#then coil the braid and sew it

[so-very-small]

im making a rug out of old t-shirts and im not sure if i have enough scrap fabric to get it as big as i want. and now i’m thinking of how if i stole a giant’s t-shirt, i could make many many rugs. like so many rugs from that one shirt. i could sell them to other borrowers. eventually i’d expand and capitalize on this. do you know how many stolen shiny objects i can get in exchange for a 4 square inch handcrafted rug? i’d be rich

[blkkizzat]

JJK Men x Black!Reader Bonnet Headcanons - fluff, 18+ only

Nanami is thoughtful. He would make sure his sweet girl would never have to worry about protecting her hair. 

Once you explain to him why you wear a bonnet to bed Nanami is the type to surprise you by sewing (of course Mr. Domestic can sew!) silk into the lining all your hats, caps and beanies. He makes sure the sheets and pillowcases are silk as well. 

Nanami also starts lounging in silk PJs (that hang low on his hips showing off his deep cut v-line) because he also knows how much you like laying your head in his lap when the two of you relax in front of the TV just in case you don't actually feel like putting your bonnet on just yet.

Choso is an insomniac so when he can't sleep he watches over you. 

Like a protector, if he notices you shifting and a braid, lock, coil or curl escapes your bonnet he will reach over to gently tuck it back in before giving you a chaste kiss on your forehead or nose. In fact, if he can manage without waking you up, Choso will even tighten or re-tie your bonnet as well. 

And if your hair is straightened, on hot nights when you start to sweat he will turn on the fan, turning off oscillation in favor of directing it all to cool you instead. Choso knows you hate sweating out your new silk press.

You don’t know any of this though, you just know ever since you started sleeping over at Choso's you’ve never woken up with your bonnet off or your hair sweat-out.

Suguru is practical about it. He is the type that once you explain why you wear your bonnet and how it keeps your hair healthy and protected he starts wearing bonnets too so his long locks can stay smooth. 

Not only does he wear bonnets with you he buys matching ones for you for the both of you to wear to bed. You never worry about forgetting your bonnet now when packing an overnight bag to stay at Suguru's because he always has dozens of them for you to chose from. 

Suguru even has dedicated an entire drawer for you in his closet for all your collective bonnets. In fact, best to just leave yours at home because he will pout hella bad if y'all ain’t going to bed matching.

Toji is a bit of an asshole. If you’re mad and ignoring him he will definitely snatch your bonnet off when you brush past him just to get your attention. Toji would much rather have you cussing at him than the silent treatment. 

You could try to take it back from him but n!gga is big as fuck and if he plays 'keep away' you know you ain’t getting that shit back until he's ready. You sigh relenting and stand on your tippy toes to give him a kiss, the silent treatment finally broken.

Satisfied, Toji immediately returns your bonnet. He places it back on your head and adjusts it to as it was before. He kisses you again and apologizes for upsetting his 'sexy mamas'.  

You would have made him work for it a bit more before giving into him so easily, snatched bonnet or not but you don’t trust him alone with your bonnets. You once walked in the bedroom to find him jack!ng off into your favorite bonnet because 'all your panties were in the dryer'.

Gojo is over the top about it. He goes out of his way to order you designer bonnets. Fendi doesn't make actual bonnets? Well they do the fuck now. 

Money is absolutely no object and only the best quality silk goes on his baby girl's head. Gojo once even flew you to Paris so Chanel could take your actual head measurements in their showroom (which he shutdown just for you ❤︎).

All of this is fine and all but you do still love your trusty $2 beauty supply store bonnets. Gojo know's this and tbh he loves them on you just as much too. You know he does because once in a while you will come back home and instead of his blindfold he will be wearing one of your beauty supply bonnets pulled down over his eyes.

Gojo whines that he missed you all day and this helped him feel closer to you.

Sukuna appears indifferent to your bonnet. In fact you might even be a bit self conscious at first that he doesn’t like when you wear one. 

However, all those worries dissipate when you start to notice how attentive he is to the fact of making sure you actually do wear one. You binging your fav Netflix drama and decide to lay down on the sofa without putting on your bonnet first? Nah.

Your vision will be blocked when Sukuna drops a fresh bonnet on your face. A simple order to 'put it on brat' is given before he leaves the room. He does this often. If you question him why he does this? Sukuna will grumble and say he wont want you bitching or taking longer to get ready later because you forgot to wear your bonnet and now your hair is too messed up. 

Although Sukuna truly couldn't give a fuck if you didn't do your hair and just wore your bonnet when you both do go out. You look fucking hot to him either way. One time Sukuna even laid a n!gga out flat on his back in the streets. Some random dude made a comment about you being 'ratchet' under his breath for wearing your bonnet outside the house and learned to mind their fucking business that day. Safe to say Sukuna is very much pro-bonnet.  

blkkizzat © 2024 - do not steal/repost.

a/n: I said I would write drabbles but these headcanons popped into my mind and I had to share. Hope y'all enjoyed!

*runs back to the fifty-leven fics i am currently procrastinating on*

Reblog (because tumblr isnt showing this for some reason 😭) and let me know which one was your fav but likes and comments are just as appreciated!

[haladrielficxch]

Author Reveals are here! Read below the cut to see who wrote your favorite fics!

don't let it in with no intention to keep it by alicuntisms for @nuclearnik

galadriel is in need of a human - halbrand is in need of a warm place to sleep. a bargain is struck. if only galadriel knew who she was striking a bargain with....

A Lust for Light by cozy_ships for @liminal-zone

The magic is always just there on the periphery of his lands, threatening to spill over. Sometimes he swears he can feel it in the earth beneath his feet, taste it in the water, clear and bright and so utterly unlike his own. The flowing currents of it had drawn him to these lands, led him to stake his own claim and build his fortress along the borders of the Golden Wood. He knows who resides within, hiding herself away amidst the forest’s glittering bowers.

Tempered by eye_of_a_cat for @cozy_ships on Twitter

She focuses instead on smaller things. She notices the edges of him: the sewed seams of his bracers, the way they press against the skin of his hands; the shadow at his neck where the cloth of his collar falls loosely; the way the fuzz of hair on his arms glows a little in reflected firelight. He is all edges and joins, scars and soldered seams. There will be a way to break him apart.

at the dawn of our folly, we took from the tree that was rotting by ichabodcranemills for @lisenberry

Stranded togehter in the middle of nowehere, political rivals Galadriel and Halbrand learn they have more in common than they could've possibly imagined.

Love is heavy and light, bright and dark by lisenberry for @softlighter

There was a time in Lady Galadriel Artanis Noldor’s life when all she had to worry about was keeping her face out of the sun and her feet out of the mud. Her nose in her embroidery and her hands soft as lambskin. Her brain empty and her mouth shut.

Many things had changed since then.

and I feel like I just got home by Lizzen for @eye_of_a_cat on Twitter

A third age haunting of a sort; an alternate version of life as seen through the looking glass, and the impact resonate.

