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#musculata armor
wearemercs · 2 years
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Roman woman by hou_jae04
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t4tbruharvey · 2 years
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Alright then gender it is! (This is gonna be long)
Ok so basically the bits we discussed in the lecture were particularly about Renaissance Italian parade armors , which are a type of armor worn by nobility or - in the case of italy in particular due to their comparative lack of old noble families due to the way more prevalent republican structures and cities - by rich civilians, for example the big merchant families like the Medici and were supposed to show off their wearer's status and power, as well as serve for intimidation and to protect the wearer from getting stabbed while out and about...and ofc they were also a fashion item (there's more to that but I'm trying to keep it short).
So how does this connect to gender? Well: 15th century italian renaissance armors are split into 2 distinctive main styles: armor alla romana - which tried to imitate ancient roman armor sets and bronze statues as closely as possible - and al heroica - which were fantastical decorative armors usually inspired by ancient heroes or historical generals. Here the alla romana style was supposed to represent the idealized body as represented by roman statues, while in contrast the al heroica was representing the grotesque and artistic idea of bodies (the example we were given was an armor fashioned after a roman statue with prominent nipples, abs and boots that were made to look like bare feet for the Alla Romana, and an armor with a dragon head helmet, dragon wings and about 20 eyes carved into the breast plate for the Al Heroica) . The one we talked about in regards to gender was the Alla Romana style.
So. The thing about this is now: back in the days of the parade armors Italy was...not exactly a great military power. They were good at trade and economy but when it came to military strength they were kind of doing not so great and also were constantly being attacked by their neighboring countries. This was something that the Italian upper class (and Italian men in general) were very aware of ...and they attributed it to some kind of inherent 'effeminate' nature of their country and populace. It went so far that these men used to complain about Italy proverbially 'getting f*cked' by other countries, and other awful depictions and allegories of Italy as a woman that's being assaulted. And since society back then - and Italian society in particular - was very patriarchal this whole issue irked the noblemen A LOT. So much so, that it started to become a fashion trend in Italian upper class circles to have their armors styled after the idealized male body, as in, made to look like an actual hyper masculine muscled male body. And what was seen as the ideal paragon of the male form back then? Exactly. Roman statues and bronze sculptures, as well as ancient armor types like the Lorica Musculata! And thus the parade armor alla romana was born. These armors then would be worn by nobility and rich civilians during festivals and parades (so called Triumphi) and were supposed to publicly represent the idealized self of the wearer as a paragon of masculinity, dressed like one of the monumental idealized naked bodies of ancient statues, reflecting this ideal image onto the wearer himself so that everyone who sees him knows that he is in fact a manly man who is not at all insecure about his perceived or intrinsic femininity at all no sir!
So what does this have to do with Batman meta? Well, as I mentioned our lecturer said that Batman's armor is definitely inspired by/ based off of knightly armor. However, if you compare it to different armor types you'll easily notice that it is in fact not very similar to german armor styles (which look more classically 'medieval knight' like) at all but actually is way more similar to Italian styles - particularly to the aforementioned Alla Romana. It's not quite as noticeable with the 2022 armor but if you look at the older ones - especially the Schuhmacher armors - you'll notice the things I mentioned: that they're fashioned after the idealized naked male body as well as the Lorica Musculata (the 2022 version is, too, you can distinctly see the chest and ab segments, but since it's more abstract it's not quite as good an example. It's still visibly there though!) . Now, if Batman's armor is a modern interpretation of an armor alla romana (which in turn is a 15th century interpretation of a Lorica Musculata) it is fair to say that all the bits about the armor being supposed to project an idealized statuesque image of the wearer's body and masculinity to cover up their insecurities about their (perceived or actual) femininity and gender to make them come off as 'more manly' (and also make themselves feel more manly, but more on that in the separate armor and bodily identity segment) can also be applied to Batman's armor as well. Which then in turn can be used to inform the trans!Batman headcanon because this bit about feeling the desperate need to hide your feminine side due to societal pressures and doing so by outwardly projecting as much 'manliness' as possible, even going so far as 'wearing' an ideal male body on top of your own? Yeah. That's gender things baby!
