En las alas del alba

Greetings from Mexico.

Hi there!

Thank you very much! I'm glad you like my writing and I'm very touched by your ask! I'll try to answer as thoroughly as I can, hopefully it's not too overwhelming ahah

I'm inspired by a little of everything, but mostly by music, and making playlists helps tremendously to get both into the atmosphere and into the characters' heads.

So, as far as music goes, I can recommend various stuff, it depends on what you're into and what you're going for.

Folk music, especially with a medieval fleur. I'm probably the biggest Steeleye Span stan out there, can't recommend them enough! Also for medieval vibes — Anúna, William Lyons, TRÚ, Tannas, Méav, Мельница. And, if I may say, the "Sims Medieval" soundtrack slaps;

For that dark whimsical feeling in pop/indie — Kate Bush, Florence + the Machine, Weyes Blood, Aurora, Hozier, Bat For Lashes, Medicine Boy and many more;

Goth and etherial music is perfect for that dark spooky feeling — Faith and the Muse, Inkubus Sukkubus, classics like Joy Division and The Cure.

Literature is a great help for nice language, descriptions and mood. I usually collect phrases I liked in whatever I'm reading and use them for inspiration when I'm frustrated with my wording.

Classics like E. A. Poe, H. P. Lovecraft, fairytales by W. Hauff. V. Woolf has delicious language, and W. Scott's historical novels are good for trying to capture how people in the Middle Ages behaved and spoke;

Among Russian poets M. Y. Lermontov is one of my favourites in terms of language and expressions. Hard to choose one work, but here's "The Demon";

Sometimes inspiration strikes when I'm just researching stuff, and it often happens when reading "A Dictionary of Fairies" by K. M. Briggs and "The Celtic Twilight" by W. B. Yates.

I wish I watched movies more, but I'm usually too lazy for that and my taste is very shallow ahah So you might have seen most of these.

"Ophelia", "La Belle et la Bete" are as mid in plot as they are stunning in visuals;

"The Dark Crystal", "Labyrinth", "Pan's Labyrinth", "Willow", "Arthur and the Invisibles" are great for Weird Looking Guys;

"Excalibur", "A Midsummer's Night Dream" have that magical Glow to everything.

Caroon Saloon's animated films ("Wolfwalkers", "The Secret of Kells", "Song of the Sea") are gorgeous.

Can I recommend "Into the Woods", the musical?

But for descriptions I mostly rely on straight up pictures! I'm not naturally good at imagining things in my head, so sometimes a few pictures to go off of help me a lot. I have a Pinterest page with boards for the story itself and sometimes for a specific chapter as well. Just looking at a huge collage of different costumes and details, landscape photos, paintings and illustrations can get into the needed mood!

I hope this was helpful and not too much, I might've got too excited to list everything ahaha

Oh, my goodness. I’m completely stunned. Thankyou!!!

Apologies for the lack of regular posting, life intervenes a lot these days. 

Here is an article on the history of the wheelchair, which has some info on the victorian era ones

Image from that one, circa late 1860s.

Another from the science museum, late victorian era:

This one in particular is noteworthy as : "unlike a typical bath chair, the wheels are fitted with an extra ring to allow the chair to be driven by the passenger. " so perhaps keep that in mind for drawing too

So i usually go off of the old picture + combine some facets of modern wheelchair for Fallen London, since i think The Neath could have some of it own technological advancments

This one was hard to pin down because of the specific design of it. We also can’t see the whole chair because the angle is meant to be us looking up at him with some sense of awe, meaning he has power over things. Also the arms indicate that he’s in control and holding himself some what because he wants to seem more like he has a handle on things, which he may not. 

Anyway back to the chairs…

As I said this is a hard one to pin down and I can kind of narrow it down to three. I’ll be happy if anyone can narrow this down even more, as I’ve seen this chair before used as a desk chair. It’s made of leather, as the tacks on the chair are used to hold in a leather type upholstering, as well as the buttons on the back which, I think, come from the mid to late 1700s and into present time. So that at least lets us know that the chair isn’t spectacularly old and thus shows a hint that this kid is more invested in modern looks. 

So the choices of Chair are the Carver chair…

From Britanica online, 

the Carver chair is an American spool chair with a rush seat and turned (shaped on a lathe) legs that rise above the seat level to frame the back and to support the armrests. The back normally contained three vertical spindles and was topped with decorative finials.

