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yellowpsyduck · 4 months

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𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮

Thomas Shelby x Reader

Warning: Smut

Her dress was white like the Arctic Snow.

Her cheeks were red like the Chrysler Imperial.

A glance was all it took for one to deduce that Y/N Elliot stuck out like a sore thumb amidst the sea of greys in the grimy streets of Birmingham.

With her short tight curls and her eyes that seemed untinged with the horrors that plagued the notorious English town, she was a sight to behold.

Mr. Elliot was the preacher at the local Presbyterian Church, but his daughter evoked the urge to sin in the minds of the lads of the town.

And again, a glance was all it took for one to fixate upon this seemingly other worldly apparition that roamed the streets of Birmingham with her teasing smile and her plump red lips.

And Thomas Michael Shelby was no exception.

Soon the occasional glances that he threw her way should they ever cross paths turned into waiting by the front of her house to escort her to finishing school, much to the dismay of the girl’s father.

The young Elliot girl was infatuated with the older man. The boys that previously courted her couldn’t hold a candle to his suave. With his cigarettes and his well pressed suits, Tommy Shelby was simply a dream come true for the impressionable girl.

She couldn’t care less about her parents’ disapproval of their relation, nor did she care about what the towns folk had to say.

‘He loves me, and I love him and that’s all that matters’ she assured herself each night.

The two soon became inseparable, the leader of the Peaky blinders even barged inside the school and pulled his darling out of the classroom simply because he ‘missed’ her. The teachers and staff knew better than to obstruct the infamous gangster.

The two went to the fair that day. He bought her all the dainty little trinkets that her heart desired. She didn’t go easy on the spending too; she knew his pockets wouldn’t hurt from her silly purchases.

And for his kind generosity, she rewarded him with her first kiss.

A simple kiss on the lips; that’s how it started but it soon turned heated and passionate.

It goes without saying that she lost her purity to him, right in the backseat of the black Ford.

Still clad in her school attire, she sat on his lap with his hands encircling her lithe waist.

He left a trail of kisses down her exposed collarbone, his hands working to unbutton her shirt which her mother had carefully pressed that morning.

The chemise underneath soon found itself discarded on the floor of the vehicle.

Her pink coloured bra was on full display for him. The more conservatively fashioned fabric did little to hide the fullness of the plump breasts underneath.

Her breath was shallow as she looked at him with those beautiful doe eyes of hers.

Her cheeks tinted with arousal and her eyes misty with desire.

She was a sight to behold as she guided his hand to cup her left breast, telling him that she was ready.

Tommy couldn’t contain himself any longer and his fingers found themselves unclasping the fabric that shielded her modesty. He sucked with urgency on her perky nipples while he kneaded the other, giving equal attention to both of those glorious mounds.

Y/N was a squirming mess. She loved the feeling of his hot mouth as he showered her with his touch.

She could feel her panties dampen with each passing second. No boy had ever made her this hot and bothered.

She needed more of him. She needed his touch.

Tommy could feel the wetness on his thighs as the girl began grinding herself on his thighs.

“Eager, aren’t we?” he teased with a raspy drawl.

God! This girl was driving him crazy.

He continued trailing his kisses down her stomach and halted at the waistband of her skirt.

He swiftly tossed the heavy garment aside along with her garter and knickers.

She was on full display for him. For him and his eyes only.

He couldn’t peel his eyes off her body.

She had bewitched him.

Sure, Thomas Shelby had been with his fair share of women before her, but he had never felt so strongly for any woman before, nor did he think he could ever.

Not after this.

Not after her.

His thumb slid across her clit, eliciting a beautiful moan from her.

Gently, he prodded her glistening hole with a finger.

She was too tight.

He thrusted his finger inside her as she coated him in her lewd liquid.

Now two fingers.

He was thrusting her insides with just two fingers, yet it completely filled her up.

She was a panting mess.

She could feel his now bulging erection poking against her bare butt.

Just as she could find her release, he extracted his fingers from the throbbing pussy, making her cry in desperation.

“Tommy please.” she purred as she met his pale blue irises. She was a whimpering, desperate mess.

“Just a minute darling.” he assured her as he hurriedly unbuckled his belt and freed his pulsating swollen cock.

Y/N wasn’t sure how he was going to fit his fat cock inside her tight pussy, but she didn’t care anymore. All she wanted was for him to fill her up and make love to her.

He carefully lined his cock that was leaking with precum to her entrance and gently entered her hole.

Just the tip was in and even then, Y/N was threatening to spill teardrops from her lustful eyes.

“It’ll only hurt for a second, Darling.” he whispered in her ear as he forced himself inside of her virgin cunt.

Y/N was seeing stars.

Oh! The pain and the pleasure; both feelings intertwined as she felt him thrusting inside of her giving rise to this otherworldly feeling of ecstasy.

Tommy couldn’t control himself inside of her as he pounded into her.

Her tight pussy was driving him mad with pleasure.

He could see the scarlet testament of her purity flowing down her thighs as he corrupted her innocence.

She was his.

No one else’s.

The two continued their lovemaking, completely engulfed in the throngs of their union.

That night, as they lay in the meadow on the English countryside, with his hands around her and her head on his chest, they looked up at the sky that bear witness to their passions.

And that faithful day, Thomas Shelby made a woman out of Y/N Elliot.

#thomas shelby #tommy shelby #cillian murphy #peaky blinders #peaky blinder fanfic #peaky blinder imagine #tommy shelby imagine #thomas shelby smut #tommy shelby smut #peaky blinders smut #thomas shelby x reader #tommy shelby x reader #thomas shelby fanfic #tommy shelby fanfic #thomas shelby x y/n #tommy shelby x y/n #fanfic #smut

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comradekatara · 18 days

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do you have a masterpost of "ty lee comes from crypto-air nomad" posts? I'm fascinated by this idea and want to read everything I can but I can't find where it started 😭

i feel like this is a question better posed to @kyoshi-lesbians, who, at least in my book, is the leading expert in ty lee studies (among other things). that said, i can definitely synthesize the argument (and why i find it cogent and persuasive), even if i don't actually know from where the theory originated (but i'm sure that if you look up "ty lee air nomad you'll immediately be directed to an old reddit page or fan forum from years ago; it's a "theory" that goes way back).

firstly, ty lee's appearance is distinctly "air nomadic" in a way no one else's is. save for aang, of course. she and aang do bear an uncanny resemblance. everyone else in the fire nation has yellowish brown eyes, for example, while ty lee, like aang, has charcoal greyish brown eyes. and they also have similar (round and cute) facial features, similar expressions, similar vibes. similar dispositions...

ty lee does not "have the personality" of a ruthless fire nation soldier, despite acting as the princess's right hand who takes out more opponents than pretty much everyone else put together. ty lee acts like an airbender, flirty and flighty. her relentless optimism and goodwill and cheer is decidedly a mask, but it is a mask she adopts adeptly. even if she is performing, she nonetheless performs the "aang" function of her respective group.

ty lee presents herself as more spiritually attuned than other people in the fire nation, who outright disrespect the spirits and spirituality. her constant talk of auras is likely a calculated move on her part, as nearly everything is, to make her seem silly and trivial, because she thrives best when she goes underestimated. but her talk of auras also has to come from somewhere, and seeing as literally no one else mentions auras once throughout the entire show, ty lee's sources are clearly scarce.

ty lee also fights like an airbender. despite generally taking the offensive, ty lee nonetheless exhibits a graceful, acrobatic quality when in combat. she never kills anyone either, merely incapacitates them momentarily. and when she is faced with stronger than typical opponents, she usually relies on her skills as an acrobat by taking the aerial advantage. note her ability to jump incredibly high, such as in "the chase," or her ability to run along a moving cable wire in "the boiling rock." ty lee's skills go beyond merely being a good acrobat. she's incredible. and perhaps even exhibiting some latent airbending skills she inherited from her ancestors.

ty lee's air nomad ancestry coheres really well with her arc as a character. imagining that her family of genocide survivors hid in the heart of the fire nation and assimilated into the imperialist culture that sought to exterminate them makes her own role that much more impactful. there's already a beautiful parallelism to the fact that ty lee is an acrobat and performer who contorts herself to suit the desires of others and performs obsequious loyalty for her own survival, but an extra layer of depth is added if she's also assimilating into the royal court by reducing herself and hiding her true feelings and motivations, just as her family did.

i see ty lee's ancestors as having assimilated into the imperial core out of fear, but over the generations, genuinely being subsumed into fire nation culture, with the desire to social climb a natural extension of their patriotism. but there are also still facets of ty lee's ancestry, whether genetic or otherwise, that have remained in traces. the generational trauma, for example, definitely reflects why her parents had so many children. and the fact that she's constantly torn between two worlds, as a genocide survivor who also directly serves the imperialists who murdered her ancestors, represents her internal struggle as someone who desires freedom of expression and the choice to assert her individuality, but is also forced through circumstance into lying and deflecting and manipulating (which, to be honest, is also the air nomad way) for the sake of survival.

surviving is ty lee's number one priority, in a way it just isn't for mai. mai and ty lee both come from social climbing families (although i've always assumed that mai's family is far wealthier than ty lee's) but mai is also depressed and frustrated and bored out of her mind. and even though she was raised in a family that forced her to don a mask and reduce herself and perform a passive model of femininity, she also has no problem stating aloud how she's feeling and what her limits are (with the exception of when azula gives her a veiled command as a test, and mai has no choice but to obey).

mai has the privilege of knowing that the stakes don't really matter, which she all but states when she claims that she grew up in luxury and opulence, and always had everything handed to her. which isn't to say that she led a perfect, easy life. she wouldn't be as depressed and repressed as she is if there weren't factors actively harming her, but she still chooses to join azula by choice, even if it's really only the illusion of choice between two awful options, whereas ty lee has to be coerced through violence.

mai kind of has a "fuck it we ball" attitude and doesn't really seem to care about her own safety (if anything, she's more concerned with comfort), whereas ty lee would do anything to ensure her survival. and that kind of mentality illustrates how she differs from most of the fire nation elites, who were inculcated into imperial privilege and never really considered what prioritizing survival even entails (zuko learns that lesson the hard way). ty really exhibits the mentality of the genocide victim/colonized subject through her prioritization of survival in the face of what to mai is a problem, but to ty lee is an existential threat.

whether or not ty lee even recognizes that her desperate desire to live comes from a place of generational grief and trauma is another story, but i do think there is something to be said for the fact that descendants of genocide survivors can feel that grief as it has been passed down to them. i think ty lee feels it, and i think that it motivates her to do whatever it takes to live, because above all, she is a survivor. and even if she has to assimilate and manipulate and cut away every part of herself that's real and authentic and true, she will do it (until she doesn't). and that's also, incidentally, what makes her such a great foil to aang.

#i hope this answers your question!#anachronornis #asks #analysis #ty lee #maixtylee #aang&tylee #aang #mai #air nomad ty lee #i should make that a tag....#also river if u have anything add please feel free #i love ty lee she is the specialest insane girl she is everything

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stiltonbasket · 2 months

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I know Nyoomerr wrote a mini fic where Shen Yuan dotes on Bingge’s kids, before I sent you the prompt also, but listen… I want many cakes!