She is Everything You Want by MyrsineMezzo for @alicuntisms

As he looked at that tight braid with the light reflecting in her hair, Halbrand realized he knew who she was. Everyone knew who she was. Galadriel Noldor. She was the best and the brightest; the pride of the university who had been profiled in the recent campus magazine because she was on a sure ride through the NCAA fencing tournament system even as a sophomore. He realized Mel had followed his gaze when he heard a low scoff.

“Noldor. A loner who thinks she’s above it all. Now there’s a challenge worthy of the highest of prizes.”

the only song i want to hear by MyrsineMezzo for @ichabodcranemills

5 times Halbrand kissed Galadriel in exchange for a secret, and one time he did not.

Set throughout the first season of Rings of Power.

Deeper, Darker Things Than You by nuclearnik for @formerlyIR on Twitter

He is effortlessly charming—and everyone besides Galadriel seems to eat it right up—but something hiding just below the surface, coiled and restless, calls to her.

don't answer me (i'm calling just to hear you scream" by poeticmemory for @the-sweet-hibiscus

One year after her eldest brother‘s murder, Galadriel and her friends find themselves in the sights of a horror-film obsessed killer.

everything (except what it is) by softlight for @myrsinemezzo

“And what are you going to say?” “That I can be civil if you can."

Rival teachers Galadriel and Halbrand sign up to run the school show. Things do not go as expected.

the Curse of Linhir by TheSweetHibiscus for @justatinycollector

The morning of October 28th I, along with my unwilling companion, managed to flea the decrepit town of Linhir. I had ran, cloaked in nothing more than a t-shirt and the threadbare soles of my brother's old hiking boots, nearly twenty miles to the Regent's port home in Númenor. Each step was agony – the ill-timed impromptu marathon more than enough to cause my lungs and thighs to burn like coal cinders. Yet it was nothing compared to the sinking dread — a fear I hadn't gotten far enough away.

By the Moonlight by justatinycollector for @wyrd-syster

It would seem to Galadriel, in their first few encounters, that Halbrand would always leave her with something. Later, she’d come to learn that he never left a place empty-handed.

The Highwayman AU.

stones that move (and trees that speak) by Wyrd_Syster for @bad-surprise

Halbrand wants power and Galadriel wants her inheritance. There is no cost too high, no price too steep, to stop them from taking what they want.

A Macbeth AU with a dash of Sleep No More.

[merovingian-marvels]

Merovingian Hairpins

This gorgeous artifact is a Merovingian hairpin. They come in many styles and varieties, giving the impression that each hairpin was unique to the owner.

Archaeologically, these pins are found beneath the skull of female skeletons. This indicates that the woman in her lifetime had long hair, which she braided most likely in a three strand braid. The braid was coiled up above the nape of the neck or the back of the head and secured only with this pin. It is possible that a veil was worn over the braided bun.

Speaking of veils, pins of this size have been found on the rib cage of female skeletons as well, suggesting these pins had a dual function. They could be used for pinning up the hair, but they could also be used to secure the free-hanging length of a veil to her dress and/or jacket. A pin of this length can hold vast majorities of fabric securely if the decorated end faces to the top, preventing the pin from slipping out.

It is likely that women would also tie up their hair by sewing it in place, a technique used by both Iron Age Europeans as well as the Romans. Wooden pins are also possible, but cannot be found in archaeological digs as they degrade easily.

The pins are usually made of gold or gold plated. Garnet was used rarely. This style of bird decorations held great importance, which unfortunately has not survived the endlessness of time.

The Walters Art museum, Baltimore - Maryland, United States of America

Museum nr 57.1883

Provenance unknown (possibly France or Germany)

[sunderedstar]

absolutely could not find the table of contents for Keith A. Smith's Non-Adhesive Binding Volume II: 1- 2- & 3-Section Sewings online anywhere, so here it is. for all your ILL/resource sharing/page scan request needs.

Part 1 1-Section Sewings

16 3-Hole PAMPHLET STITCH SEWING

20 DASH SEWING

21 THE LACED DASH

22 FIGURE 8

24 DOT-DASH SEWING (machine stitch)

26 THE TWIST Exit Backward

28 THE TWIST Exit Forward

29 DOUBLE DASH Alternating Exits

30 THE TWIST Exit Backward and Link

34 PEARL DASH

35 BOW TIE Running Stitch Sewing

36 THE HITCH Exit Backward, Lap and loop

38 ALTERNATING HITCH

42 SEWN CHAINS (linking to form a chain)

Part 2 - 2-SECTION SEWINGS

52 PARALLEL BARS

54 THE DASH

56 DOT-DASH

57 DASH BARS

59 DIAGONALS BARS

60 ALTERNATING DIAGONALS BARS

62 BARS ARROWS

65 STANDING Z'S OR LYING N's

68 BROKEN Z's

70 ZIGZAG

71 LIGHTNING BOLT

73 PINKING SHEARS

74 PINKING SHEARS WITH BARS

76 CARETS

78 SETS OF DIAGONAL BARS

80 LATTICE

82 Xs

83 ALTERNATING X's

84 2-SECTION TWISTED X

86 TWISTED X WITH BARS

88 LINKED X

90 SOFT K

92 TIED BOW

94 BARBER POLE

97 DESCENDING Xs

102 ALPHA Alternating Loops

104 THE WATERFALL Twin Link Stitch Sewing

107 CROSSED SNOWSHOES Intersecting
Chain Stitch Sewing

110 THREAD EYE A Link Stitch Sewing

113 THREAD EYE WITH X's A Link Stitch
Sewing

116 2-SECTION RUNNING STITCH

SEWING

Part 3 - 3-SECTION SEWINGS

132 MULTIPLE SECTION PAMPHLET
SEWING

134 MULTIPLE SECTION FIGURE 8
SEWING 1-Needle Sewing

135 MULTIPLE SECTION FIGURE 8
SEWING 2-Needle Sewing

138 MULTIPLE SECTION, MULTIPLE FIGURE & SEWINGS 1-Needle Sewing

140 TRIPLE DASH

142 TRIPLE DASH VARIATION

145 MULTI-SECTION ON TAPES LACED
INTO PAPER COVER

150 TANGENT BARS

154 UNEVEN BARS

156 ALTERNATING BARS

158 ALTERNATING LOOPED BARS

159 THE ROPE

162 TRIPLE PARQUET

164 PARQUETRY

165 G's

168 H's

170 BROKEN H's

172 DOVE TAIL

174 VERTICAL T's

177 FALLING DIAGONALS

178 DASHES & DIAGONALS

180 PAIRED DIAGONALS

182 STAGGERED DIAGONALS

184 STAGGERED DIAGONALS VARIATION

186 TRIDENT

188 ALTERNATING TRIDENTS I

189 ALTERNATING TRIDENTS I

190 S's

191 DOUBLE DIAMONDS

192 HEXAGONALS

193 ROCKET

194 LEAVES

196 HOUND'S-TOOTH CHECK

198 Ks

200 BRACKETS

202 SEVEN 7's

204 BROKEN HERRINGBONE

206 FOLDING V's

208 V's

208 V's I

210 TOUCHING ARROWS

212 AEROS Arrows

214 ISOLATED DIAMONDS

216 TOUCHING DIAMONDS

218 PISCES

220 TIRE TRACKS

222 ASSEMBLY LINE Z's

224 STAIR-STEPS

226 SAW BLADES

228 OPEN BOOK

230 ARROWHEAD

232 DIAGONAL T's

234 +s

236 +'s and X's

238 CONTIGUOUS X's (even number)

240 ISOLATED X's

242 CONTIGUOUS X's (odd number)

244 DOS ESQUIS

245 HURRICANE FENCE

246 DIAMOND X

248 3-SECTION TWISTED X

250 TIED CROSS

254 BOW TIED

258 HORSESHOES

260 LOOP THE LOOP

262 PINCHED P's

264. BOBBIN

268 SIDE BOW

270 COILED LINE

274 TRIPLE CHAIN

279 WOVEN CHAIN

283 LINKED STAR

286 BUTTERFLY STROKE

290 SHOOTING STAR

294 SPINE BRAID

296 THE COIL SPRING

[cymorilcinnamonroll]

Grandmother Eve

'Grandmother Eve' by Sue Ellen Parkinson, framed by my desk

"Eve," Michael said, his sword a languid question. He parted the jasmine tree in Gan Eden, by the Bell Trees of Memories, where a thousand soldiers had fallen like rain at his brother's hands.

Eve - worn now, a grandmother - her skin like earth, her hands stolid and wrinkled like a date palm - was like a wise woman that angels like him could only begin to ken.

Michael, ageless, softened at the grace of his love. If only he too could grow laugh lines - show some mark from the smile of the sun. He warmed at the grace of his bosom friend.

They sat down together and shared an apple. Or maybe, it was a pomegranate.

Perhaps, a fig.

No matter, whatever fruit, they chewed, the seeds popping like questions. Eve laughed a bit, a trickster, and held Michael's hand in the silence.

She was God's gift to humanity - a matrix of motherhood, the first gardener - if Adam had named the beasts, Eve had named the plants, and she passed the love of fennel stalk, cane rod, and pan pipes on to her sweet but bloody Cain.

Seth was of all providences: his father's kine, his mother's milk. And now, millions of years after Lucy walked as Australeopithicus, and this Mitochondrial Eve had sheltered in the Horn of Africa - hunting, dancing, painting with henna on the cave walls, decorating seashells and obsidian on Adam's neck strung with twine, and sewed a million and million more hide pants with a bone needle for her billions of sons and daughters - it had come to evening.

It was time for Eve

to rest.

Eve looked up, wizened and hoary, her tight coils of long, wild, honey-smelling white hair like spackled clouds. The pith of the fruit they had shared was well chewed, and she planted it in the dirt by her bare feet. Her haunches were wide and silken, her belly scarred from a breech birth, her paunch heavy and beautiful - but her lips, they were hungry for humor.

She had always, even as a girl in Michael's palace - before the Fall, before Autumn came, and she descended to till fields and cultivate the plants he and Lucifer had taught her and Adam to garden - delighted in their Father's mysteries.

"Hello, old friend," Eve nearly sang - her voice was faded into a hollow curve of Earth like the soil she had sprang from.

Michael would know. Eve was his own cutting - 'twas no rib she hailed from, but fruit of the vine, a babe the Archangelina in his female form had nursed, sacrificed sleepless nights too, and raised as a tot and girl in Heaven. If Lucifer was Eve's Father, Michael was her Mother.

And oh, how when Samael and Michael had come together to create her - did they not know their love would falter.

Eve was braiding sorghum. Her flaxen, brown fingers folded the lily brown pads of vegetables uprooted, sweetgrass, an ancient medicine, into rows like cranes flying North, on to stiller waters. Her black eyes - hazy with cataracts, but it almost looked like green serpents were flying tween her brows - bespoke an old fondness for her Brother, Father, Mother, and Son.

"Shall we walk the usual path, Chavah?" Michael said tenderly, helping the old, witchy woman of such grace yet solid foundations creak to life in her buckskin dress and whorled birch cane.

Raphael had carved it for her two decades ago, when she reached 20 million years old. Now, it seemed, Eve was as cracked in the face as a crow's crackle - but so old, so beautiful, she could spin tales of all that was, all that had been, and all there was

to be.

"Yes, dear Michael. I would enjoy watching the ferns grow, and seeing the finches peck at the seed we left out this morning."

So, Eve and Michael walked with both nubile, full, and yet ancient, weighted steps, past Neshema, past Naamah, past Nema.

The jungle twined together, the taiga froze their feet. They laughed and spoke of how the serpent got its tooth, or how the lion got its mane. Eve's favorite - the narwhal its horn - was as raunchy as dear Gabriel's drunken jokes.

When they came to the edge of Creation, they watched Yeshua set - the Son, the Sun sublime – and he beamed solar providence like manna down.

They ate the cloudy populace of Eucharist, and milk, honey, and wine flowed in rivers from Da'ath.

"Let's do this again tomorrow, Michael," Eve winked. "I will tell you how the dragonfly got its sting."

"I would love that, Mother Eve," Michael agreed jovially, and he took her curved, voluptuous, tilled body, flew in mighty brambles of white wings back to the Cave of Adam and Eve, then gave her to the arms of old Adam, who sat out front, smoking a pipe and watching the rolling wheat, and Michael resumed his position amongst the stars -

Looking forward

to their morning

breakfast.

[sleepynegress]

If OP doesn't mind my additions... I *just* talked about this on an IWTV post screencapped above... Adding the gif as well, because it really is a very good rare example of unproblematic interaction from a white person with black hair in media. For the reasons noted in the cap and because... You can tell there isn't a lick of othering or curiosity in that touch. He is barely touching this man's hair, like he doesn't want to harm it at all and given that our hair does require a lot of tender care...the gesture shows reverence and respect for that space but also love (toxic though it was otherwise, and meant to be, in this show). I'd add that I personally don't like the wording around "patting" a fro... For the exact reason noted in the above post, but YMMV. "Rubbing" "pulling" "brushing" and the like are words I personally would not use in relation to our hair. Because of the coils of various tightness, it implies roughness IMO, that could cause breakage or pain. I also don't like the word "loosening" for the same reason. Because those natural coils are meant to be defined in some cases or picked out (for a fro), but not loosened. "Gently seperating the curls/coils with her fingers" is a phrasing I would use. Words I would use, especially in the case of a parent working with their Black (or biracial) child's hair include:

"parting" - a must in black hairstyles that involve braids, twists, tying into bunches of "bubble braids" as the kids call them now. The rows are ALWAYS straight in our hair

"gently undoing" - braids twists, etc are protective styles that require "takedowns" (another good word). I don't like the word detangling...because it implies that the hair is knotted and that wouldn't happen unless someone wasn't doing proper care, as would not be, in those protective styles to prevent that...if natural.

"wash day" - a term used for that process that we do on to cleanse and prep hair on that day of the week(s). watch hair videos on youtube or tiktok to learn the terms for your writing.

"curly or coiled tendrils" - are good descripters for our natural hair

"fluffy, cloud-like, defying gravity" - are good terms for hair that is picked out into a fro-texture.