(it would also work for a transmasc Batman headcanon, although then ofc the interpretation has to be applied differently)
So yeah. That's the gender bit!
OHHH MY GOD YEAH THAT'S IT EXACTLY. that's so interesting thank you SO much for telling me wow... i'm going to think about that sooo much and it really does play into the batman as drag thing that forms the basis of the headcanon but with historical backing ohhh my god. literally this is so cool. @kalelraejepsen look
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helykk · 6 years
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Commission work for Mental Omega on Sufficient Velocity ; Belydris, the spider Duchess of the Black Hand This one took a while, as painting usually do, but it was fun to work on.
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dererumgestarum · 4 years
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THE LORICA MUSCULATA IN ROMAN ART
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Discussions of the piece of body armor known today as the muscle cuirass, and to the Romans as the lorica musculata, tend to elide the difference between the cuirass and its representation in Roman art. This is understanable because the lorica musculata itself was a work of art. The portrait statue of Augustus from Primaporta is a work of naturalistic, representational art that features an accurate naturalistic representation of another work of art, namely the lorica musculata worn by the emperor.
The Greek θώραξ consisted of a breastplate and backplate joined together by hinges on one side and buckles on the other, with a riband tied around the waist. Textual sources state the early θώραξ was made of strong linen; surviving examples are made of hammered bronze. In the late classical period, the θώραξ which closely followed the contours of the male torso, took on representational and sculptural qualities. Anatomical details like nipples, navel and abdominal muscles were depicted with great precision.
The Roman version is made of iron (later steel) or boiled leather. The Romans continued the tradition of replicated anatomy, as well as the Hellenistic taste for elaborate allegorical imagery emblazoned on the breastplate. The combination of masterful realism and erudite allegorical iconography blurs the distinction between serviceable armor and work of art. The surviving Roman bronze cuirass in New York is either an actual cuirass or the torso of a bronze equestrian statue depicting an emperor wearing a lorica musculata. Whatever its purpose, it could easily have been made by the same metalworker.
The iconography of the Augustus cuirass uses personifactions, mythological figures, representations of historical persons and symbols to make a statement about the recovery of the standards from the Parthians and the relationship of that major feat of Augustan diplomacy to the establishment of the pax romana. For the most part, the iconography was simpler, but no less abstruse. The breastplate depicted on a statue of Trajan in military costume shows an Amazon battling two griffins at once, a succinct utterance concerning Rome’s conquests of eastern peoples, in this case the Dacians. The allegorical iconography of the cuirass provided the sculptor with an opportunity for enriching the portrait with a discursive statement of the wearer’s accomplishments that woukd have otherwise exceeded the capacities of the portrait genre.
In reality, the imagery of the lorica musculata was probably less elaborate than sculptural representations. The unadorned cuirass of the Getty torso is almost certainly closest to the actual armor. Simplified, conventional imagery like the gorgoneion seen on the cuirass worn by Caligula are commonplace enough to have been used.
1. Torso fragment of a Cuirass Statue of Domitian, c. AD 85, Boston, Museum of Fine Arts.
2. Augustus of Primaporta, c. AD 14, Città del Vaticano, Musei Vaticani.
3-4. Greek Bronze cuirass, c. 340 BC and Roman bronze cuirass, c. 1st c. AD, New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art.