There are so many possible cute OC Bingge kiddos Shen Yuan could dote on, and so many ways the Binggeyuan drama outside said doting could go! I’d happily read a million different versions! ♥️

In spite of having three older siblings to play with, and three nominal mothers and four nursemaids to raise him, Luo Shunlei was a very lonely child.

Unlike his brother and his two elder sisters, Shunlei was rarely allowed to see his own mother. Muqin spent most of her time away from his father's palace in the human realm, for she was Emperor-Father's most trusted lieutenant as well as his wife, and could not be spared from the various battlefields Father left in his wake for more than a single season out of each year.

That life suited his mother, Shunlei knew: and he was being looked after well enough, since Mother Ning doted upon him just as tenderly she cared for his sister Suoxin. But he hated to go to her when he fell while playing cuju in the garden, or felt lonesome for his absent Muqin, for Mother Ning cried so often when she thought her children were out of earshot that Shunlei could not bear to add to her troubles.

Nor could he go to Mother Liu, for Mother Liu was Luo Nianzu's mother, and Nianzu clung to her like a baby fire-horned monkey because his birth mother had died before Nianzu ever knew her.

(The less said of Mother Hua, the better, Shunlei thought. She was not unkind to him, but she made no secret of the fact that she was jealous of the favor Muqin received from Emperor-Father; and since Shunlei was Muqin's son, Mother Hua had never liked him very much, either.)

But then, late in the spring of Luo Shunlei's fourth year, Mother Liu brought a man into the hougong's central garden and announced that he was to be Suo-jie and Ying-jiejie's new Shizun.

"He will be your Shizun too, in time," she said to Nianzu, "as soon as you learn how to read more than a few characters."

"What about me?" Shunlei asked anxiously, plucking at the hems of her sleeve. "Shunshun wants to study, too."

At this, Mother Ning looked up from her account-book and kissed the top of his head.

"You can join this year if the taifu says you may," she assured him. "You're very bright for your age, Shun'er, but there's no need to rush. Mingyan gave Zhu-laoshi a twelve-year contract, so he won't leave the palace until the year you turn sixteen."

Sixteen sounded dreadfully grown-up to Luo Shunlei, who had yet to celebrate his fourth birthday. And if the new taifu really would be staying for the next twelve years, it hardly mattered that Shunlei wouldn't begin his studies until after he turned five.

But the taifu was more than happy to teach him, though Shunlei had only managed to learn the three characters that made up his name—and by the first week after lessons began, Shunlei had affixed himself to his new Shizun like a barnacle clinging to the hull of a boat.

Zhu Qinglan was, strangely enough, only the second man that Shunlei had ever met. Imperial Father was the first, and Shunlei had seen some of his demon lackeys from afar; but they were forbidden to enter any part of the inner court save for Father's private palace, so he had never actually spoken to them.

"Are all men from the human realm like you?" Shunlei asked his Shizun once, not long after Imperial Father returned from his latest campaign in the North. "If they are, why doesn't Father make friends with them instead of fighting?"

Shizun laughed and put out his hand to steady Luo Shunlei's grip on his writing brush.

"No," he replied, after the brush picked up its pace again. "Your Shizun is very old by now, that's all. I had to spend eighty years wandering the wilds alone before I learned how to hold my temper properly, and my Shizun was long gone by then—poor shifu! If your Imperial Father had met me when I was a young man, he wouldn't have wanted me as a servant, let alone a friend...or as his children's taifu, I suppose."

Luo Shunlei pouted. "Shizun can be my friend."

"Mm, then this teacher is very lucky. Oh, Shun'er, not again—you mustn't touch the scroll at all, remember? See how well da-gongzhu is writing."

It was true that Shizun was scolding him, Luo Shunlei reflected—smudging his copy-work as he thought, to Shizun's great distress—but he did it so gently that Shunlei wriggled with glee, feeling very much like a wilted flower that had suddenly been thrust into the full light of day.

Shizun treasured Luo Shunlei, just as he treasured Da-jie and Er-jie and Gege; and since he belonged to all four of them, he loved them equally. Mother Ning loved Da-jiejie the most, and Mother Liu loved Gege the most; and though Mother Hua loved nothing in the world other than Er-jiejie, Shunlei was certain that his Muqin loved Imperial Father far more than she loved him.

Zhu Qinglan loved no one at the palace better than he loved Shunlei, and that feeling was so dreadfully new to him that he burst into tears the next time Shizun entered the schoolroom with a bowl of his favorite sweet sesame cakes.

"Why are you crying?" Shizun demanded, bewildered, as Luo Shunlei let out a wail and scurried over to bury his head in the long skirt of Shizun's white robe. "Are you ill?"

He passed the cakes to one of the maids and lifted Shunlei onto his hip, feeling his cheeks and brow with the back of his rough hands.

"His little highness doesn't have a fever," Shizun muttered, "but we can't take chances, so run for a taiyi as quickly as you can. This one will stay with the little prince until the doctor comes."

"No," Shunlei bawled, rubbing his face against Shizun's shoulder. "I'm happy, Shizun."

"Happy?" Shizun asked, more puzzled than ever. "Why?"

Luo Shunlei laid his cheek on Shizun's soft neck and wept, too overwhelmed to explain that no one had ever made anything specially for him to eat before.

His siblings were only passingly fond of sesame cakes, though they refrained from saying so to save face for their Shizun. But Shunlei likes Shizun's cakes even more than the ones Father sometimes makes for their weekly luncheons, and yesterday, Shunlei had finally worked up the courage to ask if Shizun could bake them again.

Shunlei's lessons were canceled that morning, since Shizun and Mother Ning's taiyi said that he needed rest; and so, he spent the rest of the day being carried about the palace on his teacher's back, and fed another handful of sesame cakes whenever Shizun remembered he was there.

By the third month, Luo Shunlei decided that he loved his Shizun more than anyone else he had ever known, except for Muqin and his Suo-jiejie—which was why he bit off the left half of his Imperial Father's nose when Father told him that he meant to take Shizun into the hougong as a bride.

"You can't have Shizun for your wife!" Shunlei screeched, incensed. "He's ours!"

Imperial Father only raised his eyebrows at him.

"If you ever do that again," he drawled, conjuring a mirror to make sure his nose was healing properly, "I'll send you to the North to fight ice demons with Hualing, and I won't bring you back until you're too old to need a taifu anymore."

Luo Shunlei growled and kicked his little feet until he heard the satisfying crack of one of his Imperial Father's ribs snapping in half.

"You can't," he insisted, as Father let out a gasping wheeze and put a hand to his chest. "You have thirty wives already! That's too many. You can't have my Shizun, too."

Father's right eyebrow climbed a little higher up his forehead. "Everyone under the sun belongs to me," he said. "If I want your Shizun, he'll be mine eventually. There's no more to be said about it."

"But Shizun doesn't want you," Luo Shunlei scowled. "Everyone knows that."

For some reason, Father's face fell so quickly that Shunlei almost regretted his unkindness.

Only almost, though.

"It doesn't matter what he wants," Father said at last, after a long silence��and after his broken rib had healed, much to Luo Shunlei's frustration. "But he—he will want me some day, even if his heart lies elsewhere now. You'll see."

Luo Shunlei squinted at him. "I'll go tell Shizun what you're planning," he threatened. "Then Shizun can run away, and I'll go with him."

"Do you really want to visit the North so badly?" his father said idly. "Everything that lives there could eat you up in one bite."

(Shunlei's mother had taught him what to do in case anything ever ate him, so he could survive perfectly well in the Northern Desert if he had to.

Naturally, he said nothing of this to his father.)

Shunlei reached up and tugged sharply on his father's hair.

"Shizun won't like you if you send me away," he sniffed. "You can't be stupid if you're an Emperor, Imperial Father. Shizun said so."

Father sighed and tucked Luo Shunlei under his arm. "Would it really be so bad if Qinglan joined the harem?" he asked. "He'd still be your Shizun, and you'll still get to see him whenever you like. Nothing will change for you and the other little ones."

Luo Shunlei said nothing.

"And," Father said softly, "you can call him muhou after he and I are married. I plan to make him my empress, so he'll be your Imperial Mother as well as your Shizun."

"Imperial Mother...?"

Shunlei had never had an Imperial Mother before. Officially, every woman in the harem was Father's legitimate wife; the sole difference in status between them was that only the five inner wives—or four now, after the untimely death of Luo Nianzu's birth mother—were allowed full courtyards of their own and the right to raise children.

None of them were allowed to call themselves empresses, only consorts and wives: not even Mother Ning, who had reputedly been Father's favorite wife since his childhood on Cang Qiong Mountain.

But if Father meant to take Shizun as his Empress, and if that meant Shizun would be Shunlei's Imperial Mother, then...

"Then if you do marry Shizun," Shunlei ventured, plucking at the yaopei dangling from Imperial Father's belt, "can Shun'er have a little sister? Or a brother?"

Suddenly, Luo Shunlei felt his father's body go cold.

"No," Father said brusquely. "You may not."

"But why not?" he persisted. "If Shizun becomes my Imperial Mother, won't he be allowed to have his own Shun'er? Like Muqin and Mother Ning and—"

"No," his father repeated, more harshly than before. "After your Nianzu-ge was born, I vowed that I would never father another child. Don't ever mention such things again."

Luo Shunlei stared at him. "But I'm smaller than Gege," he said uncertainly. "Didn't Father break that vow already?"

"Enough," Father hissed. "Listen to me, Luo Shunlei. I nearly killed your Mother Ning by letting her give birth to Suoxin, and I as good as murdered your late Mother Qin by fathering Nianzu upon her. If Hualing had tried to give birth to you the usual way instead of molding you from our mingled blood, she wouldn't even have lived long enough to bring you into the world. Would you have me risk killing your Shizun, too?"

Shunlei's eyes burned.

"No," he said in a strangled voice. "Put me down."

So Imperial Father set him down on the ground, looking very much as though he could not bear to stand in Shunlei's presence for another moment.

"Don't you dare mention any of this to anyone," Father said wearily, as Shunlei rubbed his fists across his smarting eyes. "Otherwise, I really will send you up North to your mother."

Luo Shunlei nodded, somehow contriving to hide his tears until he made his way out of his father's courtyard; and then he staggered off to the Bamboo Palace where Shizun lived, hoping against hope that Shizun was at home and not out on another beast-trapping trip with Mother Liu.

"Shizun," he sobbed, beating on the gate with his tiny fists. "Shizun, Shun'er is here!"

And then Shizun was there, bundling Shunlei into his arms and draping a warm cloak over his shoulders before bringing him into the Zhugong's little kitchen for cakes and hot tea.

He fed Luo Shunlei and washed the tears from his little nose; and then, after his sobs began to slow, Shizun wrapped him up in a soft blanket and took him to Mother Ning.

"No," Shunlei wailed, as Mother Ning came running out of her own palace with worry all over her face. "Mother Ning, Shun'er wants to stay with Shizun."

Mother Ning blinked. "He didn't make you cry?"

"No!"

"Then who did?"

Shunlei frowned and burrowed into his Shizun's coat. "Nobody. But Shun'er is staying right here."

"All right, all right," Shizun said soothingly. "You can stay with Shizun for as long as you want. Lady Ning, if you would..."

Mother Ning nodded and promised that she would send a maid to the Zhugong with a bag of clothes for Shunlei.

"You can send him back for his bath, if he needs one before bed," she fretted. "But if he'd rather stay with you, then that's all right, too."