I would also suggest being honest but respectful in a white character's interior thoughts on a Black person's hair...i.e.- A white character admiring/noticing Black hair..."The coiled ends of her hair gently bounced as Renee turned to face Joseline."

For processed or straightened hair, I would not note particulars like a sew-in or quick weave, unless you are a black writer, because those things being noted by white people in life are often done as a microaggression.

Simply note the polish/shine/beauty (because it do be like that!) of the style achieved. Again, WATCH BLACK HAIR VIDEOS if you plan to write. Do that research. We are all fortunate to have all kinds of info about hair at our fingertips. And when uncertain, put that in the gaze of your character! It'll make them far more human and always, ALWAYS, err on the side of being the gentlest you can be.

I hope this helps!

Black Hair Couple Interactions: Boyfriend Playing with his Black Girlfriend’s Hair

Judefranknoir asked:

Hi there!! Do you have any tips or resources for describing how one would go about playing with a Black person’s hair without hurting them? I thought I saw a resource on your blog before but I can’t seem to find it now. I want the girl and her boyfriend (both Black) to have a cute moment, not cause each other physical pain…Thank you so much <3

This will entirely depend on the specific hair and style the character is wearing. I’ll try to offer some suggestions on how one might play with the character’s hair depending on their style.

Curly, coils

Wrap one of her curls around his finger, carefully following the curl pattern to avoid tangling. 

Run a hand over her curls instead of pushing it through each individual strand

Push one of her loosened curls in place or behind her ear

Braids or dreads

Running a hand over her braids instead of pushing it through each individual strand 

Playing with individual braids or dreads

Straightened 

As you would play with straight hair, but avoid touching with wet hands, which would revert hair back to a curly state.

Afro / Puff or puffs

Pat or fluff at the fro (but not like she’s a pet, please!)

Fluff the fro back out (my husband automatically does this to me after I’ve been laying back in my car’s seat. The seat flattens out my fro/ curls!)

Special / intricate style

If it’s something where touching it might get things out of place, and there’s a lot of product in it, consider instead….

Only briefly floating hand over hair, or just touching their face

Admiring the style with a compliment to show appreciation of how good it looks

This will depend on style and the person

Other thoughts

The partner(s) could also:

Help braid, style, wash and / or massage their scalp. Very cute!

Retrieve their silk bonnet or head scarf at night

Help wrap their hair in a scarf

A special note: generally Black people are not happy with random strangers, family or friends touching and petting them without asking. 

Obviously, boundaries may differ within a close kinship or relationship. 

Some would like their partner to ask at least the first time

Some won’t mind at all and don’t feel they need to grant an okay

Other folks generally don’t want their hair touched at all

Also, their feelings about it may depend on if they have a specific style they’re trying to maintain. 

Again, this will vary by person. I hope this gives some ideas!

~Mod Colette

[st4rs0ng17]

okay baddie 😛

girl-woman-something-or-other. in that sickly sweet stage where you’ve forgotten how to be a child but you don’t quite know yet how to be an adult. girl-woman-person i say to myself as i feel my skin contort and stretch over the new length of my bones. girl-woman-someone i whisper as i caress the valleys between my ribs and obsessively press at my collarbones. girl-woman-being i think as i swipe imperfect liquid lines over the mottled nebulas of my black eyes. 

15 punched me in the gut, left me doubled over and hard pressed for air, but i’m slowly remembering how to smile with teeth, starting to find comfort instead of fear in the curves of my hips, in sewing up the torn-apart seams of my love for my mother. girl-woman-nothing. i almost recognise that steel-jawed girl who stares at me with probing blue eyes in my bedroom mirror, identity on the tip of my tongue yet somehow slipping away every time i nearly see someone real, someone tangible. girl-woman-everything. i’m no longer frightened by the deep, twisting spirals of my mind and when god speaks to me it’s in the palpitating rhythms of my favourite rap music and the spirals traced by my best friend’s french tip nails in the roots of my hair. girl-woman-window. i go out on the weekends and drink and dance and believe for a second that i am not afraid of anything besides taxes and indifference. girl-woman-song. i am young enough to wear my heart on my sleeve and my lungs around my neck but old enough to have them torn away, tossed in the gutter, by men with the eyes of a starving stray and heavy hands that greedily grapple at the supple flesh of youth.

girl. i weep wounded animal on my bedroom floor, my arms banded in scar tissue hues of fuchsia and pale lavender and wrapped tight around the milky way bruises on my knees, my innocence pockmarked and tattered. woman. i wipe the salty dewdrops from my cheeks and square my jaw and know that there is no use in trying to piece it back together. something-or-other. i get to my feet and scowl at my reflection and repeat to myself “I am fragile like a bomb, not a flower” until it is true.

girl-woman-implosion. i have been hurt, an amphetamine arrow softly slipped under layers of muscle and dermis, and so i will let my girlfriends braid my hair into labyrinths and coils, let them clean my room while i try to breathe through the sharp sobriety of the moment until i can smell magnolias without wanting to sink back into the summer I was 12. girl-woman-ocean. i have realised that i am not a caretaker for heartless boys or girls with their eyes sunken in and their nails as razor-sharp as their words. girl-woman-nymph. my sensuality perceived by others leaves grease stains on my soul, tarnished by the callous cravings of man.

girl-woman-something-or-other. i have lost my voice, i sit stupid and stoned repeating meaningless apologies. madwoman, female hysteria, who do i pray to now? girl-woman-something-or-other and i am sorry that i owe myself forgiveness. i am sorry i cannot love myself in my essence, i am sorry i cannot be good.

[annabelle-creart]

THE GARDEN

Sigfried the Singer

Vibes:

Song: The World's Greatest Actor - Terminally Silly (Milk in the Microwave)

Movie or Series: Phantom of the Opera

Legend or Mystery: -

Book or Tale: The Picture of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde

Game: -

———

“Hey, Sig?” The kid witch asked the singer “did you always wanted to be a cabaret’s singer?”

“No, not always- who told you I work on a cabaret?!” The singer asked, obviously offended by the kids words, raising his voice comically and his right hand to his chest “do you actually know what’s a cabaret?!”

“What’s the difference between where you work and a cabaret?” The amalgamation at his shoulder said with a mischievous smile

“There’s a clearly difference! You- agh, nevermind! You never respected what I do, after all” the singer crossed his arms and his legs and twisted his mouth, all directing far from his annoying partner

“Ow, come on! Don’t be like that”

“…so, you will answer my question…?” The kid asked, elongating the tone

“Oh- sure” the singer became in position, sitting properly and with elegance “you’ll see, Nani, I never was as you see me now..”

“Yes, he was an ugly teen with acne”

“You, son of a-!” The singer was about to curse the damned amalgamation, but at his side, the clockworker punched lightly his arm to evade him from saying something bad in front of the kid “you’re so… agh! Just shut up and let me talk!”