5. Cuirass Statue with Head of Lucius Verus, 2ndc. AD, Rome, Musei Capitolini.
6. Cuirass Statue of Trajan, c. AD 103, Cambridge, Harvard University, Fogg Art Museum.
7. Torso fragment of a Cuirass Statue, c. 1st c. AD, Malibu, Getty Villa.
8. Torso fragment of a Cuirass Statue, c. 2nd c. AD, Rome, Museo della Civiltà Romana.
9. Cuirass Bust of Gaius (Caligula), c. AD 37, Copenhagen, Ny Carlsberg Glyptothek.
10. Cuirsass Statue of Julius Caesar, c. AD 100, Berlin, Neues Museum.
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coe-lilium · 4 years
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Hey Coe, glad you got Quirinus! Just a question- you say something about him dressing like an actual Roman. Does that mean their fashion sense was closer to his first ascension than what media has us believe?
Thank you! :D
Now, no mistake, both first two Ascensions aren’t 1:1 but yes, they’re quite accurate! (3rd one is just a Saint Seiya gold/God cloth so that one’s out the equation) 
Let’s see
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He’s wearing a short sleeved tunica which was the “the” standard attire for every Roman ever (at least I’m... pretty sure it’s a single one, just cut in a way to also resemble a toga?). 
The gloves are accurate too: since tunics were short sleeved until the late Empire, people resorted to gloves of various lengths to keep their arms warm during winter.    
The shoes seems a mix between a caliga (military) and calae and/or crepidae (Senator’s shoes/short boots), colors and decorations are correct for Romulus’ status (if anything they should be even more complicated but ehi, early kingdom period ≠ Republic/Empire). 
The only relevant artistic liberties I can see are the sash, which wasn’t in use, and perhaps the blue for the tunic because Romans weren’t great fans of the color (one the other hand there’s also theories that certain shades of blue were assimilated to Phoenician purple and appreciated so blue could fly too?)
Onto 2nd ascension!
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This is an elegant “lorica musculata with fantasy twist” and a bit more classical roman red involved . It’s not as faithful as Fate!Caligula’s armor (the Saint Seiya influences are already here), but it’s still distinctly inspired. Also, the tiny she-wolf head is a lovely nod, good Romolus honoring his mom!     
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harukaemberfall · 4 years
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Created a new set of armor, heavily inspired by classical roman Lorica Musculata, as well as finally getting around to finishing that Blood Legion Scutum shield i said i was going to make like 7 months ago. I’ve noticed that on a lot of my previous armor designs, the eyes have always been horribly exposed, and vulnerable to just about anything. With this helmet, i’m attempting to fix that issue, with proper eye slits, punched in to the plate, instead of constructing a helmet around the eyes, as in many, if not all of my other armors. This is the kind of armor I could see the Blood Legion using, since they have always been the most reminiscent of the Roman military to me.
Oh, and by the way, this armor is also free for use in commissions as a Blood Legion Standard Armor.
In the process of making this, i found out a few more things about charr that are going to help me in making armor in the future. You see, their torsos are really quite wide and stubby, too much so for me to be able to make a proper Lorica Musculata style breastplate, and keep the shoulders free of the hips. There is too much movement in the back for the entire breastplate to rest solely on the waist, and since their torsos are wider, the distance the breastplate would travel when the torso pivots forward, backwards, or to the side is a lot greater than on humans. I’ve been experimenting with this particular design choice on multiple sets of armor, namely on the armor i made for Ivana, and the new set of Ash Legion armor i made, and that is this sort of proprietary Plackart that rests on the waist, underneath the upper breastplate, as opposed to just being a part of the breastplate, like a normal plackart. This allows for the upper breastplate to move with the shoulders, which is very important for the charr, because of how their shoulders are placed, and allows the legs to move, because on a normal breastplate, the plate would come down to much and not move away from the torso, preventing the legs from traversing up high enough to remain mobile. Granted, this does create a very vulnerable area between the upper breastplate, and the plackart, but i’ve also found out that the way the charr stand, creates a lot of distance between their head, which is the primary target, and the torso, which is one of the most important parts of the body to protect. Charr have a very long reach, and in combination with a shield, and formation of other charr on the sides, they probably don’t even need torso armor, just because of how much it gets in the way for charr. I’ve also found that the neck is not as vulnerable than i once thought, especially if the charr in quiestion is fighting alongside allies. They can simply move their head left or right to block strikes aimed for their neck using their helmet if they need to.