Satisfied, Shizun bowed to Mother Ning and whisked Shunlei back to the Zhugong, where he was made to drink two more cups of medicinal tea—though he did not mind this, since Shizun had already fed him all the fresh-baked sesame cakes he could hold—and put to bed on the pretty lounging chair in the front room.

"Go to sleep," Shizun told him, stroking his hair. "And don't look at this teacher with such big eyes. I'll still be here when you get up."

Luo Shunlei's lip trembled. "Do you promise?" he whispered. "You won't go away while I'm sleeping?"

"Of course not. Has your Shizun ever broken his word? Look—I won't even let go of your hand. You can hold this one, and I'll use the other to write while you nap."

So Shunlei finally let himself drift off; and when he opened his eyes again, some two hours later, he found that Shizun had fallen asleep at his desk, with his head on the erhu score he was copying and his left hand still clasped about Luo Shunlei's.

Suddenly, Luo Shunlei's heart felt very full. But then he remembered that Shizun would leave one day, whenever Father deemed that Shunlei and Nianzu and their jiejies had no further need of him, and then...

And then Shizun wouldn't belong to Shunlei anymore.

His spirits sank. He squeezed Shizun's palm, not knowing whether he wanted his teacher to sleep on or wake up and comfort him.

But at that moment, two words shaped themselves upon Luo Shunlei's lips; and before he could bite them back, he found himself saying them aloud.

"Imperial Mother?" he whispered, hugging his Shizun's arm. "Muhou, Shun'er is...is...."

And then—like a ray of white sunlight spearing through a blanket of clouds—his Shizun smiled, though he had not woken, and kissed Luo Shunlei's pudgy hand in his sleep.

"Hush, my baobao," he breathed, already sinking back into his dreams. "Don't cry. Mother is here."

#svsss #bingyuan #prompt fill #my fic #!!!!!!!! bingyuan shenanigans are back #this is set in the same verse as “a wife by any other name”#if anyone was wondering

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writerlyhabits · 2 years

Text

Shine and Polish

Pairing: Din Djarin x reader

Word Count: 2.7k

Request: "Din catches you cleaning/polishing his armor for him (something usually only done between courting Mandos) and gets all shy explaining the implications to you send tweet"

Warnings: mild language, mature themes, Din in sweatpants, I think that's it?? Idk it's a short one

AN: I want to formally apologize to all of you who sent Din requests to my inbox that have been sitting there for a while, I promise I see you, I just had such a hard time finding the right motivation and inspiration for these pieces. Hopefully I can get the others pumped out in a decent timeline as well 🤞 Thanks @deceiverofgodss for bullying me into working on this, ily 💛 I hope you guys enjoy!

The beskar armor was a large part of his intimidation. It widened his frame – which was admittedly big enough without it – making him bulkier, heavier, a force to be reckoned with. It represented the history of warriors before him, Mandalorians through generations maintaining their reputation of being a people you don’t come back from a fight with. The dark visors and emotionless helmets only helped on that front, he couldn’t even count how many people had tried to back their way out of trouble with one silent look from him.

Each beskar’gam was unique to the Mandalorian wearing it, and they take special care to make sure it looks as intimidating as wearing it makes them feel. Some go out of their way to paint their beskar, symbolizing their journey with specific colors and designs of their heritage. For Din, it’s keeping the pure metal shined and polished – it turns heads and sends a whisper through the crowd at the mere sight of him.

It takes a lot to keep it that way.

He’d had to get his new armor after the Mud horn, but getting out the mud caked into the rest of it had taken much longer than he cared to admit. Being swallowed by the Krayt Dragon and then walking through the Tatooine desert had left him scrubbing the dried goo from crevices he didn’t know existed for hours after you and the kid had fallen asleep. And now, he could only imagine the hassle it would be getting all the blood that kriffing Nexu had gotten all over his armor.

Din was damn near ready to collapse when you all had gotten back to your room at the inn, but he could feel the dirt and grime that was building up underneath his flight suit. He watched you launch Grogu into the air a few times, hugging him close as you flopped down onto one of the small beds, and sending a wink Din’s way.

You were a saint. With the kid nestled into your arms and properly distracted, he began stripping off his Beskar and setting it down on the caf table. He’d have to get to it after he got out of the ‘fresher. One more glance over at you, smiling to himself as little green hands grabbed your cheeks to try and escape your barrage of kisses, and he slipped into the bathroom.

The reflection looking back at him in the mirror was rough, to say the least, but when the hot water pounded into his skin the rest of the galaxy faded away.

It felt like heaven. He let it run across his face as he tried to revive his hair, though he didn’t know what difference it would make, it would be flattened under the helmet again once he stepped out. The pressure of the water worked wonders on the knots in his shoulders. He’d have to find a way to get those out sooner rather than later. Maybe he could sweet talk you into helping… He could just imagine how your nimble fingers would feel gliding across his skin, easing his muscles, gripping his shoulders while he-

No. That was enough of that. Dangerous territory Djarin, keep it together.

You’d been traveling with Din for… well, it had been a long time now. You’d been with him through thick and thin, been there well before he’d picked up a strange bounty from an imperial imp, and fallen in love with the little green bounty just as much as he had. And after having lost the kid and gotten him back, a handful of times Din had still yet to tell you how he felt. At least, not in a way you’d be able to pick up on.

Each day that passed where he would choke on his words, he watched you instead. He knew what would catch your eye as you walked through the markets on rural planets, he knew your favorite foods and could tell what you would get for yourself – often before you did. He knew how to read your body language as well as you had come to read his, and you were so in tune with each other that it felt as if you’d known each other your whole lives.

So why couldn’t he just fucking say what he meant? Instead, he stood by your side and watched as that pretty smile formed on your cheeks, watched your eyes sparkle in the starlight, watched you smother Grogu in loving affection… All he ever did was watch.

He wanted to take your hand for more reasons than pulling you along behind him, he wanted to do it for no reason. He wanted to stand too close and put his hand at the small of your back, brush his bare thumb across your cheek to comfort you, hold you close to keep you warm late at night. He wanted to run his hands over all your curves, see your pupils blown wide as you looked up at him, feel you quiver beneath him as he-

Dank farrik, cut it out. Din turned the water ice cold to shake himself of the thoughts, pushing them back into the corners of his mind where they belonged. He couldn’t afford to think of you like that, not while he kept watching without saying a damn word about how he felt.

He took his time leaving the room that was now filled with humid air and steam from his shower. It had made it easier to clean the blood that had splattered on his helmet, polishing it to look as clean as he felt. He dressed in a fresh set of lounge clothes – an investment he’d made at your insistence, and one he’d thanked you for every time the soft clothes draped against his skin – and placed the helmet back on his head, ready to face the rest of his party once again.

With you, he was prepared for anything. He loved your wild spirit, a shining beacon of your warmth in a galaxy that was otherwise cold and unkind. What he wasn’t prepared for was to see you sitting on the floor with his beskar in your hands, half of the pieces on the caf table having been cleaned and polished.

It was times like these he was thankful he was hidden behind the helmet, because his cheeks were burning in an incriminating shade of red.

“I like your pants, Din,” you smiled, only looking up from his shoulder piece to give him a playful smirk. And was that..? Of fucking course it was the one with his signet. Cause that’s what he needed right now. “Those the really soft ones I convinced you to get on Naboo?”

“I- yeah… they’re uh, nice,” he managed, feet rooted to the spot, unable to take his eyes off of the way you were being so delicate with his armor.

“Oh, they’re nice. Well, aren’t you chatty.” Any other time, he might’ve laughed. Currently, his brain was rewiring itself. His lack of response must have been noticeable because now you were setting your rag aside and giving him a concerned look. “Is everything okay?”

If ever there was a loaded question, that would be it.

“Yeah, just fine.” A cock of your eyebrow told him that you didn’t believe him, but he couldn’t seem to get any words of consolation out of his mouth. A few more beats of silence passed, Din tried swallowing the lump in his throat a few times, and then he saw something in your expression shift. You were figuring it out… Your focus shifted back down to the shoulder piece in your hand, drifted to the others on the caf table beside you, and found his again with worry in your eyes.

“Have I done something wrong?”

“No,” he was quick to assure you. “No, you haven’t done anything wrong.”

“Are you sure? I haven’t broken some sacred bond between you and your armor?” His heart was hammering in his chest, but you were still able to get an amused huff out of him, which you had told him were barely audible outside of the helmet. He shook his head to answer your question, and in response, you set the now shining shoulder piece back with the rest of his armor. “Will you tell me what’s going on then? You’re freaking me out.”

Maker, where would he start?

He took a deep breath and decided to take a seat on the floor across from you, leaning against the side of the table. He bent his knees so his feet were flat – grounding him, in a way – his arms rested on top of them. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back, possibly giving the appearance that he was relaxing, giving his body a rest. It couldn’t have been farther from the truth.

“When a Mandalorian cleans another’s armor, it’s a representation of trust,” he started, figuring it would be better if he led with an explanation instead of a blunt answer. “The one removing their armor becomes vulnerable, unprotected by their beskar; they are trusting the other with that vulnerability. And as the other polishes the armor they’ve been trusted with, they help prepare them for battle.”

“That’s beautiful,” you whispered, and only then did he dare look at you. A soft smile graced your cheeks, very visibly put at ease at not having made some great offense to his creed.

“It’s… a very common courting ritual.” Your eyes widened, and your lips parted in realization. Din didn’t know if he wanted to grab you, pull you into his lap and tell you exactly what had been on his mind the second he saw you with his armor… or if he wanted to run from the room until you could both forget about this entirely.

He was on the verge of opening his mouth to take it back, to assure you it didn’t always have to mean something that significant – even if that would be a lie – but you beat him to the punch.

“Tell me more,” you lilted, head tilted in curiosity. “What else do courting Mandos do?” His nerves would have done well with a very large glass of spotchka to have this conversation, though having a sober judgment was probably in his best interest.

“Mandalorians are big on hidden meanings, a lot of what we do tends to symbolize something bigger.”

“I’ve noticed,” you smiled, easing his nerves enough to get another small laugh out of him.

“In a way, it’s somewhat similar to any other relationship. Building trust, getting to know each other, spending time together. The difference is in that underlying meaning, our rituals intended to show how together you both will honor the Resol'nare.” He paused to give you a minute to take it in, stop him if you needed further explanation, but your evident eagerness prompted him forward. “They usually represent how you will contribute to the community together, how you will provide for one another. How you will rear children together.”

That last statement made his heart skip and sent an electric shot through his body – and to a part of him that didn’t need to be present in this conversation.

“I guess that makes sense, there’s no Resol’nare in a non-mando relationship, but you still try to figure out how a life together is going to look,” you agreed. “Are most of your rituals like this one? Providing acts of service to your partner?”

“A good many of them, yes. Polishing armor, cleaning weapons…” You were too clever for him to get away with this, he saw the slight tilt of your lips as the same realization hit you both; he always cleaned your weapons for you. Even after he’d taught you how to clean your blaster, he would hold out his hand and make some kind of excuse about it being easier since he was already cleaning his own.

He could recover from this. “Some gift handcrafted weapons, and if their bond is strong enough, those weapons will bear the other’s signet.” He’d yet to give you a mudhorn, that one was easy. Given, there weren’t very many items that had a mudhorn on them in passing, otherwise he might not have been able to resist the temptation. But while he was in the clear, he watched the slight drop in your demeanor.

