#... well... i was rendering all the patterns on their clothes & accessories....

[alienturnipp]

Next part of my OC lineup come the twinnies! Edra Lavellan 🪄 and Ellana Lavellan 📜

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Some inspo & refs

Naril Brosca & Neria Surana | Cirilla Hawke | Vy Hawke

[lovelyyandereaddictionpoint]

Count Briar | Yandere Yuri Briar

“Hi, there! You must be Yor’s baby brother! She’s told me all about you, come on in!” 

Being greeted by an unfamiliar person in the home he both cursed and loved as the house of his sister wasn’t something Yuri Briar was prepared for. He had a clear goal this time around. Tutor Loid’s spawn, bug the rooms, and see if there is any evidence of Loid’s trickery. 

“Well don’t just stand there silly! Anya, why don’t you bring your uncle in while I finish this cake!” 

“Okay!” 

He needed to focus! Analyze this new enemy and try to find flaws! But it was so hard when you so eagerly fed him delicious cake. Not to mention you were smiling so sweetly at him. No he had to make sure you weren’t a spy! Begin the interrogation! 

“So what made you worthy enough to be in my sister’s home?” 

“Well it's kind of in my title silly! I’m Anya and Bond’s nanny!” 

You giggled setting aside a cake for yourself, Anya, and Bond. Yuri kept his eyes on your every move, just waiting for you to slip up. Not because he couldn’t stop looking at you. Nope! Definitely because your smile was too bright and that must have been a devious tactic from an enemy like you. 

“(Y/n)-sama! Let us begin our mission!” 

“Yes, Anya-sama it is time!” 

“W-what?!” 

With a flap of the cape she was wearing, Anya was revealed to wear layers of clothes of various unmatching patterns. Bond too was wearing a hat that resembled one of a cowboy and a cape that he was currently trying to eat. He turned to you for some semblance of an understanding only to find that you were in an elaborate costume yourself with something akin to a masquerade mask. On guard, he stood up until you so easily pushed at his chest with gloved hands as you chuckled. It wasn’t because the soft push at his chest rendered him an overheating mess…definitely not. 

“I thought Yor would have told you! We’re trying something new to encourage Anya to study. Now you're the count I have to seduce to get codes from!”

“W-what?!” 

“Here Unkie takes this, those are the codes they have to get! But you can’t give it right away!”

He stood up again. He was putting his foot down and stopping whatever effect you were having on him. 

“No! I’m not doing this! I told Yor I’d–”

He stopped at the unsettling silence in the room. Anya’s face was slowly contorting and you had removed your mask to look worriedly at her before flicking your hypnotizing eyes back at his. It was too much with you looking directly into his eyes with that pouty look on your face felt like a direct attack. Heart pumping as he watched your puffy delectable lips turn into a pout and your eyes droop. This pressure! There was only one way he could evade this and the unshed tears welling in Anya’s eyes spoke of one thing—!

“Fine. But after this we get right to studying.”

Tears gone and your smile returned, everyone continued to prepare for the game that you were all about to play. Sitting back down and wearing the accessory he had been given beforehand. Finishing quickly he watched as you dawned your mask once more retrieving the cut slices as you placed them on the table. Joining him on the couch he watches you clear out your voice before turning and speaking to him in an accent that wasn’t your own. 

“Thank you for inviting us Count Briar, me and my associates are so happy we could attend your costume tea-party!” 

He stood there holding your gaze before receiving a not-so subtle kick from under the table. Kirking your head in hopes to urge him he realized what exactly you were trying to get from him. 

“Uh uh yes I’m so happy you could come uh-”

“The Countess of the Acrobatics.”

“Uh–yeah and you uhm Any–”

“Princess of Peanuts!”

“Yes and Bond-”

“Bodyguard Bond!” 

“Right, yes thank you for bringing the cake, then.” 

“Of course it's the least we could do. After all you do have those cherry bombs sitting on the Candy Kingdom.”