Carver chairs were named after John Carver (c. 1576–1621), founder and first governor of the Plymouth colony in America. A chair of this design, reportedly owned by the governor, was displayed in Plymouth, Mass., in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Now this could be the chair as it has the right arms and upper swing that the Chair Real Ciel is sitting in. However the problem is that this style of chair was a spool chair, meaning that it wasn’t as covered up as the chair we see in the picture. So up in the air if the design is based on that. 

That brings us to the Louis XV Rocco chair

As you can see there are things about the chair that are similar to the one that Real Ciel is sitting on. Note the back and the ornamentation on it, along with the way he’s leaning in it, showing that it sort of leans backwards some to a more reclined state. This also seems to have the right sort of back for the chair, but it’s also hard to find this in leather. 

About the style from Britannica : 

Louis XV furniture combines usefulness with elegance. Chairs have curved legs, floral decorations, and comfortably padded seats and backs, yet sacrifice nothing in design. In addition to nature and Orientalia, fantasy played a large part in motifs, with curious animals and exotic landscapes adorning all surfaces. Rare woods such as tulip, lemon tree, violet, and king woods were used for sumptuous effects, and richly veined and tinted marbles were also imported. The art of polishing reached its peak in this period, even rivalling objects from the Far East. At its most extreme the Rococo mode became deliberately asymmetrical, although contriving always to maintain a harmonious balance within the larger scheme of decor. It was the fashion for each home to have at least two complete sets of furniture, for summer and winter.

One of the other options is another French style chair called the Louis XVI-Style Large Scale Marquis, 1600 Baroque Style Neo-Classic Design chair. 

This style first started at the end of the Louis XV period and ushered in the first phase of the Neoclassical style that dominated this period of time until a shift into a more modern approach. 

As you can see this is the closest style of chair to the one that Real Ciel is sitting in and is most likely the style that is being used. However the legs are very different and, as we’ll see with the last chair there is a clear design here to invoke something Neoclassical but more modern in it’s approach. The legs on the chair are the most important feature here because this Style had a fluted leg, which is very different then the style of leg on the chair that Real Ciel is sitting in. 

Britannica says about this chair…

Whereas the general style of furniture was again Neoclassic (i.e., straight, simple lines and classical motifs), the workmanship was as complicated and as finely performed as in any period to date. Jean-Henri Riesener and Bernard van Risenburgh were two of the foremost cabinetmakers, filling commissions for Mme du Barry as well as for the Queen. Many of the ébénistes, including Riesener, were German craftsmen who, nevertheless, contributed to the tradition of French furniture. Other makers of luxury items benefited from the excesses of the court, chief among them the porcelain manufacturer at Sèvres.

So this was a style that the wealthy would have liked and probably would have been something that the Phantomhive family would have owned regardless of the period. 

This leaves us with the last option the  Bergère chair…

The  Bergère chair is the closest I could find to the design of the chair that Real Ciel sits in. This style of chair has gone through many changes over the years. The  Bergère first appeared back in the early 1720s and grew from there adapting different styles over the next century. 

As you can see with the neoclassical Louise XVI style it could go between various eras of design, including empire (as seen above in blue). 

While I wasn’t able to locate an exact version of the chair that Real Ciel sits in, I was able to find a few that looked pretty similar in style. 

the back and legs here mirror the sort of seat he’s in, as do the arms although not leather in nature, this is using a wicker style for the arm holds. 

Even closer here, but with a flute style leg vs the curved legs in Real Ciel’s chair. 

I couldn’t find a full picture of this chair, but I thought that the legs and the over all design in leather matched. 

So my guess, the chair Ciel is in is a  Bergère chair from the 1800s, although I don’t know what style it is. Clearly there was a lot of work in the legs and the ornamentation of the chair, meaning that it was a rather expensive item, indicating that Real Ciel does care about his money it seems. 

In regard to the chair itself, from Wikipedia..

Bergère  is an enclosed upholstered French armchair (fauteuil) with an upholstered back and armrests on upholstered frames. The seat frame is over-upholstered, but the rest of the wooden framing is exposed: it may be moulded or carved, and of beech, painted or gilded, or of fruitwood, walnut or mahogany with a waxed finish.