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asklepiean · 5 years
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30 Days of Devotion - Mars
1. A basic introduction of the deity
Mars is one of the Dii Consentes, the twelve major Gods honored in the Roman religion (or as Cicero calls it in “De Natura Deorum”, Cultus Deorum). He’s the God of soldiers, victory, battle and martial frenzy, and He’s the father of Romulus and Remus - hence He’s the divine father of Rome.
2. How did you become first aware of this deity?
Let’s just say that being interested in Roman and military history helped a lot with the introduction.
3. Symbols and icons of this deity
Mars is often depicted naked -as His Greek counterpart, Ares-, with a spear and a shield. Romans used to keep a spear in the Regia (the former residence of the kings of Rome), and it was said that this weapon moved or vibrated if Rome was in danger. He is also depicted with a lorica musculata, an anatomical armor used during the Republic and the Imperial period. Sacred animals are the horse, the wolf, the woodpecker.
4. A favorite myth or myths of this deity
Ovid tells the story of how Mars is tricked by Anna Perenna. The God is madly in love with Minerva (quote “Armifer armiferae correptus amore Minerue - Uror et hoc longo tempore uolnus alo” (Fasti, book 3, 681-2), that approximately means “I, a warrior, burn with love for the belligerent Minerva, and for a long time I’ve nurtured this wound”) and asks Anna to help Him. She agrees, but instead of speaking to Minerva, She lies and tells Him the Goddess accepted. Mars prepares Himself for the rendezvous, only to find out that Anna, disguised as Minerva, tricked Him and almost had an affair with Him.
5. Members of the family – genealogical connections
Rhea Silvia - The vestal virgin that gave birth to the sons of Mars; niece of Amulius, usurper of king Numitor’s throne
Romulus and Remus - His children, founders of the first settlement of Rome. Romulus killed his brother during a fight (there are many versions of this story: the most famous tells that Remus mocked the sanctity of the pomerium, jumping over the border while armed, and the fixed punishment for this transgression was death), becoming the first king of Rome. He became a God, Quirinus, after death (the senators killed him, but the myth says he ascended the heavens while speaking to his soldiers during the training).
6. Other related deities and entities associated with this deity
Janus - in times of war the doors of His temple were left open and were closed during peace (Emperor Augustus says that under his govern the temple was closed twice - an extraordinary event).
Nerio - the personification of valor, sometimes identified as Bellona; She’s said to be His consort
Iuppiter and Quirinus: with Mars, they were part of the archaic triad of Gods that ruled over Rome. Quirinus is the name of the divinized Romulus, a Deity (Dumézil in “Archaic Roman Religion“ offers a good explanation) and an epithet of Mars.
Venus: as in the Ares/Aphrodites couple, Mars is often depicted as one of Venus’ lovers thanks to the syncretism with the Hellenic mythology
Minerva: in Ovid’s “Fasti”, Mars is said to be in love with Her
Anna Perenna: certain versions of the myth tell that Anna was married to Mars
7. Names and epithets
Mars Gradivus (from gradus, “step”; the marching God))
Mars Quirinus (from quirites, “civilians”; God of the citizens)
Mars Grabovius (a title shared with Iuppiter and an Umbrian Deity, Vofionus)
Mars Pater (from pater, “father”;  Father Mars)
Mars Silvanus (found in Cato’s “De Agricoltura”, probably it's not an epithet but the name of another God, Silvanus)
Mars Ultor (from ultor, “avenger”; the avenging God)
Mars Augustus (from augustus, “venerable”; the venerable God)
8. Variations on this deity (aspects, regional forms, etc.)
I don’t want to turn this post into a wall of names, so I’ll leave here the link to the Wiki article about Mars, where you can find an exhaustive list of syncretic  Celtic Gods.