“Do I–? Augh! Yes! I do!” Receiving another kick, he fixed his response. Realizing how hard this was for him, he tried his hardest. After all, he wouldn't want to let you down. Wait, he meant Yor if she were ever to hear about his lacking acting skills. 

He continued to maintain this character, learning through you and Anya’s dialogue that he was a Count looking to force the Candy Kingdom to give all their candy to him with his cherry bombs. Apparently the King you were working for was deathly allergic to cherries and therefore required that you two–their spies get the codes to disarm the bombs. 

Even with your previous revelation of your tactic he couldn’t be prepared for your ‘seduction’ in the slightest. Slowly scooting closer to him on the couch was the first step, already bringing a slight blush as he realized what you were doing. It escalated when you let your shoulders touch. You must have been incredibly hot because the moment you touched, he was in desperate need of some cooling off. Unfortunately, he couldn’t leave especially since Bond–er Bodyguard Bond was eyeing his slice. In the next part, you offered to feed him the rest of his slice of cake. 

“Say, ‘ahh’!”

“A-ah.”

Letting his mouth close around your fork he tried to look away from your eyes once more. Failing miserabley as he not only could see your face clearly but the oddly revealing bits your costume had. 

“I got it, (Y/n) now keep distracting him.”

The not so silent whisper allowed him to break away looking at Anya, easily making away with the paper that was in his pocket.  

“Uh oh, it looks like you have some cake on your face, Count Briar! I’ll get it for you.”

Were-were you going to kiss him?! So soon?! He wasn’t prepared for this! The only kiss he’s ever received like this is from Yor! Would this be his first kiss?! 

“Ah-W-wait-?!”

“Got it.” 

With a swipe of your thumb from the corner of his lips the point of contention was gone. All he could do was overheat in embarrassment excitement as he watched you sit back to happily lick the frosting away before pridefully striking a pose. 

“Waku waku Count Briar we’ve stolen your codes and therefore our mission is complete.” 

“Yayy we did it! Victory hugs!” 

Yuri watched bewildered as you did a dance with her; moving Bond in tandem with your movements. Completely oblivious to the crisis he could only recover from as he huffed to get everyone’s attention. 

“A-alright now we study.” 

“Awww but (Y/n) didn’t even do the kiss!” 

Yuri stopped feeling an immense sense of being cheated that he couldn’t quite place. You shrugged as you began to take off Anya and Bond’s costumes.

“Sorry Anya but it's not cool to take your Unkie’s kisses! Now let’s get ready to study!”

Yuri pushed these thoughts away as he focused on coaching Loid’s near illiterate spawn as you did chores around their home. Every now and then he let himself stare because this would most certaintly not be the first time he’d find you. He’d figure out why you made him feel this way. 

Just you wait.

Part 2: ?

[vampstel]

Out of your favorite designs you’ve redrawn or has drawn who do you enjoyed working on the most?

As a character designer myself, I can’t help but love all my ocs equally, and learning from you actually helps me expand upon my stories. You’ve helped me so much writing a story for Victoria (She’s a princess vampire who is generations after Dracula (Temporary name because some details are being worked on) in my universe I don’t think this made sense but hopefully it does?) and I actually took some inspiration from your video in order to fully develop her.

I also love it when you diversity your work. It makes me really happy seeing all sorts of characters with real life details? If that made any sense. I like learning from you and I wanna try to understand more about details. Mainly because I suck at drawing details and idk how you do most of your stuff by hand. (I usually try to find brushes on IbisPaint on Pinterest for my work)

What kind of advice do you have for any upcoming artists who’s struggling with character designing?

Do you start with the character and then work on the story or is it the other way around?

This is going to be a VERY long response so it’s all gonna be under the cut…

I don’t really have a favorite design honestly... It’s hard to pick favorites when your characters have different aesthetics to them. It feels unfair to me to compare them because of that LOL so I try my best to avoid that.