“Are you allowed to so openly wear someone else’s signet?”

“Not on your armor. But with a weapon, it is a gift that you may carry the other’s signet while courting, not necessarily that you may wear it as your own.” You nodded in understanding, and he waited for that slight knowing smile to come back to your cheeks, and was surprised at his disappointment when it didn’t. He was in the clear, you wouldn’t suspect him…

And maybe he didn’t want that anymore.

“That one is more formal, but there are others to do with hunting and providing,” he said quickly, acting on instinct to try and reel you back in. “A basic, instinctive display of protection; bringing meats and hides from your hunt, preparing their favorite foods…” He couldn’t find the words to continue anymore when your gaze met his visor and softened. You figured him out, and his heart may have been beating in his ears, but he was no less confident in his quiet admission.

“Din?” you asked gently, and he said your name in acknowledgement. “Have you been flirting with me?”

“Yes.” The sparkling smile that spread across your cheeks sent a warm feeling through his body.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I needed time. That was the only way I knew how to do anything about it without making a fool of myself, or ruining one of the few good things that I have,” he smiled, and you turned away from him to hide your own flustered expression.

“That’s not fair! I didn’t know that’s what you were doing,” you laughed.

“That was the point,” he smiled, and you shook your head exasperatedly as your gaze settled back out into the room. He followed your line of sight, landing on the child as he sat happily in the cocoon of blankets and toys you had crafted for him on one of the beds.

Din felt a familiar ache as he watched his foundling, one that longed for these little domestic routines with your mis-matched family. He tried to ignore them because of the desire for you they had a tendency to inspire, despite the fact that no matter what he liked to call you, the three of you were a family in your own way. And yet, this time felt different. It felt comfortable.

He caught your movement in his peripherals, turning his head slightly to find you grinning curiously at him. “Now that I know… how do you feel?” He took a second to inhale before he responded, steadying himself.

“That depends. Other than your piqued interest, I still don’t have an answer to how you feel.” He was sure you saw right through him; he wasn’t an ignorant man, he could assume how you felt based on your response. But he’d done enough of that. Besides, it was your turn to be the one spilling your guts.

“Well… I’ll tell you that now I know where I’ll pick up dinner tonight.”

“That’s not what I-”

“The cantina we passed in town, they have that soup I know you love,” you started, quick to cut him off and make him see your damn point. “I don’t know if it counts because I didn’t prepare it, but that’s the best I can do for now. You’re just gonna have to read between the lines, Mandalorian.” He only stared at you for a few moments, taking in your growing smile, warm and mischievous in a way that was so unique to you.

You were flirting back at him.

You liked him.

Instead of finding words to reply, having used up his usual quota, Din shifted in his place on the floor to reach out for you. Your soft laughter lit up his entire body as he pulled you closer, and you slid into his lap with ease. He could no longer deny himself with your half-spoken admission, giving in to the part of him that needed to have you close as often as he could manage.

Thanks for reading!! If you’d like to be notified when I post a new fic, be sure to follow @writerlyhabits-library + turn on post notifications! 💛

Speaking of, if you wouldn’t mind answering my survey about what you think of my library/taglist system? It’d help me figure out how to reach you guys best. I’d really appreciate it!

#din djarin #din djarin x reader #the mandalorian #the mandalorian x reader #anonymous #anonymous request #din djarin fluff #kam takes forever to do shit #kam writes #my writing

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shinsengumi-archives · 10 months

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Traditional Kimono Colors

This could be useful when creating art and deciding what colors to paint their kimono. For example, during certain eras in the past, some colors known as kinjiki can only be used by high ranking officials, while other colors known as yurushiiro are used by commoners. Ordinary people were forbidden to wear bright clothes by the order of the Edo shogunate, so people used to wear kimono in brown, grey or blue colors.

Different colors also had different associations. In the Edo period, asagi blue (the color of the Shinsengumi uniform) was associated with low-ranking countryside samurai, so the Shinsengumi members weren’t satisfied with their uniform.

In the Imperial Court, different colors denoted different ranks.

Geisha also had rules about what color combinations should be worn in each month. Their kimono would change to suit the season like so:

image source

The Japanese have developed their own collection of traditional colors, known as dentoushoku. The four core colors are white, black, red and blue. The names for these were mentioned earliest in historical texts and they have the most meanings attached to them. Only these four could be considered pure primary colors. (source)

According to this chart, the colors are often named after nature and are traditionally grouped into series. They look more muted than modern colors because they’re based on ancient dyeing techniques. These colors are commonly used in daily life: (桜色(Sakura iro), 桃色(momo iro), 薄紅(usubeni), 珊瑚色(sango iro), 小豆色(azuki iro), 玉子色(tamago iro), 橙色(daidai iro), 萌黄(moegi), 空色(sora iro)), while others are only mentioned in literature and used for kimono (source)

This site contains explanations of the names and history for a long list of traditional Japanese colors.

This site also contains a large list of colors with categories, such as Kimono colors, Edo Period colors, Japanese Painting and Ukiyo-e colors

For an immensely detailed and well-illustrated document of Japan’s old colors and their associated names, it’s worth visiting the beautiful website Nippon Colors.

[Edit] The Aizu Domain had its own color rank system for samurai and ashigaru (footsoldiers).

Upper rank (joshi) haori cord colors:

Middle rank (chushi) haori cord colors:

Lower rank (ashigaru) collar colors:

Reference

http://www.studio-mana.com/ippuku/dentousyoku/dentousyoku_shikisou.html

http://wagara.blogspot.com/p/traditional-colors.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditional_colors_of_Japan

https://www.color-sample.com/popular/jiscolor/ja/

https://www.colordic.org/w

https://www.rakuten.ne.jp/gold/marutomo/value/color/

http://nipponcolors.com/

https://irocore.com/

http://www.fan.hi-ho.ne.jp/gary/aizumibun.htm

#reference #culture #original #kimono #color #recommended

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fandomtrumpshate · 2 months

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Unlisted Fandom Challenge

Two days ago, at our last Unlisted Fandom Challenge update, we had a 3-way tie for first. Today? One of those fandoms has taken the lead AND a new fandom that hadn't had even a single signup before has jumped all the way into a 4-way tie for second. Your fandom could do the same, in the hours still left before signups close!

At present, our leaderboard looks like this:

7 Danny Phantom

5 Carmen Sandiego (2019) 5 For All Mankind 5 Tortall 5 Yu Yu Hakusho

4 Ace Attorney 4 Alan Wake/Remedyverse 4 Formula 1 RPF 4 Ted Lasso 4 The Goblin Emperor Series - Katherine Addison 4 The Stanley Parable

3 Greek Mythology/Religion 3 Buffyverse 3 Bungo Stray Dogs 3 Call of Duty 3 Detective Conan 3 Dragon Ball 3 HBO War 3 Kingdom Hearts 3 Persona Series: 3-5 3 Professional Wrestling 3 Realm of the Elderlings - Robin Hobb 3 Shades of Magic - V. E. Schwab 3 The Mummy films 1999-2008 3 Undertale

Given the way Carmen Sandiego came from *nowhere* to tie for 2nd place, a single signup really can shake things up! And for the next few hours, signups are STILL OPEN! Do the thing!

The rest of our unlisted write-in fandoms under the cut for length -

2 Ghosts (TV) 2 Black Sails 2 Cosmere 2 CSI 2 Cyberpunk 2077 2 Dead Friend Forever 2 Death Stranding 2 Dice Punks (podcast) 2 Dimension 20 2 Donten ni Warau / Laughing Under the Clouds 2 Dracula 2 Dune 2 Firefly 2 Glee 2 Guardian/Zhen Hun 2 Hermitcraft/The Life Series SMP 2 Imperial Radch Series 2 Inception 2 JoJo's Bizarre Adventure 2 Mob Psycho 100 2 Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury 2 Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint 2 Ordem Paranormal Quarentena 2 QSMP / Quackity SMP 2 Riverdale 2 Saw 2 Slow Horses (TV Show) 2 South Park 2 Stormlight Archive 2 The Bear (TV) 2 The Empyrean - Rebecca Yarros 2 The Folk of the Air (Holly Black) 2 The Radiant Emperor Series 2 Venture Bros 2 Voltron 2 Wolf Pack 1 1670 1 A Court of Fey & Flowers 1 a league of their own (TV series) 1 A Plague Tale (Videogame Series) 1 American Gods 1 Among Us 1 Bandom RPF (Bad Omens) 1 Bandom RPF (Lorna Shore) 1 Bandom RPF (Motionless In White) 1 Beastars 1 Bendy (and The Ink Machine/Dark Revival) 1 Horror 1 Bioshock 1&2 1 Blue Beetle 1 Blue Eye Samurai 1 Books of the Raksura 1 Boondock Saints 1 Breakfast With Scot 1 Bunny - Mona Awad 1 Buzzfeed Unsolved/Watcher Entertainment RPF 1 Cabin Pressure 1 Cats the musical 1 Charlie's Angels (2019) 1 Cherry Magic 1 Chronicles of Narnia 1 Cobra Kai 1 Coffee Talk (Video Game) 1 Criminal Minds 1 Death Note 1 Devil May Cry 1 Dexter 1 Digimon 1 Discworld - Terry Pratchett 1 Disney Theatrical Animated Universe 1 Divergent 1 DMBJ (Grave Robber's Chronicles) - Xu Lei 1 Dream SMP 1 Dungeons and Daddies (podcast) 1 Endeavour/Morseverse/Inspector Morse (ITV/Dexter) 1 Ensemble Stars!! 1 Fallout Video Game (Bethesda) 1 Falsettos 1 Fargo FX 1 Farscape 1 Fire Emblem (4-10, 13, 14, 16) 1 Five Nights at Freddy's 1 Friends at the Table 1 Game Changers Series - Rachel Reid 1 Grantchester 1 Green Creek 1 Grey's Anatomy 1 Grimm 1 Gundam (see below for details) 1 Hatchetfield 1 Hawaii 5.0 1 Hello From The Hallowoods 1 High School Musical 1 Higurashi no Naku Koro ni 1 Hollow Knight 1 Honkai Star Rail 1 Horizon Zero Dawn 1 Infinity Train 1 IT (Movies - Muschietti) 1 Jeff Satur - music videos 1 Julie and the Phantoms 1 Kushiel's Legacy 1 Law and Order 1 Legend of the Galactic Heroes 1 Live Free or Die Hard (Die Hard 4) 1 London Spy 1 Lovecraft Mythos 1 Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic 1 Magnificent Seven 1 Mary Grant Bruce's Billabong series 1 Mrs. Davis 1 My Little Pony 1 Nancy Drew (CW Series) 1 Narcos (TV) 1 Nine Worlds Series - Victoria Goddard 1 NU: Carnival 1 Omori 1 One Direction 1 Orphan Black 1 Outlast 1 Paranatural 1 Phantomarine 1 Re-Animator 1 Resident Evil/Biohazard 1 Sex Education (TV) 1 She-Ra and the Princesses of Power 1 Simon Snow Series 1 Skins (UK) 1 Slam Dunk 1 Starry Musical 1 Succession 1 Sunless Sea 1 Super Sentai 1 Sweeney Todd 1 Team Starkid 1 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1 The Adventure Zone: Balance 1 The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across The 8th Dimension 1 The Adventures of Tintin 1 The Artful Dodger 1 The Good Place 1 The Greenhollow Series - Emily Tesh 1 The Hollows - Kim Harrison 1 The Last Kingdom 1 The Left-Handed Booksellers of London - Garth Nix 1 The Lunar Chronicles 1 The Mechanisms 1 The Pairing (Casey McQuiston) 1 The Saint of Steel 1 The Shadow Campaigns - Django Wexler 1 The Terror (TV 2018) 1 Three of Hearts 1 Tin Can Bros 1 Tower of God 1 True Detective 1 Twilight 1 Vorkosigan Saga - Lois McMaster Bujold 1 Wayfarers (Becky Chambers) 1 Weak Hero Class 1 1 Westworld (TV) 1 Yellowjackets 1 Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters

#fth 2024 #fandom trumps hate #fanworks charity auction #unlisted fandom challenge #signups are STILL OPEN!#do the thing!