9. Common mistakes about this deity
In Cato’s “De Agricoltura”, we find a rite that involves Mars as a protector against the dangers of the woods and illness, and a prayer that asks His action in the growing of the crops, the wellness of the shepherds and the animals. This leads many into thinking that Mars is a rustic God, but it’s a shallow interpretation. Mars does not protect the fields per se, He stands against the chaotic forces of nature - He’s a sentinel on the border, and His duty is to block any intruder that tries to sneak in. He guards the perimeter and the entire land, and His role doesn’t change: He never becomes an agricultural God, He just shifts His attention from the wall of the city to the grass of the fields.
10. Offerings – historical and UPG
A common offering for Mars is the suovetaurilia (the sacrifice of an ox, a ram and a pig), and according to Plutarch, during the ides of October, one of the horses that pulled the winner’s chariot in a race is sacrificed to Him (the October Equus). Other common offerings are incense and wine.
11. Festivals, days, and times sacred to this deity
Equirria (February 27, March 14): in this day, the Romans organized chariot races
Quinquatrus (March 19): a sacred ceremony in which the weapons were polished and purified
Tubilustrium (March 23, May 23): a sacred ceremony in which the trumpets were polished and the army was purified
Tigillum sororium (October 1): a ceremony linked to the legend of Horatius and the purification after the war
October Equus (October 15): in this day, the Romans organized chariot races - one of the winning horses (the one who pulled the chariot on the right) was sacrificed to Mars
Armilustrium (October 19): a sacred ceremony in which the weapons were polished and purified
Mars was linked to the ceremony of the uer/ver sacrum (”the sacred spring”), a time when the new generation of warriors was sent out of the settlement in search of better lands and resources. Many groups used to follow sings, like animals, to find a new place and settle down - these groups usually took the name of the sign that helped them (e.g. the Picentes named themselves after the picus, “woodpeker”)
March and October are probably linked to Mars because they signed the beginning and the end of the martial season (wars were fought in spring and summer) - I haven’t found this info in any book/paper yet, it’s one of my assumptions.
12. Places associated with this deity and their worship
the campus martius (the place where the comitia centuriata, the citizens in arms, used to gather)
the Temple of Mars Ultor (erected 2 BC, founded by Emperor Augustus as a vow to avenge the death of Caesar)
the ara Martis in campo, located in the campus martius (in 138, Decimus Junius Callaicus founded a temple in that area as a vow)
the templum Martis extra portam Capenam, located near Porta Capena (where the legions gathered to intervene in the southern regions)
the sacrarium Martis in the Regia (a depository for holy objects related to war)
any temple dedicated to Mars was usually built outside the pomerium, the sacred border that circumscribed the first settlement of Rome, and because of its sanctity, it couldn't be violated with war. Other Deities, such as Bellona, Vulcano, and Venus, were kept out of the pomerium.
13. What modern cultural issues are closest to this deity’s heart?
Honestly, I don’t believe there’s something that still holds the values embodied by Mars, so I would say that our culture has nothing that this God would really care about. War is a useless, mindless bloodshed that kils innoncents; citizens are divided; leaders don’t care about the population. Probably I’m too cinic.
14. Has worship of this deity changed in modern times?
Apart from the obvious impossibility of animal sacrifices and public rites (the heart of the religion), what we can reconstruct from the literary sources is as similar as possible as what Romans used to do. We are lucky enough to have a lot of writings that can be used to refine our practice.
15. Any mundane practices that are associated with this deity?
Martial training and learning discipline (both physical and mental): Personally, I would add studying military history and military strategy.
16. How do you think this deity represents the values of their pantheon and cultural origins?
Romans were not priests who fought in times of need. Romans were soldiers who stipulated deadly serious vows with Gods and men.