 Padded elbowrests may stand upon the armrests. A bergère is fitted with a loose, but tailored, seat cushion. It is designed for lounging in comfort, with a deeper, wider seat than that of a regular fauteuil, though the bergères by Bellangé in the White House (one illustrated) are more formal. A bergère in the eighteenth century was essentially a meuble courant, designed to be moved about to suit convenience, rather than being ranged permanently formally along the walls as part of the decor.

Pair of Louis XVI marquises à oreilles, 1780sThe fanciful name, “shepherdess chair”, was coined in mid-eighteenth century Paris, where the model developed without a notable break from the late-seventeenth century chaise de commodité, a version of the wing chair, whose upholstered “wings” shielding the face from fireplace heat or from draughts were retained in the bergère à oreilles (“with ears”), or, fancifully, bergère confessionale, as if the occupant were hidden from view, as in a confessional. 

A bergère may have a flat, raked back, in which case it is à la reine, or, more usually in Louis XV furnishings, it has a coved back, en cabriolet. A bergère with a low coved back that sweeps without a break into the armrests is a marquise.

Another instersting feature about this chair is it’s legs. 

(The goal of this little side stepping of posts is to go over the furnishings in black Butler and talk about the history of these actual Victorian and Edwardian house hold items that can be seen throughout the series. We’re starting with the Chapter title pages since they’re the easiest to see and then to splash pages or pages where the furniture is an obvious part of the scene. )

Chapter 125 and 126: Ciel and Soma, Agni and Sebastian on a Tête-à-tête, or Courting (Conversation) Bench.

So in chapter 125 and 126 we’re introduced to a rather interesting image. Ciel and Soma sitting on a strange looking couch or bench, where Ciel is facing away from Soma, as he leans over to talk to him. The following chapter gives the reverse of this where Angi is in silent meditation and prayer while Sebastian is leaning over and whispering things in his ear.

What’s interesting is not only the dynamic of the character set up with this: Soma trying to talk to ciel who is trying to cut him out by not facing him, his back to the audience as well, and Sebastian whispering sweetly into Agni’s ear, possibly denoting some sense of temptation. But you have a perfect example of how this bench can work for both a common conversation (Soma and Ciel) and a more intimate one (Sebastian and Agni).

The Tête-à-tête (or head to head in French) bench is a rather interesting couch as its history is not that long or convoluted like a lot of other historical chairs. Built in the 19th century its design is in an S shape for the very reason of its existence, to keep people from eavesdropping on conversations, as well as allow courting couples to speak to each other without having to sit awkwardly on a traditional bench.

The idea of the Courting couch came about as a means of making conversation easier for those at parties or balls. Normally when one was at an event, one would take a seat if one was tired of dancing or standing talking. Benches were longer as were couches, allowing for three people to sit and the issue really became for women whose hair and clothing style made it harder for them to turn their heads and talk to their gentlemen admires. The Conversation couch alleviated much of that by essentially placing to chairs back to back and side to side, so that the two people talking could converse without looking like they were doing more than just that.

The distance between the seats allowed for both a sense of personal space as well as intimate discussion. There’s an arm shared between them, so that if a lady were to put her hand up, her admirer could potentially place his on hers with the utmost of discretion. The person would have to lean over some to whisper into another person’s ears if need be, ala Sebastian to Agni, or just easily converse as Soma is to Ciel, since the person that is seated opposite you would have their ear closer to your mouth, thus easier to hear what you had to say.

These benches were favored among people during the Victorian era as it allowed them to keep their distance, so that they could keep up their good decorum, while still allowing for a couple to make plans with one another and flirt. This was the ultimate in romance at the time for younger couples who wanted to be together at events but couldn’t do what was seen as improper at the time, such as cuddling and all that.

For those that were non couples the Conversation bench could allow for whispers for a business deal, gossip or other discussion that one did not want to be heard by your fellow party goers. This piece is still in use today and is making a small sort of comeback, though it’s not as big as it once was due to some aspects of the bench’s limitations.

Modern versions of the Tête-à-tête show up as sofas allowing for a longer space, and in some cases some very interesting chairs. Conversation couches need more space than traditional couches as they have to have space for the legs of the two people and can’t be put up against a wall, so normally it’s in the center of a room, or part of a set that is off the wall. One also needs to make sure that both sides are facing something interesting, so that the people sitting will not be facing a blank wall, or feel boxed in.

