drkoestersmithrpg

[drkoestersmithrpg]

queck (in progress)

Inspired by this delightful illustration from the the Gorleston Psalter (1310-1324)

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the fairy melusine

manuscript illustrations from a copy of coudrette's version of the roman de mélusine. france, 15th c.

source: Paris, BnF, Français 24383, fol. 19r and 30r

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#TwoForTuesday:

Two Elephants: fol. 99 in Ms. Ludwig XV 3 (Bestiary), Flanders, c.1270 Tempera colors, gold leaf, ink Getty 83_MR.173.99

"Elephants picking and eating fruit from a tree. This image shows the artist had some idea of how elephants use their trunks to deliver food to their mouths. This is a very unusual elephant illustration." (description via https://bestiary.ca/manuscripts/manugallery378.htm)

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Petition to make Dragon is snakes into a meme.

You get my vision

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Miscellaneous medieval unicorns for all your medieval unicorns needs

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Onocentaur art is excellent, I should draw my hrihriwa like this

Contemporary artists have GOT to stop turning onocentaurs into generic donkeytaurs, onocentaurs are certified freaks!!!!!!!

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Are there any serpents from bestiaries or Topsell's history of serpents that you personally like but which you don't see mentioned very often?

The scitalis, surely! A sluggish serpent with scintillating scales, so spectacular you stop and stare!

References

White, T. H. (1984) The Book of Beasts. Dover Publications, New York.

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A bird and a bear-like creature gossiping

Breviary; Northern Germany, 2nd half of the 15th century: Harley MS 2975, f. 73v

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My story about monks Peter and Tony and saints that may or may not be saints

Will involve THESE guys.

Just more stupid Medieval History information in my weirdass brain.

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OMG. O.M.G. OM. G. srs.

This post is awesome, obviously, but it did not go where I thought it was going, and that is why I called this meeting. Ahem.

I took “it’ll be an experiment.” As the justification of the first time they have sex. And it goes well. Their friendship/working relationship is holding up. Maybe some hypotheses are being formed? Maybe some questions arise? The data is inconclusive. Theories have to be tested, and the results must be repeatable for the conclusion to be accurate. The data pool isn’t large enough. It’s not an experiment if it’s an isolated event. They need more sample data.

And the running gag is the need to collect more data. The first encounter would act as the control, and each consecutive time is testing, recording, and adjusting the hypothesis. Maybe not even in the literal sense, though it could be. There could be charts. It would be hilarious, and so long as it was funny, it wasn’t serious. Just an experiment. Just a gag.

And Peter’s enhancement could be included or excluded, and they would still be lying to themselves and each other about it the whole time. But then at the end when they catch feelings and their respective anxious/avoidant attachment styles kick in, they have all this data.

Anyway. My brain arrived here before my eyes arrived at the punchline and I wanted to talk about it without feeling like I was disrespecting the original post/blogger (I would never)

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putting this here for later

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I saw this gif AND THEN RIGHT UNDER IT was this:

and it's making me think things.

@whumpril Day 25: TOO WEAK TO STAND. Iron Man (2008)

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One of my favorite historical tidbits is that Arab traders, for centuries, fooled Europeans into thinking cinnamon came from a rare, vicious and fearsome cinnamon bird.

The belief was so prevalent, in fact, that the mythical cinnamon bird shows up in the writings of Herodotus and Aristotle, all the way into medieval European manuscripts where it’s illustrated in all its fierce, cinnamony glory:

Pliny the Elder expressed skepticism of the bird in his writings, rightly assuming that it was a tale invented to keep control on the trade and prices by reducing competition, but the belief was already so widespread that it persisted in many areas into the early 1300’s.

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Someone Stop Me

a Medieval AU is forming in my head.

tony is cutting up a peach and eating it from the tip of the knife. Peter is slumped over, listening to a criticism of his page of illuminated manuscript? Why does he insist on drawing [insert crazy fanciful things here - snails jousting, etc.] His section on Myrrh-streamers* goes on much too long. Why must he draw gryphons and cinnamon birds? Gryphons are not real (insists the brother who is chastising him) but Cinnamon birds are, so why are they together?

finally the offending official leaves and Peter tearfully collapses in Tony's arms. What's upsetting Peter? Not the criticism of his hard work, he LIKES drawing jousting snails and he wont stop - but the official's insistence that Nilus The Myrrhstreamer is NOT an important saint because he probably never existed.

Tony holds Peter close. He holds both hands and kisses Peter on the mouth. All of these are allowed by their order and Peter enjoys this time because there's nothing to confess. Later they will do other things and he will have to keep track of them all so he can detail them all in his confession to Brother Stephen. Tony thinks he's working too hard. But Peter thinks its a good plan - it helps him stay completely in the moment and process, afterward, what the moments were. And also he thinks Steve enjoys it immensely.

Tony assures him that, after midnight prayers, they will find someplace private and give him something to make Brother Stephen blush.. Peter, remembering what the official said about Cinnamon birds being real (he had SPOKEN to those Muslim traders - he is THINKING that MAYBE that Cinnamon bird story is a scam?) and now he is doubting himself and feeling naive and stupid and silly. And he asks Tony...

... is he really foolish to believe that Nilus The Myrrhstreamer should be a real saint?

Something something Tony Tony tasting Peter and it tastes holy something. The end.

*I'll let you GUESS how I learned about Myrrhstreamers...

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THAT LAST GIF

I KNOW he's looking at Bruce and clocking his body language to realize the man was asleep. But out of context he could be checking out ANYONE...

Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Start in IRON MAN 3 (2013) dir. Shane Black

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VERY amused by my own cleverness

...if I was to have my sweetheart, I could not have my perfect nude model. If I demanded my perfect nude model, I would lose my sweetheart (and deserve it!) 

Perchance it would not stay this way for long, I mused. Nor would it be, I suspected. Peter was an innocent now, but how long would that title suit him? How long until the fires that burned inside him demanded a satisfaction that mere hands could not provide? And how long until Peter became reckless, like me? How long until he simply took what invited him to pleasure, the same way I had? Would there be other men then, other Dr. Banners? Could I live with that? It would cut my heart open, but at least my hands would still work. Would he allow me to paint him then? My paints, my canvas longed for his body in a way I could never express in words; I might never paint those wondrous lines, those perfect forms again. 

If so, then what? Could I really call myself a competent artist if I painted nothing but mythological figures? I was like unto an author who only wrote passionate romances; no, I was worse. I was like unto an author who could only write passionate romances between the same two lovers. There was nothing to be done for it.

Could I not, at least, paint other mythological figures? Must it always be Narcissus, Hyacinth, Ganymede? Could I not paint Echo, Daphne, or Hera? I could paint female models. I had no fear that Peter would be jealous if I were to employ Christine or Ann Weying on their off-hours… although there were other painters that might prove jealous.

It never occurred to me to employ another male model. Even if Peter would allow it, it was simply out of the question....

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Is this finished? I want to include this moodboard too.