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rouecentric · 2 years

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HELLO <3 If you don't mind, I want to be the first anon! Anon Volana! <3 If you don't mind, can I ask for romantic yandere Claude and platonic yandere Athanasia? Thanks, hope you're having a good day!

YOOOOOO I GOT MY FIRST ANON 🥺 amazing to meet you, anon volana! i have a new writing layout since i'm a bit tired (and probably insane but no one needs to know) and i need to write more efficiently, i'll most likely make these hc's crackfic's taken seriously

lowercase intended

-you were athanasia's history teacher and parental figure, but you didn't need to know the latter

-athanasia off-handedly mentioned you to claude when he asks if she likes her teachers "athy loves her teacher, mx l/n! they're really kind and make the lessons fun and easy to understand! they also give athy sweets when i get the answers right!"

-and then claude's overprotective ass requests your presence when athy was currently taking her etiquette class or sm, probably to know this person who's greatly adored by his own daughter

-when you were informed you were like "oh shit did something happen?? wth did i do to get the emperor require my presence???"

-when you hurriedly went over and greeted him he was like "oh they seem nice, they also take care of my daughter, but it's best for me to test them and see if they really are nice"

-he forcesasks you to join his tea parties with his daughter, sometimes also getting you to walk in the garden with him, docile stuff like that

-athy was actually envious of her father when he started hanging out with you, it should be athy who gets to hang out with her favorite teacher!

-so, yeah! you gained an overprotective child joining the two of your walks in the gardens, probably forcingasking you to carry her in stead of her father

-athy gets even more overprotective once she realises that you might be engaged or seeing someone, or even that you might have an arranged marriage, so she forcesrequests you to hang out with her more, like talking and escorting her after class

-the more and more claude hangs out with you, he starts to understand why athy likes you so much, just.. look at you! you're kind and caring towards the princess and really open-minded! you even put others after yourself!

-when he realises that he likes you romantically, he gets possesive and tries to court you, but ends up bailing whenever he tries

-with the help of athy, she gets him to confess to you about his feelings somewhere romantic, like the imperial garden at night with enchanted and glowing flowers surrounding the two of you before entering the gazebo, decorated with floral designs before he confessed

-doesn't matter if you reject him or not, he needs you, so he'll get your family on the brink of ruin so you'd have no other choice but to accept his confession and be engaged to him

-athanasia is ecstatic! her favorite person is going to become her other parent! while you're locked in your own bedroom in the imperial palace, she always hangs out with you!

-your engagement doesn't last that long, as the two of you would get married a month later

-the wedding was grand and public, with you wearing a suit/dress made from the finest silks and help of the most skilled tailors/seamstresses, your fate being clear while walking down the isle

-after marrying claude, he gets an extremely skilled staff member to manage everyone in stead of you, as he wants you to not worry your pretty head over trivial things, locking you away in a isolated palace where only you reside in, with claude and athanasia constantly visiting you, slowly isolating and breaking you

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divinemare · 8 months

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Cruel Cauldron

✎ᝰ┆azriel x oc

ᝰ┆part two

part one

—— —͙ – -

Maxon had insisted in coming with her. Not that she had put up any fight, honestly. They arrived to Prythian in a week, and were immediately greeted by a blonde, known face in the company of other three females she had never seen before in all her visits.

Karina got out of the ship, being trailed by Maxon and Bastian, who had to come on duty, and close behind came three more of her Third Imperial soldiers.

“You look amazing as always, Karina,” the sly smile of the blonde female made her smile just as wickedly, the female put two fingers to her forehead, and Karina soon repeated the act, as the way of formal greeting and respect in Anthra went.

“Please, have you seen yourself in a mirror? You’re too kind, Morrigan.”

The third in command of the Night Court smiled, and turned to the three females behind her.

They were suited in armors very similar to those she remembered Illyrian soldiers wearing, and it wasn’t until they signaled their respectful greetings the same way Morrigan had, that she noticed that one of them actually had Illyrian wings.

“I hope you don’t mind, but Rhys wanted to give you a proper welcome party. You remember the Valkyries, don’t you?”

Karina’s eyebrows shot to her forehead in amused surprise. She hadn’t been alive during the Valkyries times, but Arisa had, and Karina had heard great stories about them.

“I remember some stories. I thought they were all dead.”

“We rebuilt, Your Highness,” the sharpest-looking of the three said, her voice as sweet as a knife, just like Karina had imagined it to be.

“Please, I’m Princess Karina, my sister is Your Highness,” she smiled sideways to the deadly looking female, who only nodded with a sharp eyebrow raised.

“She’s Nesta Archeron,” Morrigan said pointing at the female Karina had just talked to, the deadly gorgeous looking one. “Gwyneth Berdara,” now she signaled to the beautiful red head female, whom Karina smiled to, her gorgeous teal eyes shimmered like clear ocean water. “And Emerie,” she finally signaled to the light brown skinned Illyrian, who’s eyes assessed her like a threat. “The Valkyries.”

Karina couldn’t help but laugh slightly, making the four females give her questioning looks.

“So, with ‘welcoming party’, you mean Rhys sent me four deadly females to make sure I was not here to attack?”

Before Morrigan could answer, Karina waved a hand, not at all offended but rather amused.

“It’s good to see that this shit hole finally has some females doing what needs to be done, honestly. Shall we?”

Without further ado, the four females guided her company into the Hewn City. The most dreadful place Karina had visited ever. And she lived in her mothers palace, for Cauldron’s sake.

“Still as charming as always, I see,” she sighed as they entered the city under the mountain, and Morrigan took them to the council meeting room.

Inside the big doors, stood the most powerful male she had ever met before, and beside him, a female that resembled too much the one she had only just met as Nesta, who radiated an energy so powerful Karina considered rival to that of Rhysand.

“High Lord,” when the male turned his head towards her, he immediately managed to hide his surprise with a devilish smile instead, putting his fingers to his forehead and mimicking her greeting action.

“Karina, what a pleasure to see you here,” she chuckled, moving as gracefully as a viper towards the awaiting High Lord and Lady.

Another thing she had inherited from her mother, that sly and devilish way of swaying her hips.

“Awww, if you weren’t smiling so tightly, I would say you actually mean those words,” this time it was Rhysand who chuckled, but Karina didn’t miss the tightness in his wide shoulders.

“I’m not here for pleasantries, Princess, I’m here for politics.”

“What a coincidence! So am I,” she said with a witty voice, raising a proud eyebrow as she surveyed the looks around.

There was Rhysand and his mate, then Morrigan and her father as well, and on the far side of the room, a presence so dark she almost stared straight at it waited for the moment he dimmed worthy to appear.

“You?” Rhysand raised an eyebrow as well, and Karina rolled her eyes in a way no one else would dare standing in the face of the most powerful and dreaded High Lord of Prythian.

But if she rolled her eyes at her mother, she wasn’t gonna stop at any male’s face either.

“Oh, don’t look so surprised, Rhysie, you hurt my feelings.”

Just as Rhysand had his game of being terrifying, Karina had built her name based on the impression she was a witty, bratty Princess. And it had worked wonders for her in the last 300 years.

“I’m deeply sorry, then, I was just not expecting…you. I thought we would be meeting with your sister, or your mother,” at that Karina couldn’t contain her amused, genuine laughter, making everyone in the room freeze for a second at how similar she looked as the cruel vision of her mother.

“Please, you thought my mother would actually bother to come meet up with you, Rhysand? Come on, you’re more intelligent than that. And regarding my sister…well, the Heir has been throughly occupied by all this conflicts between our lands, and so she’s very much needed in court at the moment. So here I am, your sorry last option,” Karina lied about her sister, keeping the next-heir matters a secret until they actually became true.

“None of that, I actually find you more of a pleasing company than your mother and sister,” this time, the High Lord’s little cruel smile let on a little bit more of sincerity.

“Considering you hate them, I don’t know if I should take that as a compliment.”

Her mother had every reason to be hated all around the Continent. Queen Verena Basdearg was not known to be a soft, pleasant female at all. And considering Rhysand had appealed to her bad side since the first moment they met, things between the Queen and the High Lord had always been tense, dragging the Heir to Anthra’s throne alongside.

“So, are you not going to introduce me to the famous High Lady? If I’m being honest, she’s the only reason I agreed on coming here at all,” Karina said looking at the beautiful female who stood beside the High Lord like a Queen, and who smiled politely at her once their gazes met.

“I feel flattered, thank you, Your Highness. I’m Feyre Archeron, High Lady of the Night Court,” the confidence in her voice made Karina like her a little bit more, putting her two fingers to her forehead in Anthra’s respect.

Karina noted in her mind that the High Lady and the sharp-looking Valkyrie warrior were, in deed, sisters, hence the resemblance.

“You can call me Karina, High Lady.”

“In that case, you can call me Feyre, Karina,” both females smiled, and then Karina turned around to acknowledge the two males standing behind her. “Allow me to introduce you to my cousin Bastian Basdearg, Prince of the Red Land. And Captain Maxon Hatchett, son of Lord Nikolai Hatchett of the Red Land.”

The rest of her company had stayed outside.

Rhysand’s eyes immediately shone with recognition at both their names, as Bastian was well known all around the Continent for being one of the best swords male alive, while Maxon was well known as one of the best strategists. And Maxon’s father as well, as he had been famous during the The War 500 years ago. Bloody, brutal, efficient, and merciless had just been some of the adjectives used to describe the male.

A fucking drunk asshole, Karina would use to describe him now.

“I was honestly hoping to see more of your little…squad, specially that tree of a male, Cassian,” She said with an eyebrow lifted, surveying the room around them.

“He had things to do in the Illyrian Camps, but I’m sure that, when this whole matter is settled, we can share a more appropriate gathering all together.”

“Well, then I guess you’ll have to do, hello Azriel,” Karina sighed nonchalantly, looking then with a playful smile towards the darkest corner of the room.

Shadows slowly solidified into a male body. Tall, strong, and hot as hell as he was. Azriel stepped out of the shadows with his arms crossed over his chest and a look of pure death in his hazel eyes.

“Princess,” his gravelly voice made her smile like a cat, popping a vain in the males forehead.

He positively couldn’t stand her, that much was evident. “A bratty fucking princess” he had called her ones when he thought she wasn’t hearing his conversation with Rhysand.

Karina had been terribly disappointed when she learned that all that hot body was nothing with that awfully dull and killing personality its owner had.

She adverted her unbothered eyes off the Shadowsinger to put them again on the High Lord and Lady, turning to walk towards the table in the middle of the room like the place belonged to her.

