snapdragon . . .

Okay done! :mrgreen:


Alright, well .. I was super shocked to get immunity this week - but, when I did, I decided straight away that I was going to do something I've never actually gotten to do for a challenge - a beauty shot. Last week I had Ilya so grungy and sweaty and beat up that I was REALLY excited to show off just how beauitful she actually is.

I got assigned snapdragons - one of my favorite flowers. Legend has it that wearing (or even concealing) snapdragons on one's person makes the holder appear much more fascinating and even courteous... and because of this legend in the middle ages, women and girls used wear snapdragons in their hair (or even carry a pouch full of them) when turning down or breaking it off with unwanted courters. They were also said to protect the wearer from curses or deceit.

My inspiration for this challenge was turning Ilya into a beautiful courtesan in a corset, off to end a relationship with a lover - armed with snapdragons in her hair.

the fighter still remains...

"In the clearing stands a boxer - a fighter by his trade;
& he carries the reminders of every glove that laid him down -
or cut him, 'til he cried out - in his anger and his shame,
'I am leaving, I am leaving...'
...but the fighter still remains."

Conflict? Ilya was born for conflict - it's the down time that's hard... It seems every day it's getting harder and harder to sleep without the memories and regrets pouring into her consciousness from some other part of herself. 'Past Lives,' she calls them; those memories of horrible parts of her life, horrible parts of her self that seem so foreign to her now. So she fights. It doesn't matter what she's fighting, a dummy, a bag, or a worthy opponent - She's always fighting the same battle against the same person: Herself. She throws everything she has into every punch, every jab, every hook - fighting until there's nothing left inside of her, until she can barely climb out of the ring - so that maybe, just maybe she can get some sleep tonight.


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Detail on the face before photo filter:
BEFORE:



AFTER: