Aelyrya Payne

Kreuzenstein Castle, Austria 🇦🇹

Burg Kreuzenstein is a spectacular hilltop castle located near Vienna in Austria. With its towers, walls, and courtyards, it looks like a classic medieval fortress, although much of its current appearance dates from the 19th century.

The original castle was built in the 12th century but was destroyed during the Thirty Years’ War. In the late 19th century, Johann Nepomuk Wilczek rebuilt it using original medieval materials collected from across Europe, creating the impressive structure seen today.

Kreuzenstein Castle was designed to resemble an authentic medieval fortress and contains a remarkable collection of historical weapons, armor, furniture, and artworks.

How to write a character who just got wings

The extent on what happens depends on the span of the wings and if they can retract them. Some general ideas you can build on are:

1. Physical Sensations and Adjustment

Immediate sensations:

Weight or shift in balance, large wings pull the center of gravity backward.

Muscle soreness in the back/shoulders, especially along new muscle groups.

Hyper-awareness of the wings brushing against objects or catching air.

Itchiness or sensitivity if the wings "grew" recently.

Movement challenges:

Misjudging the wingspan and knocking things over.

Falling backwards because of the weight.

Learning how to fold them, awkward, slow, maybe painful at first.

Retraction (if possible) could feel like tensing very deep muscles or like closing a fist behind your back.

2. Clothing and Practical Issues

Clothing must be modified with slits, stretchy backs, or specialized harnesses. Jackets especially are a pain in the ass.

Backpacks don't really work anymore.

Sleeping becomes complicated, lying flat may be impossible.

Washing and grooming: preening feathers, drying membranes, accidental shedding, etc. maybe they need someone else to help them with this.

3. Emotional and Psychological Reactions

Internal:

Awe, excitement, disbelief, fear, claustrophobia (from a suddenly bigger body).

Feeling "larger than life" or feeling like a burden/monster depending on tone.

Social:

Depends on the worldbuilding and if this is a normal occurrence or not.

People stare, doors are narrower than they remembered, chairs become inpractible

Friends may react with fascination, jealousy, fear, or awkwardness.

4. Sensory Changes

Wings have nerves. Touch may be pleasant, ticklish, or painful.

Wind sensitivity, your character can feel air currents like a sixth sense.

Temperature issues: feathers insulate, membrane wings may get cold easily.

5. Learning to Use the Wings

Pre-flight:

Figuring out how to flare, beat, and angle them.

Overworking the muscles, leading to cramps.

Instinct vs. trial-and-error, do they feel intuitive or alien to the character?

First attempts at flight:

Running starts, panic flapping, short glides, messy crash landings.

Realizing flight requires technique (lifting angle, timing, wing power), not just force.

6. Realistic Physical Consequences of Flight

Flight demands big caloric intake, your character may become constantly hungry.

Stronger chest/back muscles develop, posture shifts.

Calluses or pads on feet if landing involves impact.

7. Daily Life & Worldbuilding

Will buildings accommodate large-winged beings?

Are wings common or unique? Does society have norms (wing etiquette)?

How does weather matter? Rain makes feathers heavy, wind can blow them sideways.

Also: If Wings Are Retractable

Retraction might feel like compressing or tucking away something huge, which may cause soreness or a sense of phantom wings when retracted.

Retraction could consume energy or rely on magic/technology.

There may be a risk of malfunction or partial transformation.

Retracting them can mess with the feathers, needing support to care for them when opened up again.

Hope this helps!

Inspired by my recent love of the Raven Thrower (it looks like a corvid that you chuck at things!)

Also obligatory reminder that it’s the final week on my Bluminarmour fundraiser. If you want to see me test dumb stuff in proper historical armour please consider pitching in and/or sharing!

The passage of the seasons - Summer defeating Spring

How to spring-load your bow!

"No." Says the tuna, "Do you?"

"I have never seen it." Says the whale, "but deep in my body, I remember it."

"Why do you care," says the tuna, "if you will never see it."

"There are bones in my body built to walk through the forests and the mountains." Says the whale.

"They will disappear." Says the tuna, "one day, your body will forget the forests and the mountains."

"Maybe I don't want to forget," Says the whale, "The forests were once my home."

"I have seen the forests." Whispers the salmon, almost to itself.

"Tell me what you have seen," says the whale.

"The forests spawned me." Says the salmon. "They sent me to the ocean to grow. When I am fat with the bounty of the ocean, I will bring it home."

"Why would the forests seek the bounty of the oceans?" Asks the whale. "They have bounty of their own."

Last year I finally had an excuse to illustrate this simple little Tumblr story I've had bookmarked forever for class.

This is fucking awesome LMAOOOO

A few years after finishing it, I was talking to a friend who had just played it. He was saying how he dumped all of his orbs (game currency) into upgrading his minimum health pool and how he wanted to start over with a different build.

I stared at him. "Wait, what?" He repeated- he dumped all his orbs into increasing his minimum HP and just tanked a bunch of stuff.

That was when I realized that you could upgrade your minimum health. I had not noticed that you could spend orbs to do that. I spent them on everything else OTHER than upgrading my health bar. I literally spent so so so frikkin long beating the game with MINIMUM. HP. I WOULD HAVE HAD SAVED SO MUCH TIME AND ENERGY IF I HAD JUST FRIKKIN NOTICED THAT INCREASING MY MINIMUM HEALTH WAS EVEN AN OPTION. NO WONDER I HAD TO REDO THE SAME FIGHTS 20 TIMES. NO WONDER EVERYTHING WAS SO. DIFFICULT. I COMPLETELY just missed a crucial element to gameplay and specs and I basically played the game entirely incorrectly, exerting WAY more effort to get the same results as anyone who actually took time to examine the obvious upgrade options.

This is why safety rules matter!

Don’t forget if you like my videos and want to see me test more stuff, I’m looking to commission a set of historically accurate fitted armour for testing!

You can pitch in here if that’s something you’d like to see:

Let me axe you something…

Is the best part that he got doxxed? No.

Is the best part that he got tracked down by a local and beaten? No.

Arrested on state at federal charges, looking at up to 5 years and 50K? Nope.

The best part is the local city council's reaction.

According to the CDC, in 10 percent of those drownings, the adult will actually watch the child do it, having no idea it is happening. Drowning does not look like drowning—Dr. Pia, in an article in the Coast Guard’s On Scene magazine, described the Instinctive Drowning Response like this:

“Except in rare circumstances, drowning people are physiologically unable to call out for help. The respiratory system was designed for breathing. Speech is the secondary or overlaid function. Breathing must be fulfilled before speech occurs.

Drowning people’s mouths alternately sink below and reappear above the surface of the water. The mouths of drowning people are not above the surface of the water long enough for them to exhale, inhale, and call out for help. When the drowning people’s mouths are above the surface, they exhale and inhale quickly as their mouths start to sink below the surface of the water.

Drowning people cannot wave for help. Nature instinctively forces them to extend their arms laterally and press down on the water’s surface. Pressing down on the surface of the water permits drowning people to leverage their bodies so they can lift their mouths out of the water to breathe.

Throughout the Instinctive Drowning Response, drowning people cannot voluntarily control their arm movements. Physiologically, drowning people who are struggling on the surface of the water cannot stop drowning and perform voluntary movements such as waving for help, moving toward a rescuer, or reaching out for a piece of rescue equipment.

From beginning to end of the Instinctive Drowning Response people’s bodies remain upright in the water, with no evidence of a supporting kick. Unless rescued by a trained lifeguard, these drowning people can only struggle on the surface of the water from 20 to 60 seconds before submersion occurs.”

This doesn’t mean that a person that is yelling for help and thrashing isn’t in real trouble—they are experiencing aquatic distress. Not always present before the Instinctive Drowning Response, aquatic distress doesn’t last long—but unlike true drowning, these victims can still assist in their own rescue. They can grab lifelines, throw rings, etc.

Look for these other signs of drowning when persons are in the water:

Head low in the water, mouth at water level

Head tilted back with mouth open

Eyes glassy and empty, unable to focus

Eyes closed

Hair over forehead or eyes

Not using legs—vertical

Hyperventilating or gasping

Trying to swim in a particular direction but not making headway

Trying to roll over on the back

Appear to be climbing an invisible ladder

So if a crew member falls overboard and everything looks OK—don’t be too sure. Sometimes the most common indication that someone is drowning is that they don’t look like they’re drowning. They may just look like they are treading water and looking up at the deck. One way to be sure? Ask them, “Are you all right?” If they can answer at all—they probably are. If they return a blank stare, you may have less than 30 seconds to get to them. And parents—children playing in the water make noise. When they get quiet, you get to them and find out why.

Source/article: [x]

I’ve been a lifeguard for 6 years now and of all the saves I’ve done, maybe two or three had people drowning in the stereotypical thrashing style. And even those, like the save I made last weekend, it was exactly like OP describes where the person’s head is going in and out of the water but it isn’t long enough to get any air. Mostly you recognize drowning by the look on someone’s face. If someone looks wide eyed and terrified or confused, chances are they’re drowning. That look of “oh shit” is pretty easily recognizable. And even if you can’t tell for sure: GO AFTER THEM ANYWAY. I’ve done “saves” where a kid was pretending to drown and I mistook it for real drowning, but that’s preferable to a kid ACTUALLY drowning.

Also please remember that even strong swimmers can drown if they have a medical emergency, get cramps, or get too tired. If your friend knows how to swim but they’re acting funny get them to land. And even if someone can respond when you ask them if they need help, if they say they do need help? GO HELP THEM.

However . If the victim is a stranger, I can’t recommend trying to get them. Lifeguards literally train to escape “attacks,” because people who are drowning can freak the fuck out and grab you and make YOU drown as well. If you do go in after someone, take hold of them from the back and talk to them the whole time. IF YOU ARE GRABBED: duck down into the water as low as you can get. The person is panicking and won’t want to go under water and should release you. Shove up at their hands and push them away from you as you duck under. Don’t die trying to save someone else.

When the lifeguard got us both out, a woman came running down and accused me of harming him and said he had been completely fine in the water. That there was no reason to drag him out of there. The lifeguard had to explain to her that her son had been drowning, to which her response was to say that she didn’t hear him call for help.

Part IV

"You've shown me who you really are, and it's ugly."

"Don't try to guilt-trip me, it won't work!"

"Your arrogance is blinding!"

"Why do you keep doing this to me?"

"No, no, no, this is not how we're playing this game!"

"Don't you dare use my words against me!"

"Nothing is ever good enough for you, right?"

"It's like you don't even care about the damage you cause!"

"You're a master of manipulation, aren't you?"

"I can't believe you sometimes!"

"I've had enough of your selfishness!"

"You didn't just break my trust, you shattered it!"

"This is your fault, and your fault alone!"

"Stop pretending like you're the hero in this story!"

"I should have known better than to believe you!"

"You don't get to rewrite what happened!"

"I refuse to let you play the victim!"

"You act like you’re untouchable, but you're not!"

"Every time I give you a chance, you blow it!"

"It is not my fault, don't you dare blame me!"

More: Angry Masterpost