“Well, then, shall we begin with the inevitable unpleasantries?”

៚ ·

“This is getting us nowhere, Rhys,” Karina sighed, she had forgotten just how much she hated politics.

Rhysand’s jaw ticked, annoyed, they had been discussing for about an hour now, and couldn’t seem to get to a mutual agreement.

Tho it was very hard to get to an agreement when her mother’s specifications had been so absurdly outrageous.

She had to admit, she felt a little bit bad for Rhys and Feyre, since they were trying so hard to appeal to her mothers requests.

“Karina, your mother won’t meet with us, and she sends terms we are in no place to be able to agree to right now. I don’t know what she expects from us,” the High Lord’s tone sounded exasperated, the muscles in his back tightening as he laid back in his chair.

His mate placed a hand on his leg, as some sort of reassuring and calming gesture, but by the way her back was so straighten, Karina could see that the High Lady was just as tired of this discussion.

Karina sighed, she was 20 minutes away from reaching utter exasperation, but if she went back home with nothing…well, let’s just say she would rather stay here and let herself be tortured by the famous Shadowsinger of the Night Court, whose personality was already enough to torture her, than go back to her mother with nothing out of this.

“I would like to speak privately to you two, if that’s okay,” it wasn’t a request Rhys and Feyre were in a position to argue with, and that only made their companions stand in disagreement all the more intensely.

“Rhys…” Azriel approached his High Lord, his hand tightly clasped on his side, where Karina knew he kept that knife of his.

“Please, allow us a moment with the Princess,” Rhysand said without looking at his friend.

Morrigan sigh was audible as she approached Azriel to try and take his arm to lead him out of the room, Kier got up from his seat with an exasperated curse under his breath, and both Bastian and Maxon looked at her only to confirm she was completely sure of what she was doing.

She wasn’t, really, but she still nodded to them.

The Shadowsinger’s eyes drifted towards her while being escorted out by the blonde female, his gaze screaming murder at her, a warning that surely worked with many other’s, yet not with her.

“I’m gonna be honest with you, Rhys,” she said with a sigh when the door finally closed, and only the three Fae were left. “My mother didn’t consider any terms that she knew you would be able to take. You should’ve known that the moment you saw me enter and not her.”

“We feared so, yes,” Feyre nodded.

“But…” Both High Lord and Lady’s head straighten at her words, their pointed ears more elevated and their eyes shining with curiosity and hope.

“But…” Rhys tried to sound not too hopeful, raising a questioning eyebrow.

“The Rashana is coming, I could arrange, maybe, just maybe, for you and your Court to come to Anthra to celebrate with us, convince my mother that you want to show respect to our country and extend an olive branch personally. You could try to reason with her. But I can’t make no promises, this is as far as my help can go.”

Rhysand exhaled a hopeful sigh, making Karina feel a little bit bad for simply postponing the inevitable misfortune.

“I understand. And I appreciate your help, Karina, we appreciated,” Feyre nodded, looking as relieved for a possible solution to this whole mess as her mate.

Karina nodded, and stood up from her chair concealing her facial expressions.

“Well, then, I think that’s everything we can do for now. I’m rather tired from all this, and I need my beauty sleep or else I won’t be such a nice forgiving and collaborative Princess anymore.”

“Of course, of course, Mor will escort you to your bedchamber, if that’s ok.”

Just as he said his cousin’s name, the blonde female entered the room again, having surely been summoned by Rhys via that daementi power of his.

“It was a pleasure meeting you, Feyre, I do hope we get to interact later in more appropriate circumstances.”

“So do I, Karina, rest well.”

“Same to you two,” with a wink of her eye to both regents, Karina followed Mor outside the meeting room.

Outside, Azriel was, as she expected, wrapped in unnerving shadows, his murdering gaze had not disappeared as he saw her exit the room.

“Something wrong, Shadowsinger? Looks like a vein or two are about to pop.”

“Nothing wrong, Your Highness, nothing wrong yet,” Karina giggled, making Azriel raise one of his dark eyebrows and stop playing with the knife he had in hand.

“It’s good to see you haven’t gotten any more interesting in the last decade, Azriel.”

“Sleep with an eye open, Karina.”

“Uh, is that a dirty invitation? I like dirty invitations,” she played, making him hold his breath with annoyance.

Karina winked with a false seduction towards the male, making his jaw clench and his eyes roll.

“Shall we?” Mor said, gaining back her attention.

The female took her and her companions up to the Moonstone Palace. Even if she wasn’t a big fan of the Hewn City, she had to admit, the Moonstone Palace was an spectacular place.

“If you need anything, just ask for it, okey? Rhys wants to make sure you’re as comfortable as you can during your stay,” Morrigan smiled slightly when they finally reached Karina’s temporary room.

“As long as I don’t have to go back down, I’ll be fine. Tell Rhys the room is beautiful, but if I catch Azriel sending his shadows to spy on me here, I’m going to incinerate them, and then him,” Morrigan laughed, and nodded slightly.

“Noted, I’ll make sure to deliver your message,” the female went to leave, but Karina stoped her for a second.

“It’s good to see you, Morrigan,” and she meant that, she liked the female, at least enough to feel bad for what was about to fall upon them.

“It’s good to see you too, Karina, rest well,” and with a goodbye nod, both females said their good nights and Mor left her alone in her temporary room.

Karina sighed, throwing herself in the bed in complete tiredness. It had been a long trip, and a long day, and now the only thing she wanted to do was fall asleep below the beautiful stars that shone upon her through the ceiling opening.

But, before she could do that, Karina sighed and opened her palms, summoning a wave of lights that came from candles and fae lights to scan the room, to take themselves to every single corner until they made sure there weren’t any sneaky shadows sent by a certain Shadowsinger to spy on her.

When she was 100% sure that the room was clear, she closed her eyes and allowed sleep to wash over her tired body.

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ataleofcrowns · 1 year

Photo

New Chapter Released!

Hello again! Hope your winter has gone well ❄️

With the public release of this new chapter we’re setting up the Crown's daily routine as a monarch, while romance and courtly intrigue continue to build:

Diverging paths depending on your love interest, including scenes from your main LIs point of view! R and A accompany the Crown, but what are D and X up to in the meantime?

While the Crown becomes used to ruling, each LI experiences a shocking revelation in their main route, one that will cascade into future chapters

The Crown continues to grow and learn, being tutored in various subjects to increase their knowledge

Tutoring is not merely in theory: the Crown enjoys physical training, as well. Choose your favorite weapon and shape future fight scenes!

The Imperial Court is finally taking shape. Choose certain positions, receive political proposals, even form an alliance, if you have the points...

A few additional changes made to the game overall:

The codex page for the Crescent Blades has been added, including character art! It should be unlocked for all saves that are past Chapter 1

Changed various lore related names, mainly the ones referring to the Major Spirits, in order to better reference the Zoroastrian inspirations that Arsur's religion is based on

Darkened the background color further to be friendlier on the eyes. Some day, I'll add a proper dark mode, but that day is not today haha

Edited the Arsurian Calendar to match with the new background color, and also corrected the start and end dates of the months!

IMPORTANT: It's highly recommended to replay the entirety of CH9 before getting to CH10. CH9 has some changes relating to LI relationship stats, so if you don't go back to play through those, you risk relationship flavor text messing up in CH10. Such as a high relationship being described as a low relationship, things of that nature.

Thank you for all your patience and support, I hope you enjoy the new chapter with the nearing end of this winter 💖

For those that are unfamiliar with the game

A Tale of Crowns is a high fantasy romance story, told in the form of a text-based interactive novel with choice mechanics. The setting is inspired by Kurdish culture as well as other historical settings in the Middle East such as Ancient Persia, but it also draws heavily from other cultures and countries in the region.

Your character is native to Arsur, a vast empire overseen by a single ruler known as the Crown. Unlike traditional monarchies, however, the title is not inherited through blood. Whenever the Crown dies, their famed golden eyes pass on to the one chosen by the Spirits of this world to be the new Crown. In this story, your MC takes on that role.

There are four different love interests to choose from, whose genders will be customized to suit the preferences of your Crown. You can find more info about them on the blog page!

Also note that this current version of the game is safe for those 16 years and older.

Like the premise so far? Play it and give it a try! The entire game is free!

If you enjoyed the game, please reblog! Share it with your friends! Recognition and reader interaction is just about the only thing I get in return for creating it ❤️

#interactive fiction #interactive novel #twine game #interactive story #if game #a tale of crowns #chapter update

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notapaladin · 1 month

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I was inspired by an old "your OCs as companions" meme template I found and decided to combine it with an official-encyclopedia-style blurb. Highly recommend it tbh.

(Font: Liberation Sans 9 pt)

Text below the readmore:

Sidebar

SPECIES: Human

HOMEWORLD: Dromund Kaas

AGE: 22

HOBBIES: Historical research, gardening, archaeology

PREFERRED WEAPONS: Matched set of single-blade sabers with ornate golden details; they are family heirlooms given to her by her father upon her acceptance to the Sith Academy on Korriban YAELLIA IVROS

A BRAVE AND HONORABLE SITH WARRIOR, Lady Yaellia – just Yaellia, to her friends – is the only child and heir of the noble Imperial House Ivros, which was founded by a freed slave and therefore has some...unorthodox views of Imperial policy. The family history which was instilled in Yaellia from a young age granted her a sense of cooperation and fairness unheard of in many other members of the Sith hierarchy. Unfortunately, this has not made her or her family popular among their peers. House Ivros is under constant threat from its many enemies, and before Yaellia was ten years old she’d already survived numerous attempts on her life.

When Yaellia was accepted into the Korriban Academy, she became determined to uplift her family at any cost, barring the sacrifice of her principles. Though these principles successfully prevented the poisoning of her entire dorm suite by a rival class, they also nearly got her Force-choked to death by one of her teachers; she was only saved by the timely intervention of Lord Alanais Venditor, and has looked up to him ever since. Though he wanted to mentor her, Darth Baras made her an offer she couldn’t refuse.

Being chosen as Darth Baras’s apprentice was the highest honor she or her family could have ever hoped for. Even though she loathes him personally, her personal opinions don’t matter next to her family’s status and safety. Accordingly, she has set out aboard the ship he gave her, a Fury-class Interceptor she has dubbed Zhasanai’s Grace, to do as little of his dark bidding as she can get away with. Rumors of her involvement with the Revanite cult remain unsubstantiated.

Likes: Honor, mercy, preserving historical sites, loyalty, animals Dislikes: Cruelty, collateral damage, dishonesty, eye contact

AS A COMPANION

Selection lines:

“My sabers are yours.”

“Can I help you?”

“Leave it to me.”

“It is an honor to fight by your side.”

Battle lines:

“I am your end!”

“For the Empire!”

“Come, face me!”

Exiting battle:

“I didn’t even break a sweat.”

“What a shame. What a waste.”

“They died well.”

“Where’s our next target?”

KO’ed/Low health:

“A little help?!”

“Ah...I’ve miscalculated...”

“Can’t...breathe...!”

“I don’t like bleeding my own blood.”

Resurrected:

“That was a fluke.”

“Time to reenter the fray!”

“One day I will die, but not this day. Thanks to you.”

Misc. click lines:

“Are you quite alright?”

“Remind me to catch up on my reading.”

