You are not going to die. Not from anything and never any time soon. Other than this special diet from recovering from the surgery, you are never going to go on any other diet, ever. And I will love you and respect you and dignify you and worship you every chance I get to for the rest of our lives. Please, never, ever hold anything back from me. I want to know everything. Even the small, inconsequential and mundane. Because you and everything about you is precious to me. Everything. I can’t do without you. I refuse. And anything and everything else can just fuck off until you heal from this.” Kragan insisted. 

“Ok.” You readily agreed, so happy and relieved he wasn’t angry or upset or resentful- at least towards you as you did the same and reciprocated in kind and simply clung to him with the same desperation he was clinging to you.

You were going to live. And you were going to be spending every moment after this with him, your husband, your one true love and soul mate and you were going to bear this precious babe, come hell or high water. 

[scarffles]

Fakemon Palette Challenge #3, inspired by the Potpourri swatch made by fivepointpalettes! They have some lovely colors up on their blog. Had an old, old mon design sitting in a sketchbook that I occasionally was reminded of, so I dug them out and spruced them up! Inspired by carnivorous plants, these were listed as being Grass/Fire? I like the thought, still, honestly!

[aseenonthestreet]

🧬Runway Dissect🧑🏻‍🔬

Welcome to Runway Dissect: where we focus on a runway collection and dissect why collections are a hit. This week, the Gucci Pre-Fall/SS 2022 collection is under our microscope. 

🦠Overview:

Gucci has been and still is one of the most notorious luxury brands in the world. Their current creative director, Alessandro Michele, has honed in on the glamour of Gucci by creating a collection with the theme of “Hollywood”. Not only were the garments the embodiment of modern, superstar glamour but the setting of this runway show were the actual streets of Hollywood. The idea from the collection came from the admiration Michele has for Los Angeles. “LA is not a fashion city, but it’s so fashionable,” he said backstage before the show. “Sometimes they are not appropriate, but in being not appropriate they are so precise. Maybe it belongs to my way of looking at fashion—it’s personal.” [Vogue 2022]. I think Michele’s collection adds validity to the fashion power of Los Angeles; despite not being a true major fashion capital, Los Angeles is home to plenty of style stars. 

Runway Show Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urgwQHUUaTE&t=1s 

DNA Analysis:

🧬Colors:

According to Pantone, colors such as Cascade (a cool, water-like teal), Coral Rose, Potpourri (a “fresh pastel pink”), Coffee Quartz (a flavorful brown that touches on basic and glamour), and more will be the trending colors of the Spring Summer 2022 season. Michele perfectly implemented these Pantone predictions as whole garments and with accents. 

Reference: https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/pantone-color-trend-report-spring-summer-2022-36978201 

Image via Vogue

Image via Vogue 

🧬Textiles: 

Premiere Vision is most important and influential textile trade show, located in Paris and held twice a year. From their gatherings, some main trends to come within the textile aspect of fashion are “flashy and seductive” and “exaggerated sensuality”.Their “flashy and seductive” textile trend reports about the use of tactile fabrics with embellishments. There is an emphasis on glitz and effects of shine from fabrics with 3D effects or overall glossy fabrics. Michele implemented this into his collections with the sequin/shiny fabrics used for his gowns (See images below). Premiere Vision’s second prediction is “exaggerated sensuality”; focusing in on the soft and smoothness of certain textiles. One main fabric that embodies the feeling of smooth touch is silk which Michele uses on the silk suits of his collection. 

Reference: https://www.the-sustainable-fashion-collective.com/2021/02/22/spring-summer-2022-colour-and-material-trends 

From the very start of designing this collection, Gucci’s current creative director Alessandro Michele was on the right track for what will be on trend for the Spring Summer 2022 season. The simple design elements such as color palette and textile choice helped him to create a beautiful collection that encapsulates vintage Hollywood glamour. Until next time!

- Angel ✦

[skylartownsend]

Original

Fixed

Raymesis (Fine Lavender Potpourri)

The color palette used in the pic is from @selestial-palettes

Fixed (Bonus Edit)

[catzeyegems]

💚insp’d by the apprentice to the recluse magus: his beloved robin💚

tumblr | pillowfort

[vitanivortex]

Beauty

Sponsored By Kraftwork and Lagom

- KraftWork Vanity Clutter . Graphite/Black (This comes in Graphite/Black, Rose gold/Cream, and Silver/White great addition to a vanity or a bathroom counter) - Lagom - Artsy Makeup (Using the following items from the gatcha set who dosent like a good vanity clutter! can never have to much adorable clutter!) * 01. Lagom - Artsy Makeup [ Graffiti poster ] * 02. Lagom - Artsy Makeup [ Makeup poster ] * 03. Lagom - Artsy Makeup [ Eyeshadow Lightstring ] * 04. Lagom - Artsy Makeup [ Big Plans ] * 05. Lagom - Artsy Makeup [ Palette ] * 06. Lagom - Artsy Makeup [ Single Shadows ] * 07. Lagom - Artsy Makeup [ Lipglosses ] * 09. Lagom - Artsy Makeup [ Shelf Dryer ] * 10. Lagom - Artsy Makeup [ Shelf Makeup ] * 11. Lagom - Artsy Makeup [ Shelf Hair ] * 12. Lagom - Artsy Makeup [ Chair ] * 13. Lagom - Artsy Makeup [ Desk ] RARE - Atelier Burgundy . Wood Floor 4x4 - EliteParis-Shopping Bags Full Set (Guchi) - Elm. Aries Crystal Bookends [White] - Mithral * Monstera Adansonii (Copper Pot) - dust bunny . makeup cart . black - dust bunny . paradise plants . fan palm - dust bunny . violet vanity . brush holder - dust bunny . violet vanity . makeup bag - dust bunny . violet vanity . makeup palettes - dust bunny . violet vanity . trinket dish - hive // hanging bougainvillea plant . pink - tres blah- Jolie - Makeup Organizer - vive nine :. Black Luxury Bag Collector Deco - malone. dusty rug - {moss&mink} Essential Oils - {moss&mink} Face Creams (Homme) - {moss&mink} Face Wipes (Homme) - {moss&mink} Humidifier - Deer - {moss&mink} Pressed Flower frames - {moss&mink} Scented Potpourri - {what next} L Storage Box  -Colours 2 - {what next} M Storage Box -Colours 2 - {what next} Madeleine Hatbox (single) - {what next} Madeleine Hatbox (stack) - {what next} S Storage Box - Colours 2