There are a number of variations in modern times of the Tête-à-tête as seen below:

A detail that varies between adaptations of Sleeping Beauty is the nature of them magical gifts the fairies give to the baby princess. While certain gifts are especially common – beauty is almost universal, and virtue, grace, wealth, wisdom, and a beautiful singing voice are popular too – there are still some very notable differences in different retellings of the tale.

One particular difference between the two most important literary versions of the tale, Charles Perrault's and the Brothers Grimm's, is the purpose of the gifts. Perrault's version emphasizes that the gifts are to endow the princess with "every imaginable perfection," while in the Grimms' version they're "everything that one could wish for on earth." It's interesting to notice which direction each adaptation follows: whether the gifts revolve more around making her perfect or making her happy.

Also, the varying number of gifts reflects the varying number of fairies in each retelling. Perrault's version has seven good fairies (which means six gifts), the Grimms' version has twelve, and in adaptations the number varies between twelve, eight, seven, six, three, or even just one.

Here are all the gift variations I've found in my recent overview of adaptations:

Perrault: Beauty, "the wit of an angel," grace, dancing skill, a voice like a nightingale, and musical talent.

Grimm: Virtue, beauty, wealth, "and so on with everything that one could wish for on earth."

Tchaikovsky's ballet The Sleeping Beauty: It varies between productions – the traditional gifts are purity (or grace, or tenderness), beauty, serenity (or generosity), eloquence (or a beautiful voice, or playfulness), and liveliness.

Humperdinck's opera Dornröschen: The name Röschen, beauty, wisdom, humility, poetry, joy, piety, knowledge of the language of flowers, skill at spinning, honesty, and purity.

Respighi's opera La Bella Dormente nel Bosco: Just beauty. (Specifically: lips lovelier than roses and eyes as bright as stars.)

Walter Lentz's cartoon The Sleeping Princess: Wealth, beauty, and wisdom.

1941 German stop-motion short Dornröschen: Virtue, beauty, and wealth. (There are other gifts too, but we only hear these three.)

1940s Let's Pretend radio adaptation: Just beauty. (Specifically: slender and graceful as a moonbeam, with eyes as blue as stars, hair as golden as sunbeams, and skin like a rose.)

1949 Finnish film Prinsessa Ruusunen: Love, goodness, understanding, beauty, wealth, and long life.

1954 Lotte Reiniger short The Sleeping Beauty: Virtue, beauty, riches, a voice for singing, lips for kissing, and feet for dancing.

1955 German film Dornröschen: Purity and modesty. (There are other gifts too, but we only hear these two.)

Disney's animated film: Beauty and song.

1971 German film Dornröschen: Beauty, wealth, wisdom, musical talent, and righteousness.

1978 BBC Music Time stop-motion short: Beauty and wisdom. (The Lilac Fairy would have given her long life, but instead she has to soften Carabosse's curse.)

1983 Faerie Tale Theatre episode: Beauty, grace (which includes singing and dancing talent), "the wit of an angel," kindness and generosity, and courage. (This leads to some humorous debate about whether courage is an appropriate gift for a princess or whether needlepoint skill would have been a better choice.)

1984 Favourite Fairy Tales cartoon: Beauty, grace, singing and dancing talent, wisdom, wit and charm.

1987 Cannon Movie Tales film: Grace, beauty, wealth, poetry, wit, health, and kindness.

1989 Grimm's Fairy Tale Classics anime episode: Virtue, beauty, wealth, strength, health, and kindness (original Japanese version)/Virtue, wealth, wisdom, and beauty (English dub). (There are other gifts too, but we only hear these four or six.)

1990 Czech/German film Šípková Růženka: Beauty, wisdom, health, wealth, generosity, courage, honesty, kindness, imagination, patience, talent, and love.

1991 Golden Films animated film: Beauty, laughter, musical talent, grace, dancing, and singing.

1995 Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child episode: Beauty, wit, grace, dancing, singing, and talent.

1995 Jetlag Productions film: Beauty (outer and inner), wit, grace, dance, music, and love.

1998 Italian animated series The Legend of Sleeping Beauty: The love of all who know her, goodness, liveliness, and beauty.

2008 Märchenperlen TV film Dornröschen: Long life and beauty. (There are other gifts too, but we only hear these two.)

2009 Sechs auf einen Streich TV film Dornröschen: Virtue, beauty, wealth, friendliness, modesty, and humility. (There are other gifts too, but we only hear these six.)

2014 film Maleficent: Beauty and happiness.