(on Dromund Kaas or other wet planets) “Ahh, the scent of home!...lake water and rotting vegetation. Lovely.”

“The Empire cannot rise to greatness on the backs of slaves.”

“Oh! Did I tell you about the holocron I found the other day?”

“Take a holo, it lasts longer.”

Gifts:

Cultural Artifacts, Imperial Memorabilia [favorite]: “This is wonderful! Thank you, I’ll treasure it.”

Courting, Luxury, Delicacy [love]: “Oh, you’re terribly kind to think of me.”

Military Gear, Weapon, Republic Memorabilia [like]: “Thank you.”

Underworld Good, Technology, Maintenance [indifferent]: “...I...thank you. Truly.”

#swtor #yaellia #sith #paladin writes stuff

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loiladadiani · 1 year

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Nicholas II and his cars

Nicholas II did not rush into the "motor" craze. For two years, he took rides on the car owned by Lt. General A.A. Mossolov until Nicholas' Minister, Count Fredericks, asked the Tsar if he wanted to acquire a motorcar. The Tsar responded quickly: "Yes, of course!

The Tsar fell in love with the automobile. The first car he purchased was a French Delaunay-Belleville which was the Tsar's choice for short trips and in-town use. He liked the German-built Mercedes for long trips…and speed.

Nicholas II getting into his Rolls Royce

Nicholas II's Mercedes Benz

The Imperial Garages were established in 1905 in Tsarskoe Selo and Peterhof. Later, garages were added in the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg and Livadia Palace in Crimea. There was a budget to maintain the Imperial Garages, which included money to purchase vehicles, training of the drivers (who were responsible for driving and fixing, and maintaining the cars), washers, uniforms for the staff and the brick-and-mortar buildings where the cars were housed. The vehicles served the Tzar, the Empress, the Imperial children, and their suite.

The Imperial family standing by their garages in Livadia

Nicholas is on a horse next to one of his Delaunay Bellevilles

This was Nicholas II's "baby," a Delaunay-Belleville '70 S.M.T

Whenever the Tzar went out in one of his cars (for business or personal matters), another car had to follow him. Security always annoyed Nicholas, more so when driving his cars (a chauffeur did that most of the time.) When Nicholas drove, he loved to speed, of course.

Like any boy, his age, Alexei got into the "motor" craze! (On the left he seems to be trying to learn how to change a tire). In the photo on top, he is driving a small car, his Peaugot "Bebe"

Some of Nicholas II's cars

Cars gave Count Fredericks, Nicholas' court minister, many headaches. He had a difficult time getting Nicholas to buy his first car, but then he could not make him stop getting new ones. Nicholas bought his first car in 1905. By 1917, he had 56 cars in his garages…more than any other European Court.

Nicholas II ordered this car, a classic 1914-built Rolls Royce Ghost, the year before he was murdered; it is not known if or how long he used the car. It was bought by a collector at auction for an extraordinary amount.

References:

Alexander Palace Time Machine. (retrieved 2024, April 24). The Imperial Garage: The Tzar and his cars. Blog: https://www.alexanderpalace.org/palace/impgarage.php

Manaev, Georgy. (2022, May 11). Nicholas II Awesome Car Collection. Blog: https://www.rbth.com/history/335016-nicholas II-garage-car-collection

#romanov history #romanov dynasty #Nicholas II #The Tzar's cars #russian history #imperial russia

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andypantsx3 · 7 months

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andie can u give us some book recs?<33

Yes!! Although normally I think recs are best given in the context of your other tastes, because I find literary preferences to be a highly-individualized thing!! So without knowing what other books you love, idk how my recs will hold up.

But I will give you some of my personal recent faves!!

I have already talked at length about my favorite book of all time The Goblin Emperor, and I think I've already also recommended the Pink Carnation series to my fun silly regency romance lovers, so I will not go into depth on them here but those are easily my all time faves.

I forget if I have also already talked about Winter's Orbit so forgive me if this is repeat info for you!! But I absolutely loved this book.

SUMMARY: While the Iskat Empire has long dominated the system through treaties and political alliances, several planets, including Thea, have begun to chafe under Iskat's rule. When tragedy befalls Imperial Prince Taam, his Thean widower, Jainan, is rushed into an arranged marriage with Taam's cousin, the disreputable Kiem, in a bid to keep the rising hostilities between the two worlds under control. But when it comes to light that Prince Taam's death may not have been an accident, and that Jainan himself may be a suspect, the unlikely pair must overcome their misgivings and learn to trust one another as they navigate the perils of the Iskat court, try to solve a murder, and prevent an interplanetary war... all while dealing with their growing feelings for each other.

I really like the way Kiem's & Jainan's pictures of one another shift over the course of the narrative, and as you read them through one another's eyes you understand their unreliability in self-narration due to their own personal insecurities. And what I love is that they both strive to emulate the traits they grow to respect in one another and that becomes the key to defeating the forces working against them!! It's so masterfully done, very gentle and thoughtful, and I hope someday to write a book just like this.

As an aside the author also got their start on ao3 and has a tumblr account and you can really feel the love & respect for some of the fannish conventions in their work. Cannot recommend enough.

This is also so basic of me but I would be remiss if I did not also recommend Howl's Moving Castle which I recently reread. If you have seen the movie but not read the book, you are absolutely missing out because it's very much its own unique experience with several divergences from the plot of the movie. Sophie's perspective is hilarious, it's such a fond send up of men in general, and I love the extra argumentative element to Howl & Sophie's relationship we get to see here; I feel it adds way more depth to their characters and relationship and you will totally eat it up.

I also read The House Witch recently and would definitely recommend to fantasy fans who are in the mood for something wholesome and cozy!!

SUMMARY: When Finlay Ashowan joins the staff of the King and Queen of Daxaria, he’s an enigma. No one knows where he comes from or how he came to be where he is, which suits Fin just fine. He’s satisfied simply serving as the royal cook, keeping nosy passersby out of his kitchen, and concocting some truly uncanny meals. But Fin’s secret identity doesn’t stay hidden for long. After all, it’s not every day a house witch and his kitten familiar, Kraken, take to meddling in imperial affairs. As his powers are gradually discovered by the court, Fin finds himself involved in a slew of intrigues: going head-to-head with knights with less-than-chivalrous intentions, helping to protect the pregnant queen, fending off the ire of the royal mage, and uncovering a spy in the castle. And that’s only the beginning—because Fin’s past is catching up with him just as his love life is getting complicated . . .

It is not the most tightly-buttoned narrative, I think because there are several more books in the series that I haven't read yet, so there are lingering threads of an overarching plot I've not seen sewn together yet. But it's an extremely easy and accessible read and I again really loved the respect and admiration the characters grow for each other, even as they resist their feelings for one another.

This rec in particular though I can see people disagreeing with me on, as some of the humor is like kind of immature and you can tell the author is inexperienced and/or the editing team did not quite do their jobs as some of the ending felt forced or cobbled together. But overall I really did like this book, I thought the gems of a really compelling story shone through the little dirt there was lol.

I also cannot recommend most of Naomi Novik's work enough either. In particular I would recommend Spinning Silver (Uprooted too but that's wildly more popular and you might have already read it!!).

SUMMARY: Miryem is the daughter and granddaughter of moneylenders, but her father's inability to collect his debts has left his family on the edge of poverty--until Miryem takes matters into her own hands. Hardening her heart, the young woman sets out to claim what is owed and soon gains a reputation for being able to turn silver into gold. When an ill-advised boast draws the attention of the king of the Staryk--grim fey creatures who seem more ice than flesh--Miryem's fate, and that of two kingdoms, will be forever altered. Set an impossible challenge by the nameless king, Miryem unwittingly spins a web that draws in a peasant girl, Wanda, and the unhappy daughter of a local lord who plots to wed his child to the dashing young tsar. But Tsar Mirnatius is not what he seems. And the secret he hides threatens to consume the lands of humans and Staryk alike. Torn between deadly choices, Miryem and her two unlikely allies embark on a desperate quest that will take them to the limits of sacrifice, power, and love. Channeling the vibrant heart of myth and fairy tale, Spinning Silver weaves a multilayered, magical tapestry that readers will want to return to again and again.

Her prose is always immaculate, vividly descriptive but succinct enough to keep the story going at a driving pace. She always writes like the most compelling female POV characters, to me; driven and complex without falling into the trap of being ~so special uwu~ or ~angry murder girlie >:(~ which I feel so many authors end up flattening their FPOV characters into!! She is absolutely masterful at taking common ideas/tropes and turning them on their heads/fleshing them out in unique and interesting ways.

Lastly, I have also been reading through a bunch of MXTX's danmei series LOL. I haven't finished Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation so I can't quite give a coherent account yet but I have been enjoying it so far. What I can say is I like how conversational and silly her style is even while tackling gruesome and fairly problematic concepts, and I very much love the sweeping and single-minded focus the love interests always have on one another. She also is very good at writing unreliable narrators whose perspectives you don't really understand are unreliable until the end of the narrative, and it makes you fonder of them for all their self-doubt and strength in the face of hardships they try to downplay.

#no idea what ur going to think of my tastes LOL #but here u are~!!!!!#ask andie #book recs

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ravenpostpublishing · 5 months

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An Abridged Excerpt from Edgar Allan Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death" (1842)

"The 'Red Death' had long devastated the country. No pestilence had ever been so fatal, or so hideous. Blood was its Avator and its seal—the redness and the horror of blood. There were sharp pains, and sudden dizziness, and then profuse bleeding at the pores, with dissolution. The scarlet stains upon the body and especially upon the face of the victim, were the pest ban which shut him out from the aid and from the sympathy of his fellow-men. And the whole seizure, progress and termination of the disease, were the incidents of half an hour.

"But the Prince Prospero was happy and dauntless and sagacious. When his dominions were half depopulated, he summoned to his presence a thousand hale and light-hearted friends from among the knights and dames of his court, and with these retired to the deep seclusion of one of his castellated abbeys … The external world could take care of itself. In the meantime it was folly to grieve, or to think. The prince had provided all the appliances of pleasure. There were buffoons, there were improvisatori, there were ballet-dancers, there were musicians, there was Beauty, there was wine. All these and security were within. Without was the 'Red Death.'

"It was toward the close of the fifth or sixth month of his seclusion, and while the pestilence raged most furiously abroad, that the Prince Prospero entertained his thousand friends at a masked ball of the most unusual magnificence.

"It was a voluptuous scene, that masquerade. But first let me tell of the rooms in which it was held. There were seven—an imperial suite … [The] windows were of stained glass whose color varied in accordance with the prevailing hue of the decorations of the chamber into which it opened. That at the eastern extremity was hung, for example, in blue—and vividly blue were its windows. The second chamber was purple in its ornaments and tapestries, and here the panes were purple. The third was green throughout, and so were the casements. The fourth was furnished and lighted with orange—the fifth with white—the sixth with violet. The seventh apartment was closely shrouded in black velvet tapestries that hung all over the ceiling and down the walls, falling in heavy folds upon a carpet of the same material and hue. But in this chamber only, the color of the windows failed to correspond with the decorations. The panes here were scarlet—a deep blood color … But in the western or black chamber the effect of the fire-light that streamed upon the dark hangings through the blood-tinted panes, was ghastly in the extreme, and produced so wild a look upon the countenances of those who entered, that there were few of the company bold enough to set foot within its precincts at all.