There’s a theory that says that the Roman Empire spread its influence because Romans started fighting the neighboring populations as a way to defend themselves. In 390 BCE, Rome was plundered by a Celtic tribe and the shock was so severe that the entire Roman mindset changed immediately. War was no longer seen as an act of violent imposition on others but as an extreme act of defense. War was regulated by laws and rites, a specific group of priests (the fetiales) was involved in the declaration of the bellum iustum, the rightful war, and victory was seen as a sign of divine favor. Omens were taken before the fight, and it was possible to “bribe” the Gods of the opponents with prayers and vows, taking their statues from the temples and bringing them to Rome. War was a matter of religion, and religion permeated every aspect of Roman life.
Mars is defense, discipline, martial order. He’s the centurion, the man who marches with the wounded soldiers; He’s the vexillifer, holding the Roman banner in the middle of the fight. Mars is the sentinel, the last bastion, defending the Urbs, Rome, against its enemies - both outside than inside. He’s the embodiment of the essence of what Rome aspired to become, and what became after centuries of war and diplomacy.
Mars doesn’t just represent Rome and Roman values. Mars is Rome.
17. How does this deity relate to other gods and other pantheons?
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18. How does this deity stand in terms of gender and sexuality? (historical and/or UPG)
With the exception of poetry, in the Roman religion and practice, there was little to no space regarding the sexuality of the Gods (apart from the Male/Female dichotomy). Mars can be considered straight, though.
19. What quality or qualities of this god do you most admire? What quality or qualities of them do you find the most troubling?
I don’t have a “best/worse quality” list because I don’t think that Gods should be analyzed like we do with people. Our Gods are the essence of the Cosmos, and saying that we prefere or oppose something They represent implies that we are disconnected from Them and that essential aspect of reality.
20. Art that reminds you of this deity
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Jacques-Louis David - Oath of the Horatii
21. Music that makes you think of this deity
Dvořák  - Symphony No. 9 in E Minor, Op. 95, B. 178 "From the New World": IV. Allegro con fuoco
22. A quote, a poem, or piece of writing that you think this deity resonates strongly with
Si sta come
d’autunno
sugli alberi
le foglie
(G. Ungaretti, Soldati - english translation here)
23. Your own composition – a piece of writing about or for this deity
Warcries crush the skies.
Your spear’s shaking, Mars Pater.
Tonight we’ll bleed again.
(I posted this is June, but who cares)
24. A time when this deity has helped you
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25. A time when this deity has refused to help
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26. How has your relationship with this deity changed over time?
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27. Worst misconception about this deity that you have encountered
The blatantly idiotic idea that Mars is a bloodthirsty, mindless imbecile. People seem to have ginormous issues with war Gods and I’m so tired of this trend - it’s desrespectful for the Gods and the devotees. If Deities are not light and fluff and don’t stick to the “tumblr aesthetic”, it doesn’t mean it’s a good idea to mock Them.
28. Something you wish you knew about this deity but don’t currently
29. Any interesting or unusual UPG to share?
Nothing I feel comfortable sharing on the internet.
30. Any suggestions for others just starting to learn about this deity?
Disinstal tumblr
Go to the library
Look for books on Greek and Roman religion/mythology
Read them, then read the bibliography
Look for the books you found in the bibliography
Repeat every time you want to research something
Resources:
Cicero, De Natura Deorum
G. Dumézil, Archaic Roman Religion
G. De Sanctis, La Religione a Roma
Ovid, Fasti
Cato, De Agricoltura
Emperor Augustus, Res Gestae Divi Augusti
the good ol’ Wikipedia (the article is really good and full of useful resources)
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kitsuneignis · 6 years
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More #armors, I want to do a third one more. #sketchbook #Knight #ink #armor #pretorian #centurion #roma #roman #musculata #general
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vaporgrvve · 7 years
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im very disappointed in whoever's drawing sexy armor™ theres a criminal deficiency of lorica musculata out there and I'm not having any of it
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