“Fine, fine! Talk, we want to hear that beautiful voice of yours” the amalgamation was mostly joking, but its phrase made Nani give some applause with a big smile, hoping for the singer to continue his tale

“Where I was?” The singer thought, snapping when he remembered “there! You’ll see, Nani…”

“I wasn’t always this way”

…

I was once a kid full of hopes and dreams, really happy with life, yes. I was raised in a big community inside a really tiny neighborhood, we all lived almost breathing at each other, if we compare my place with the movies Nani and Mr. D bring, the most near representation should be France at Les Miserable and Phantom of the Opera, nothing cute or great, it smelled terrible and people were as un sensible as rats, we survived together but no one cared enough for each other, no even mothers to sons or daughters to fathers, unless we were at the community’s theater. My mother, who compared with the rest loved me more than anything, always brought me to those little presentations, the laughs were big and the ambient became light and full of peace, we could forget about our lives and live by a very low price, those days were brighter than ever on my memory despite the need. My father and mother were lovely, but my father passed away because of a sickness when I was just a little kid and I had to work in everywhere I could, that included the theater. My days were monotone and except the theater, were even boring, but there’s one day that I still remember with all my strength

“Extra! Extra!” I was then a kid, trying to sell some newspaper at the people on a big place such as a plaza “senate in problems! The people is against their new politics” but not everyone was interested on newspapers, they were boring and the people were tired of the government, but on those times, that was the only thing the people spoke

“Sigfried!” Another kid called me, I still remember her little hat to hide her braids and her hands with coil or grease “do you have something with you? My coins are not enough”

“What? No!” I yelled at her “you already own me a killing!” Don’t get me wrong, killing also means money, the term was constantly used those days “I barely have for myself!”

“Couldn’t you sell anything?”

“Not today, and you know I have to save for my mom! She’s not feeling well these days and she’s working too much at the sewing house”

“Wasn’t she working at cleaning?”

“Yes, but she isn’t anymore, I don’t know why, she doesn’t want to tell me”

“Well, whatever, my lunch time is not that long” the kid was about to go “see you at the theater later?”

“Sure” I told her, waving my hand and again on my business

The day was as always, nothing much but I could get something, then, I went to the bakery where I worked doing deliveries, the owner of the place was the worst person you could ever met, believe me, the man was so egotistical and always got an excuse to not to pay me what he promised, but it was what I had. Then I finally got home

“Mama?” I called, hoping for an answer, but I got none, maybe she wasn’t here yet, which was weird because her shift was over since an hour ago “maybe traffic is difficult now” I thought for myself. My house wasn’t big but my mom and I managed to make it enough comfortable for us and our cat, which only was there because it helped us with unwanted guests, oh, I hated that cat with ALL my soul, but my mom liked it too much, at least it wasn’t on the view. I went to the kitchen, there wasn’t much but I couldn’t go to the theater with an empty stomach so I grabbed some bread and went in a rush, passing the tiny streets and some tired people (mostly drunk or drugged, which wasn’t weird), finally reaching my destination.

The community theater wasn’t anything from other word but it was definitely bright with color lamps and the tiny brilliant rocks that guided the way to the people, there was no entrance, everything would be at the people’s gaze except by some curtains well put at the house’s windows as recent-washed clothes, I passed one of them were a pair of guys were already getting ready for the function, this was made so the place wouldn’t be crowded and impossible to handle

“Hi, Rosé, Edgar” I saluted the guys, she was a medium size woman with really tiny eyes, he was a tall, almost slender guy with big eyes

“Hi” Rosé saluted, but her voice sounded so off, sleepy and tired, Edgar didn’t said a thing but he got closer and our cheeks met with tiny kisses

“I’ll get the scenario prepared while you’re at this”

“Thanks, Sig. You’re a sweet”

And that’s what I did, I put some items on the scenario to make it look like a room, which was the first act of today’s play

Work at the theater was almost as normal as the newspaper or the bakery when everything was empty, the hard part was when the actors and staff came to work

“Where are my hair pins!?” Cait cried with anger

“Here they are!” Camille brought them to her mirror

“Letter’s started to come” Shuri said as apathetic as usual

“Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!” Korin took all of them and scrolled fast and with 0 patience

“Coni! My make up?” Alfonso requested

“I’m still using it!” Coni begged with tiny voice

“Guys!” I called for them, as strong as my lungs could but not enough noisy for the public to notice “there’s a lot of people out there!”

“How much?” Tartaro, the director, came from the door of his house with a pair of bottles for the stage

“Raquel a told me more than 60”

“Perfect! Everyone on set! Sigfried, tell the other kids to get the food from the kitchen for the audience!”

“On it”

Again, everyone started to rush for last details while the kids go out of the house’s kitchen with candy and other treats which prize were just one coin but people were too ruined to pay. Finally, the play started, Cori sat with a glass of false wine aside from Hector in a cozy room, they talked normally, like ignoring the public but obviously talking strong and steady for them to hear, she usually was happy and childlike but now she was a serious and sour woman, while Hector, who was ignorant, was now important, smart and hold his words with care, there was something so false at acting that intrigued me, because even if it was false, you could feel what they were feeling, it was pure unintentional manipulation and that trapped me as a fly on a spider web, despite my job was getting treats and candy for the people, I was hypnotized by the stage, like if it called, it was a feeling I had always since the first day my parents brought me to a theater, and since that day I remember saying myself always and at all times “I will someday be at that stage”

The rest of the night was as expected, the play’s final was full of applause and the donations now were the record of the week, which was one of the reasons why I was still there, actually, I would do that all my life without payment, but I needed the money…

—

“Sigfried?” Ali tried to call the singer’s attention after his strange pause on the narrative

“Sorry… I don’t know if I should continue, we have a kid here” Sigfried gave the feathered guy a weird smile

The kid, Nani, as perceptive and funny as usual, put her hands on her ears as making like she’s not listening

The rest of the group laughed at Nani’s dumb behavior, especially Mr. D, who supported and even promoted all her childish behavior

“Ow, Nani, I know you can hear and what I’m about to say is something I can’t tell you yet”

“Nuuuuu” the kid yelled with a sad face, then, a clock started to bell

“Is getting late, we should get ready to go to bed, Nani” the clockworker shut off the alarm and stand up from his chair. Nani with an upside-down grin, stand up with him, say goodbye with kisses on the cheek to the rest and the man made her company back to home

“When I was on my way back” Sigfried continued narrating “Night was set and I was about to get home, I thought everything would be normal, just getting to home and ready for dinner and bed, but instead I…”

“You don’t have to talk about that” Varni, the amalgamation at Sigfried’s shoulders said with a sad expression

“If it’s bad, you don’t have to share it” Mr. D said with awareness, hoping not reviving the memory would help Sigfried, but it didn’t, the memory was alive as if he lived it again

He could remember every detail, how the door cracked when he pushed it just after hearing drowned screams, there was nobody near to ask for help, he could remember the strange voice that told dirty things from outside and just stopped when the door was opened fully, he could remember all of that, especially his mother’s face, full of resentment and tears, pushed in the table in an uncomfortable position by a bigger and crepier man. He couldn’t remember her voice but could remember her telling him to go, but he didn’t

Sigfried squeezed his right hand, which was actually Varni’s hand, mostly to remember despite the bad moments, that was all left on the past, he had his hand and not the best but a good life, he had now a cutie as girlfriend and a good career but nonetheless, despite everything, the vivid memory of the last time he saw his mother and his arm.

“Can you give me your hand?” Sigfried asked the goat-man

“Are you sure?” He asked confused, tilting his head

“Yes” despite how weird it was, because Sigfried knew that was a simple spell to read someone’s mind, Mr. D accepted “you can hold it too, Ali”

“Really? Ah… ok?” Ali was also curious, but as they had lived as many disgraces similar to Sigfried, they knew this could feel out of place, to share something so shameful

Mr. D, and Ali thanks to him, revived the memory, the shame and pain on Sigfried’s mother’s face, but after a good hit, her eyes became white, her head was bleeding too much, Sigfried tried to do something but the man got him first and unleashed all his fury on the kid. Ali, despite was accomplished to this things, let the memory out, Mr. D saw as much as possible, also getting the feeling, he wasn’t someone of lots of feeling, mostly a being of imitating feelings, but to feel it in this way made it feel real enough to get why Sigfried didn’t wanted to tell anything in front of the kid

“Sigfried, I’m so sorry” Ali took his hand shamefully, Mr. D did the same with his shoulder, stopping the memory, while Varni put a try of head on his neck as a hug

“Thanks, but that was long time ago” Sigfried made a false smile, but deep on his glowing eyes something was obvious “I, actually, never told anyone about this, not anyone that is fully alive, though”

“How was she?” Ali asked curious “your mom”

“Oh! She was a cutie, beautiful, cautious, loving, she knew about everything! She knew how to sew and cook, not normally, like really good! And she was so full of life, she was extroverted and laughed so loud, and she was also an artist on the flute, she played it so well, I still remember them sometimes… until some day she just started to act weird, I discovered after her dead she worked on a burdel, and that was the reason why she was so silent, the person who killed her was one of her unsatisfied and poor client”

“I know how that feels. You can count on us for everything, pal”

“Ajap, whatever it is, we’re here for you!” Mr. D made a big smile, which was horrible because he had good wolf teeth, but the intention was bigger

“Thanks, guys… you know, I usually hate because if you’re not noisy or completely disasters you get us in weird and crazy adventures and that’s usually terrible but this peace feels great” Sigfried had now with a true smile, and his comment made Ali and Varni laugh comically while Mr. D had a funny smile on his face, until they finally relaxed

The roses were closed, it was late and the moon shined, but they were still roses, and they were happily asleep on the wind’s lullaby and accompanied by the other’s embrace of the garden

————

Reblogs and Hearts are appreciated

Tags are only for reach

Prox. on Wattpad and Ao3

The Garden First Comic

[starkreations22]

Black Hair Salons Massachusetts

Black Hair Salons in Massachusetts – Star Kreations Hair Salon

If you’re looking for a premier black hair salon in Massachusetts, Star Kreations in Peabody is your go-to destination for exceptional service and expertise. Specializing in a range of styles, treatments, and protective hair care, we understand the unique needs of textured and natural hair. From braids and weaves to custom wigs and extensions, our skilled stylists are dedicated to bringing out the best in your hair while maintaining its health and beauty.

Why Choose Star Kreations?

At Star Kreations, we are passionate about creating personalized hair experiences for each client. Here’s why clients from all over Massachusetts choose us:

Experienced Stylists: Our team consists of highly trained and experienced professionals who specialize in black hair care. We stay updated on the latest trends and techniques to deliver the best results.

Protective Styles: We know the importance of protecting natural hair, which is why we offer a variety of protective styles such as braids, sew-ins, twists, and more to help your hair grow and stay healthy.

Custom Wigs and Extensions: Whether you're looking for added length, volume, or a fresh new look, we provide custom wigs and hair extensions using 100% human hair that blends seamlessly with your natural texture.

Healthy Hair Focus: Our services are designed not just to make you look great, but also to improve the health of your hair. We use high-quality products and offer treatments that nourish and protect your hair from damage.

Inclusive Atmosphere: We welcome clients of all hair types and textures, providing a friendly and inclusive environment where everyone feels comfortable and beautiful.

Services Offered

We offer a wide range of hair services tailored to meet the unique needs of black hair, including:

Braids and Twists

Braiding is one of the most popular protective styles for black hair, and at Star Kreations, we offer everything from classic box braids to intricate cornrows, twists, and more. Our stylists take care to ensure that each style is not only beautiful but also gentle on your natural hair.

Hair Extensions

Looking to add length, volume, or both? We specialize in high-quality hair extensions, including sew-ins, microlinks, and custom clip-ins, all designed to blend seamlessly with your hair for a natural look.

Custom Wigs

For those seeking versatility and protection, custom wigs are a great option. We create custom wigs tailored to your preferences, made from real human hair. Our wigs are designed to offer a comfortable fit and flawless appearance, perfect for everyday wear or special occasions.

Sew-In Weaves

Sew-in hair extensions are a great way to protect your natural hair while achieving the style and length you desire. We offer partial and full sew-in weaves, ensuring that your hair looks flawless and stays secure.

Natural Hair Care

For clients who prefer to wear their natural hair, we offer a range of treatments to keep your curls, coils, or kinks healthy and strong. From twist-outs to silk presses, we provide expert care and styling for natural hair.

Relaxers and Treatments

If you're looking for a sleek, straight style, we offer professional relaxer services. We also provide deep conditioning treatments and keratin treatments to strengthen and hydrate your hair, ensuring it looks its best.

Haircuts and Styling

Whether you need a trim, a bold new cut, or a special event style, our stylists are skilled in working with all hair textures. We’ll help you achieve the perfect look while maintaining the health of your hair.

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Star Kreations is conveniently located in Peabody, MA, making it easily accessible for clients from all over Massachusetts, including Danvers, Beverly, Salem, and beyond. We take pride in being a trusted black hair salon that clients can rely on for personalized, high-quality hair care.

Book Your Appointment Today

Ready to transform your look or give your natural hair the care it deserves? Contact Star Kreations today to schedule an appointment with one of our skilled stylists. We are passionate about helping you feel confident and beautiful with every visit.

[cozzzynook]

Headcanons ft y/n hair edition

Tomura would help untangle the curls/kinks/coils on your head. He isn’t good with braids but he is willing to hold the mirror at all angles for you. He loves to watch you do your hair as you dance while parting and greasing your scalp and he loves your playlist of old throwback music and RnB you said your parents listened to and you liked as a kid growing up. He never got to have that so he enjoys it a lot more than he lets on. Though you figure out how much he loves it when he wraps his arms around you and watches as you keep going.

Hawks isn’t very good at detangling when it comes to helping with your hair but he is good at scratching your scalp and helping you shampoo on wash day. While that may be the only thing he’s good at, its a big help on your arms and makes the time go by so much faster. You play music while doing your hair and though he likes the hip hop you play he’s more into the jazz and instrumental playlist on your phone.