[bahama--llama--sims]

kumikya’s Gina dress recolored

As soon as I saw this dress online, I knew immediately that I needed to recolor it. Just look at how freaking cute it is

need the mesh by @kumikya​

recolored in random patterns and @ridgeport‘s Potpourri palette

download: sfs | patreon (always free!)

@maxismatchccworld, @mmfinds

[livestosave]

Faunus Ironwood AU

Send me an au, gets 5+ headcanons ; ACCEPTING

Answered here, but have 5 more:

His sense of smell saved his life when he was 17 and lost his right side

Although he’s not the fastest fighter, he’s fierce and he’s powerful.  Even before his prosthetics, he could do some impressive displays of strength

When he fights, he occasionally hits a ‘berserk’ state where he won’t realize how injured he is because he’s so riled up

His love of tea is partly as a nasal ‘palette cleanser’ of sorts

He also totally does potpourri in his office and living spaces.

[globaldriedflowers]

Festive Decor Ideas – 5 Prompts for Christmas Table Decoration

They say decorating for Christmas is supposedly one of life’s greatest pleasures. And, there’s no denying to that. As you sing alongside the delightful carols while you wrap the tinsel across the stairways. Or maybe engage in hanging baubles right from the Christmas tree is quite a recurring experience that every kid and adult wants to be a part each year. Speaking of the Christmas tree, it is certainly the biggest centrepiece attraction amidst all other house decor. However, there is one more thing that takes up a pretty big space in your house and is surely demands to be decked up in the best manner possible. It’s nothing other than your dinner table where you and your family host relatives and guests for a wonderful Christmas meal. The question remains, where do you start? Or more precisely how do you start? Fret not. Read on to find out 5 such awe inspiring ideas to deck up a Christmas Table.

Can’t do much without flowers

No matter what kind of decoration you plan on achieving, one can’t seem to do much without including flowers. While fresh blooms are a primary choice for majority, dried flowers are also a great option if you want to bring about a non-traditional touch to your decor ideas. Pair it up with a set of runners and you are game! The use of dried flowers is quite a trend that has been an absolute favourite during Christmas decor owing to their long lasting nature and unique texture. But, before you choose your elements for Christmas table decoration, it’s necessary that you decide on a particular colour theme and arrange your elements accordingly matching your theme and colour. Potpourri flowers are a great choice. This year, everyone crazy about red and green shades and the contemporary ones much to the likes of rose gold, lick and shades of blue. If you plan on working with metallic colours, a good option is to spray a collection of foliage leaves that carry same flavour of metal. You might as well use some metallic paints to achieve the texture.

When you greet your guests, it would be a nice thing to hand them over minipots like olives, rosemary and others. Tie a shiny ribbon around that matches your colour palette. Also, remember that creating a warm ambience is also utmost important. Hence, there’s no doing away with candles; a long lasting traditional element of Christmas table decor that renders amazing touch when placed right across the runners. Grazing tables are also a new trend that ranks really high on the popularity meter and is fast catching up across one and all communities. Hence, including a grazing table would be good idea to grace your Christmas table decor.

5 expert tips for Christmas table decoration

Keep it simple with your colour palette – Its Christmas, right! You are all the way allowed to go loud and make merry and party hard. However, when it comes to table decor, it is always advised to keep it as simple as possible. They key is to go with one main colour and pick your decor elements with two or more tones that renders compliment to the main colour.

Bring in a wide range of textures – Try to use a little bit of your own innovation. Go for timber finish decor and textured linen that can act as the base material for table runners and napkins. If you are looking to add a bit of glamour, you might consider adding a little bit of reflective metallic finish to your dinner table.

Working with layers – Looking to bring about a little bit of wow factor to the dinner table? Pick up a textured clothing and charger plates achieving a contrast and place your dinner plates and napkins in a stylised manner. 

Add a dash of personal touch – Looking to add a little bit of personalised touch to your Christmas table decor? Go for hand written name cards and attach the same with a flower at the desired seat. You can also add tiny little ornaments to it to make it a centrepiece of design for one and all. No wonder, a hand written name card depict the extra mile you have worked to make your guests happy and show that you really care for them.

Placement of platters matters the most – There is no denying that without good food all decor, no matter what, would fall useless. Hence, your food on the table is the biggest attraction of all. Hence, it’s wise to place your food items on a raised platform with the help of a coupled of wooden planks which acts as a fine compliment to the entire theme.

So, what do you do to bring out the best decor for Christmas table? Do you prefer to keep it light and sober or do you want the decor to be all jazzy and loud? Please drop us a line below in the comments section and let us know your thoughts on this.