"It was in this apartment, also, that there stood against the western wall, a gigantic clock of ebony. Its pendulum swung to and fro with a dull, heavy, monotonous clang; and when the minute-hand made the circuit of the face, and the hour was to be stricken, there came from the brazen lungs of the clock a sound which was clear and loud and deep and exceedingly musical, but of so peculiar a note and emphasis that, at each lapse of an hour, the musicians of the orchestra were constrained to pause, momentarily, in their performance, to harken to the sound; and thus the waltzers perforce ceased their evolutions; and there was a brief disconcert of the whole gay company; and, while the chimes of the clock yet rang, it was observed that the giddiest grew pale, and the more aged and sedate passed their hands over their brows as if in confused revery or meditation. But when the echoes had fully ceased, a light laughter at once pervaded the assembly; the musicians looked at each other and smiled as if at their own nervousness and folly, and made whispering vows, each to the other, that the next chiming of the clock should produce in them no similar emotion; and then, after the lapse of sixty minutes, (which embrace three thousand and six hundred seconds of the Time that flies,) there came yet another chiming of the clock, and then were the same disconcert and tremulousness and meditation as before...

"[It] was [Prince Prospero's] own guiding taste which had given character to the masqueraders. Be sure they were grotesque. There were much glare and glitter and piquancy and phantasm ... There were arabesque figures with unsuited limbs and appointments. There were delirious fancies such as the madman fashions. There were much of the beautiful, much of the wanton, much of the bizarre, something of the terrible, and not a little of that which might have excited disgust. To and fro in the seven chambers there stalked, in fact, a multitude of dreams. And these—the dreams—writhed in and about, taking hue from the rooms, and causing the wild music of the orchestra to seem as the echo of their steps. And, anon, there strikes the ebony clock which stands in the hall of the velvet. And then, for a moment, all is still, and all is silent save the voice of the clock. The dreams are stiff-frozen as they stand. But the echoes of the chime die away—they have endured but an instant—and a light, half-subdued laughter floats after them as they depart. And now again the music swells, and the dreams live, and writhe to and fro more merrily than ever, taking hue from the many tinted windows through which stream the rays from the tripods. But to the chamber which lies most westwardly of the seven, there are now none of the maskers who venture; for the night is waning away; and there flows a ruddier light through the blood-colored panes; and the blackness of the sable drapery appals; and to him whose foot falls upon the sable carpet, there comes from the near clock of ebony a muffled peal more solemnly emphatic than any which reaches their ears who indulge in the more remote gaieties of the other apartments...

"And thus too, it happened, perhaps, that before the last echoes of the last chime had utterly sunk into silence, there were many individuals in the crowd who had found leisure to become aware of the presence of a masked figure which had arrested the attention of no single individual before. And the rumor of this new presence having spread itself whisperingly around, there arose at length from the whole company a buzz, or murmur, expressive of disapprobation and surprise—then, finally, of terror, of horror, and of disgust…

"The figure was tall and gaunt, and shrouded from head to foot in the habiliments of the grave. The mask which concealed the visage was made so nearly to resemble the countenance of a stiffened corpse that the closest scrutiny must have had difficulty in detecting the cheat. And yet all this might have been endured, if not approved, by the mad revellers around. But the mummer had gone so far as to assume the type of the Red Death. His vesture was dabbled in blood—and his broad brow, with all the features of the face, was besprinkled with the scarlet horror..."

– Edgar Allan Poe, 1842

To read the entirety of this classic tale and bask in its ghoulish glory, please do pay a visit to The Raven Post.

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#edgar allan poe #19th century #prose #short story #short horror story #short fiction #history #historical fiction #dark academia #the masque of the red death #fiction #horror #reading #writeblr

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thetruearchmagos · 5 months

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Something Short About Fuhrati Armies

Hey folks, and happy Worldbuilding Wednesday! Arch here, with some small and actually manageable worldbuilding here for you all.

For this one, I'll step away from the United Commonwealth for a moment and touch on the Fuhrati Empire. In this post, I made some references to 'provincial levies' and 'legions', but I don't think I've quite explained them properly.

So, What Is A 'Legion"?

You see, the Fuhrati Empire was for most of its history not a very centralised polity. As I touched on in this post, the Empire was comprised of a number of autonomous provinces, each ruled either by dynasties of the ruling House of Fuhrati or their own sovereigns held in vassal to the Empire.

When it came to the organisation of the Empire's ground forces, each province raised its own Legion, which would bear its name and be made up of conscripted soldiers from its own population. The Empire itself would, in turn, provide much of the capital and equipment that would equip these Legions, though how they were organised, trained, and fought was left to the relevant Provincial authority. The specifics of this system would change over the Empire's lifetime, but this 'right' to raise internal Legions which nonetheless could be compelled to serve at Emperor's behest formed a crucial component of the delicate balance of power between the imperial court and the provinces.

An exception to this was the Tharoon Guard, a force formed by then Sultan Haroon II of Merkat, the soon to be Emperor Haroon of the Fuhrati Empire. The Tharoon Guard was smaller than any provincial legion, but recruited from the best and most loyal already serving soldiers from the Legions of the Homeland Provinces. While conscripts might serve under levy for two years and barely see a rifle again, Guardsmen signed on for a decade at the least, and for their troubles were paid handsomely, and even their lower ranks given such respect in loyal Fuhrati lands as lesser nobility.

How Did They Fight?

While the word 'Legion' was the the collective term for the entire military force of the province in question, it also referred to the specific formations drawn up from that pool of soldiers and organised into a coherent fighting unit. Under the most recent organisational reforms of the Fuhrati Empire prior to the Chainbreaker War, each province was expected to contribute to the Emperor at least:

One 'Legion', or 'Faylaq', numbering some thirty thousand of the province's strength and made up of;

Two or more 'Phalanx', or 'Katayib', made up of

Two or more 'Squares', or 'Murabae'.

The exact system of organisation below the Murabae was left to the discretion of the Provinces, as was the actual amount of Murabae and Katayib in its Legion or their individual strength. While a system prone to incredible degrees of variance, it allowed a Province's military force to tailor itself to suit the needs or work under the circumstances of that province's unique contexts. When the time came when multiple Legions drawn from multiple Provinces had to enter the field of battle as one, as happened in the Chainbreaker War, the system would prove hopelessly flawed and seriously undermine the combined operations of Imperially-appointed commanders.

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Well, there's that! Hope it was all an enlightening enough read, I'll be Tagging @athenswrites @hessdalen-globe @caxycreations @theprissythumbelina @thatndginger @moonscribbler @souredwaters @the-mindless @

#worldbuilding #writeblr #worldbuilding wednesday #writing #my worldbuilding #my writing #writeblr stuff

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tired-reader-writer · 1 month

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A birthday gift for my dear friend @akatsukitrash , a fanart of his OC Senju Akemi with her cousin Tsunade, based on the eighth chapter of their fic Far Beyond The Woods of Dawn. It is a beautifully written fic with exceptional characterization, fascinating worldbuilding, and immersive writing. I absolutely adore it.

The chapter depicts a ceremony to bond a Mokuton wielder to their guardian. There's a lot of symbolism in the chapter itself, but I ended up adding my own in this fanart 👀

The descriptions of their ceremonial clothing in the fic is as follows:

“Tsunade looks at herself in the mirror, fixing invisible wrinkles in her simple, light green kimono.”

“Akemi enters and is guided by a nun to the pillow in front of Tsunade. She’s paler than normal, wearing a pure white kimono. Their clothes have to match their chakra colours. It’s tradition.”

“Kiyomi kneels beside [Akemi] and caresses her hair, nicely done into a bun held by an ornamental hairpin.”

I first decided to give Akemi a hairpin adorned with ginkgo leaves, as its name in my native tongue, “tree from the dawn of the world”, immediately reminded me of Akemi as a character.

As for the other reasons I have chosen ginkgo:

“In Asia, the ginkgo is considered a holy tree and is often found near temples and other places of worship. In Buddhism, Taoism and in the teachings of Confucius, the tree has acquired great symbolic significance, representing long life, vitality, and hope. In China, the ginkgo tree is also called "Buddha's fingernail".”

“Ginkgos, like cedars, are resilient survivors. They have deep roots and can tolerate adverse conditions, including wind, pollution, and fire. Notably, these trees withstood the 1923 Kanto earthquake and even survived an atomic blast, the 1945 atomic bomb on Hiroshima, even when located less than 1½ miles from the epicenter. Despite scorched bark, stripped branches, and the destruction of a nearby temple, the ginkgo trees remarkably survived and leafed out the following spring.”

“For centuries the ginkgo tree and leaves have been seen as a symbol of peace and hope, aiding to its continued presence throughout human history.”

“Another powerful example of the importance of the ginkgo tree as a symbol for hope, is the survival of the gingko tree, known as the "bearer of hope" that survived the bombing in Hiroshima. This tree is regarded as a symbol of hope, and prayers for peace and healthfulness have been engraved into its bark.”

The Senju are Buddhist in the fic, drawing from the Buddhist imagery surrounding them in canon, and ginkgo leaves just felt appropriate for that. I shan't talk much of Akemi herself since I don't want to spoil the future arcs and chapters Idir has planned, but in my opinion... yeah. The ginkgo is very suited for Akemi in particular.

I will get to the camellia in her hair, in both their hair, later.

I also decided to give Akemi a chihaya to wear over her kimono— chihaya tend to be worn by Shinto priestesses during religious ceremonies— and in Japan there is much incorporation and syncretism between Buddhism and the Shinto faith. A variant of chihaya (or perhaps chihaya is a variant of it) was apparently worn in the Heian court by nobility, and was called “kariginu”.

And then there is the wisteria ornament in Tsunade's hair.

“The wisteria is associated with youth, love, perseverance, immortality. The Japanese name for wisteria, "fuji" can also mean "immortality" [fu: no, lacking + ji/shi: death] and Mt. Fuji's name is also tied to immortality.”

“The wisteria also features a lot on Japanese family crests too, and the "Fujiwara" were a very prominent and powerful family in the history of Japan who kept marrying their daughters into the imperial family.”

Considering Tsunade's prowess with healing, her youth and vitality, the wisteria seemed like a good fit to her. The wisteria hair ornaments I've seen typically have two colours, purple and white, but I decided to just keep it white because it's like Tsunade has a piece of Akemi in her hair, and Akemi has a piece of Tsunade in her hair, and they both have matching camellias in their hair.

It's very neat, imo.

And then! We get to the camellias.

The tsubaki/camellia symbolize gods and the divine, and apparently used in religious rituals though I don't know how. They are offerings to the gods, they're sacred, they also symbolize faithfulness and longevity though they also symbolize a noble death (associated w the samurai) because rather than losing petals apparently the entire blossom just falls off the stem, and which is why it's a terrible idea to give a sick person a camellia as a gift because the flower beheads itself, essentially.

Those who awaken the Mokuton among the Senju are thought to be sacred, closer to Buddha and the gods, and the camellias felt like a good way to pay homage to that.

Anyways, Idir, I hope you like my gift!

Some close-ups:

#rotten egg's shitty art #naruto #naruto fanfiction #naruto oc #naruto fic #senju akemi #senju akemi (oc)#akemi senju #akemi senju (oc)#tsunade #senju tsunade #tsunade senju #far beyond the woods of dawn #drag my dark into the dawn

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