Dabi is surprisingly good with hair. Because of his staples he doesn’t help with washing or untangling but he does help you blow dry and style your hair. The man learns to french braid and help you instill a quick weave or sew in if you feel like. He even uses his quirk to give you a silk press and even helps lay your edges if you ask nice enough. Of course he teases you but he does enjoy the music that plays while the two of you are doing your hair. He’s become a real fan of RnB.

[mybeingthere]

MARIA NEPOMUCENO

Born 1976 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Lives and works in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

"Using traditional methods of rope weaving and straw braiding as well as techniques of her own design Maria Nepomuceno has, since the the early 2000s, developed a process of sewing coils of coloured rope in spirals. She explores the potentially endless permutations of this adaptable form in sculptures and installations that incorporate beads, playful ceramic forms and found objects of varying sizes. Often realised in carnival-bright colours, these works are chromatically, culturally and metaphorically rich, suggesting  animals, plants, the human body and landscape ranging from the microscopic to the macrocosmic". 

(Victoria Miro Gallery)

[kristen-johansson]

How Do You Make Your Braids Beautiful?

Today's content will introduce 5 different ways of braiding hair that every beauty-loving woman can use before attending an important occasion.

1. The sewing Sewing is a safer way to do it. Leave the braids in place until you are ready to remove them.

To prepare for this style, you'll need a needle and thread to braid your full lace human hair wigs.

The two most common sewing methods for knitting patterns are round back or straight back. The weave pattern required usually depends on how you want to place extensions or parts. You need to consult the person who is sewing your hair so they can best guide you. When you're done knitting, you'll need needles and thread. Thread through the needle and tie the knot to first hold the thread in place. Then, starting on either side of the back, push the needle through the weave, then pull the thread all the way out, and repeat. In this approach, threads lock tracks into the braid layer and are therefore very robust. In addition, this method is easy to remove!

2. The glue Hair gel is one of the easiest and fastest! But it can be the most destructive, depending entirely on the installation sewn into the braid. The first method is to weave or loosen the natural color 27 hair and then put a knitting cap on the head. The hat acts as a barrier between the long wigs and the glue. Measure the track required for each layer, glue it together, and apply pressure to the head. This style is often referred to as "fast knitting".

3. The crochet First, crochet the hair directly back. If you want some hair or curls, I recommend this style as the visible appearance of the coil will not show up compared to the possibility of straight hair. Next, pass the needle through the fabric, open the latch on the needle, add the hair, close the latch, and then voila! All done! Unless you're someone who really doesn't want to get your hair done, this is your way! You can always sit and watch your favorite movie, loop, loop!

4. The clip Often, people who want to add some extra length to their hair will use hair and clips that are already worn on the track. It's really fast. The clip is also the world's newest and greatest thing natural hair. The cutest tongs for high school students and kids! Even celebrities use it, which is their name -- clips. To install, simply separate the unfurled hair and clip it to the scalp like a comb. For example, if you're wearing natural braids and want a complete look, clips are great to use. You don't even need to add much, maybe just two or three clips around certain parts of the head to make you look more complete.

5. Micro link Microlinking is a cumbersome installation method that can take three to four hours to complete. It requires a specially trained hairdresser to install it. For micro links, you must have a clamping tool to install the extension. Micro links are loops that apply to every strand of your hair. Your natural hair goes through the loop and then extends to the next one. Each time the hair passes through the loop, clip it into the holding part. Once installed, you can almost treat it as yourself. Of course, assuming the hair is 100% virgin, you'll be able to wash, cut, style, and dye it.

The seamless natural look looks more realistic and doesn't let people experience awkward situations.

[afoolandathief]

Something I did last night:

I keep writing backstory for "Those Horrid, Horrid Things" instead of working on the next chapter :/

Chapter ?: The Dress

Lopt chose a deep green and a complementary russet nearly the color of earth. He ran his hands over the fabrics, enjoying the feel of the woven thread against his fingers.

“Your mother send you out here?” the dwarf asked, squinting up at him.

“Yes,” Lopt said. “Needs a new dress.”

The dwarf nodded and pulled out a bundle of gold and brown trim. It had some sort of pattern of animals chasing each other through the woods. Rabbits and wolves and serpents and ravens.

“This is very pretty,” he said. “Your mother would like it.”

Lopt shrugged.

“I do have the money for it,” he said. “I’ll need some thread, too. And -”

He studied the dwarf’s mess of wares arranged under the bridge. Items ranged from trinkets, to weapons, to vegetables and cured meats.

“One of those roasted grouse,” he continued. “Actually, two of them.”

The dwarf watched as Lopt stuffed the items into his bag and dug into the first of the birds.

“You’re a fire Jotunn, aren’t you?” he asked. “Heard they have big appetites.”

Lopt nodded.

“They say we burn through everything,” he said. “They’re not wrong.”

The dwarf stared up at him, squinting his eyes again.

“But you’re small for a Jotunn,” he said. “Or young. Perhaps both.”

It was both. But Lopt didn’t feel like saying that to the dwarf, so instead he busied himself with licking the grease off his fingers.

“You know, my other form is that of a snake,” he lied. “Wouldn’t seem so small if I was coiled around you, would I?”

The dwarf held his hands up in protest.

“I just was curious, is all,” he said.

Lopt dropped the remains of the grouse on the ground, and bundled up the other to put in his bag.

“Be less curious,” he said, before stepping into the sea of sunlight surrounding the bridge.

The journey back was several hours, but Lopt cut it short using his remaining coin for a ferry across the river. Following the winding path of the creek, he made his way to where the forest was older, taller and denser, with aspen and birch burning bright yellow and orange against the pines. Finally, he came to a massive ash tree, and began to climb.

Settling in the crook of two branches, Lopt hooked his bag over another and closed his eyes, letting the breeze lap against his face. His stomach growled, and he pulled out the bundle from his bag to dine on cold grouse flesh. He played with the bones a bit when he finished, keeping his fingers wrapped around one rib bone before letting the others fall to the ground.

Lopt pulled out his knife and began to carve, shaping the bone into something small and sharp. He finished by pressing the bone against the branch and drilling the end of his knife into it, until the bone winked back at him through its eye.

His legs rested and his belly full, Lopt cut the fabric, threaded the needle, and began sewing together the dress.

The dwarf wasn’t wrong, the trim was pretty. And the colors complemented Lopt’s skin nicely, he thought, as he pinned the fabric around his shoulders with his mother’s brooches.

The task was complete once Lopt tamed his fire-red locks into a braid and tucked it under the last bit of fabric serving as a kerchief.

And then he made his way to the other side of the forest, to a clearing where she introduced herself as Thokk.

[writinghannibal]

MEME | | GLIMPSE MY MUSE AS A CHILD

| | ANON | | asked 👶

Note: This contains references to information found in this fic that I wrote.

She had stolen the scissors from her mother’s sewing box and secreted them away beneath her mattress. Truthfully, she was surprised that her nanny or one of the maids had not found them while making the bed — they were so fastidious about tucking in the corners. Leva had watched them from the corner of her room, anxiously peering over one of the German dictionaries her father had gifted her while they made the bed.

She waited three whole days before she retrieved the scissors. It was enough time for Simonetta to wonder about their absence and search for them, and to resign herself to the thought that they’d ‘turn up somewhere’. It made it less likely that she would be suspicious of her daughter. Daughter. The word felt clumsy in Leva’s mouth, and clumsier in her mind. It didn’t suit her anymore than any of the dresses that hung unworn in her closet. Her father seemed more invested in her wearing dresses than her mother did, something that she would never understand. He wanted a son so badly and yet… Leva didn’t know how to finish that thought. She only had the sense that something was wrong, and she was going to fix it, starting with the scissors.

At four years old, Leva Terese was a precocious and overly intelligent child. Overly intelligent in the way that easily became scheming as she indulged herself in an insatiable curiosity and a tendency to try to fit her mind around things that were beyond the typical child of her age.

Still, this was not something that she could fit her mind around. She had no references within her books, or the colorful magazines that her mother got. The television was an almost forbidden object within their home, with better things to occupy their time with, but she had still sought answers there to no avail. She had ultimately come to the conclusion that she was alone, and that there was no one else in the world quite like her.

Because she wasn’t her. She’d never really been her, had she? She was the son her father wanted her to be, even though she didn’t have the words for that. Not exactly. And not that she would dare to tell him that much. She could already imagine his sharp features twisting in the frustration of not understanding, something that she did not want to experience. Not now. Not while she was still trying to force her young mind around the concept of being unique, and uniquely alone.

She got the scissors out from under her mattress and carried them over to her mirror. This was something that she could do. It wasn’t enough to wear trousers and show a curiosity in the things that her father and the other men did outside of their home. She had to make a more significant change and stake a claim to who she was. Who…he? Was. It was dramatic. But it felt right.

Leva looked into the mirror, maroon eyes lingering on the braids that currently held he—his. His hair. Carefully, he reached up and unpinned them from his head, letting them fall down to his shoulders. Then he lifted the scissors.

When he was finished, his hair looked rough. Uneven. The braids lay on the floor like dead snakes coiled around themselves. He lifted his hands and pushed his fingers through the unevenly cut strands of hair. Sure, it didn’t look good… but it felt good. It felt good to look into the mirror and see a rough little boy instead of a little girl in trousers. How simple a change and yet how profound.

[ruensroad]

every side of you

A soft and short little snippet of the Sangyu side of the Peacebride AU for @this-solaris-life and @dyabolos because we all love the Sangyu agenda XD

Translation key: Shé - serpent shifter. 

---

There had been a time, not so long ago, when Mo Xuanyu had first entered Qinghe to plead asylum at the cost of his own freedom, that Nie Huaisang had felt nothing but gentle pity for the young man. He’d thought him gangly, too thin, eyes a tad too wild and tired with lack of sleep, as well as stress. Hair a mess, falling in tangled waves around his face, he’d looked a picture of desperation and tenuous sanity, which Huaisang supposed was true enough. Given it had been Mo Xuanyu’s own life on the line, it was more than justified.

Two months of food, of rest, of safety had done wonders, not only for Mo Xuanyu’s state of mind and general well being, but his natural - and very surprising - beauty. He was tall, slim, built like a dancer, but his hands were strong, even as they crafted delicate, beautiful things. His hair took to the Nie  style like it was made to carry the braided crowns, and as he filled into his shape again, his dark gray eyes took on a certain glow, something like joy and a lot like wonder, relief, and a once beat down intelligence starting to bloom into fruition once again.

There had been a time Huaisang had not felt his world stop on a single smile. It felt like a different life now, that time before Mo Xuanyu had grown in his life like a flower against the time without him. And Huaisang was determined to never go back to such a world.

It’d only been a month of gifts, and shared laughter, and watching Mo Xuanyu light up whenever he entered his tailor workshop, but Huaisang was already hopelessly lost. Never before had he engaged in a courtship so earnestly, nor put so much thought into what to give his beautiful Shé. To think that, without the war ending due to his da-ge’s intervention, he may never have met Mo Xuanyu was a sting to his heart, and it was with a sense of fate and destiny that he pursued him now, no matter how foolish it looked, or how loud da-ge laughed.

He was in love, plain and simple, and there was no going back. Only forward.

That day’s gift was a roll of cloth, a golden roll of silk just waiting for a new design to be painted on. Perhaps it was an odd choice, presenting Mo Xuanyu with just more work, but he knew how much Mo Xuanyu loved to paint and sew, just as he did, and he hoped the bright yellow-gold was close to the shade of the chrysanthemums Mo Xuanyu loved so dearly.

But the workshop was surprisingly silent when he entered, for once not filled with Mo Xuanyu’s low singing or his dancing footsteps. It was filled with sunlight, as always, and warm with sandalwood incense, but Mo Xuanyu’s usual stool was empty, a yard of black fabric laying abandoned on the table. He set down the gift beside it and looked around, hoping for some clue as to where the man could have snuck off to.

Not far it seemed, when he saw the glittering coil under a window, basking in the light, and had to bite down the most unattractive noise seeing the long, lean snake’s tiny tongue flick out.

So maybe he did make a sound, given how fast Mo Xuanyu turned to look. The black scales of his face glinted like onyx, which faded into a dusky red than gold the further it went down. He was stunning, was all Huaisang could think, before it really sank in how small Mo Xuanyu’s snake form actually was, how big his eyes were in comparison, and how adorable he was all nestled in a coil.

Young Master Nie, Mo Xuanyu began, but went still when Huaisang gently touched his chin with a finger. His whip-like tail curled in bashfully and Huaisang felt something in him puddle.

“I’ve never seen you in this form,” he breathed, truly awed, and offered both his hands to him. He wasn’t even sure what he wanted with the action, but was rewarded with Mo Xuanyu hesitantly uncurling and sliding over his fingers, tail wrapping around his wrist.

I lost my ability to shift before coming here, Mo Xuanyu admitted, like he was ashamed of it. Given how sick I was.

“You look gorgeous and healthy,” Huaisang praised, honestly relieved to see it was true. The scales sliding over his skin felt plump and soft, with a shine to them like they were brand new. “I’m glad you were able to retake this form.”

Mo Xuanyu curled back a little, hiding around a coil of scales, and peeked out at him. Young Master Nie… doesn’t mind me like this?

“I love it,” Huaisang gushed a little, unable to help it. “You are beautiful.”

More hiding followed that declaration. Huaisang laughed in joy and pulled him close, smiling wide.

“You must show me this side more often,” he said and sat in the window seat so he could continue to hold Mo Xuanyu in the warmth of the light, which was important to the Shé, he knew. And already, the snake was relaxing against him, though with his head still peeking out, this time around Huaisang’s fingers, obviously bashful still. Huaisang moved his thumb in answer to that, giving his chin a soft scratch, and Mo Xuanyu’s head immediately flopped over it, tongue flicking in pleasure.

If Young Master Nie doesn’t mind, then I will try, he promised, with a hint of surprise in his voice, but it was quickly melting into pure warmth, one Huaisang could feel all the way to his toes.

“That’s all I ask,” he said and leaned down to kiss the top of his head. “Thank you.”