That being said though, I can definitely say I had so much fun redesigning Elliot and making her her own person rather than a character who’s meant to represent me. She doesn’t have a full body render yet but… I think she’s neat :3

She’s just got all the things I love in one design and since she’s so personal to me, I guess you could technically say she’s my current favorite design out of all my OCs so far. Minus Rei, of course…

But yeah I can definitely relate to loving all your characters equally!! Victoria sounds cool and I’m glad my content helps you out ^_^

As for the last few questions… Details are really hard to draw especially if your art style is more on the cartoony side. There’s nothing wrong with using brushes or patterns online to help out the process but if you want to practice without them, it’s good to try out how to simplify details!!

Not everything has to be crazy complicated. So long as you get the general idea or silhouette of something in your art, it translates pretty well in the end results. Lots of artists simplify things to make it easier for the eye and it’s a hard skill to master but as you get used to it, you’ll become way better at it. Try and be fluid with your line work. That’ll help a ton!!

For advice on character design: I’d say the most important part to designing a character is making them feel alive by having meaning to their physical appearance and attire. A lot of beginner artists tend to forget that which results in a boring or un-relatable character.

We all have some sort of history with our appearances and it’s good to try and figure that out with your OCs. I usually do that during the design process but it’s fine if you do it after or before it. Before it is more ideal in a professional setting though!!

Go insane with designs. Mix and match aesthetics if you want and use LOTS of references and inspiration. That’s the second most important part. It’s why I have tons of pins saved on Pinterest and tons of reels saved on Instagram. But remember to always ask yourself questions like:

Would this character dress like this? What do they think about their clothes? Do they dress traditional, medieval, or modern?

Would they like this sort of thing? What sorts of fabrics and textures do they prefer to feel on their skin? Are they comfortable with revealing attire or do they prefer something more formal?

What sort of history does their clothes have? Was it a gift from someone, did they buy it from a thrift store or did they make it themself?

Do their accessories have sentimentality or are they completely irrelevant and something they use just for aesthetics?

Is there a way to incorporate things from their backstory or their current story to their appearance? Like scars/marks on their body? Maybe even accessories from a loved one or no?

Can you explain why they have specific physical features? Why are they skinny? Or muscular? Do they work out and eat healthy or do they barely take care of themselves?

It’s a lot to consider but when you can answer these questions, your character becomes much more lively and unique.

I personally tend to start the design of the character first but as I go through the drawing process, that’s when I flesh things out like their story and such. I don’t recommend this process to beginners since it’s SUPER messy but do what makes you feel comfortable! Hope this was helpful and thank you once again for the sweet compliments <33

[thormanick]

So let me throw in my five cents on Skirk's design,

because I have Thoughts TM (TLDR: it confuses me)

WARNING: this post CONTAINS Skirk's image which might still be spoiler-y if you haven't seen the livestream!

First of all, if you like it and if this is how you envisioned her to be and this design speaks to you - great!!! I'm very happy for you! I'm glad that the character you found interesting for so long without any visual details being available for so long delivered on your expectations. (Depending on how the rest of her outfit works I might join your camp lol)

Second of all. Character design. Let's talk a bit.

When you do character design, there are some aspects you ideally want to incorporate into the final look. Character design ideally should hint at the role the character plays - either have allusions to their archetype or have easily identifiable details/signifiers which could then create associations with the role they're supposed to fulfill in the narrative. At the same time, the design of the character may also reflect their nature (once again through the associations) (and I guess my impressions are mostly informed by the archetypes I encounter in primarily western media); symmetry and light colour often oppose asymmetry and darker colours, thus creating "visual" conflict between the characters that are narratively supposed to be in conflict. Yet another thing to remember when working on the character design is character's individual past and how it affects their present, as well as the environment they've grown in and are living in. Are there any specific trinkets, patterns or materials included in their outfit? If so, what is the reason behind them? What do they signify to the character and how in turn it speaks to us as someone observing them in the context of the story? etc., etc., etc.

All this to say, there are even more steps to this process when done in-depth/professionally (I only go off my assumptions): character should be recognisable, easily identifiable, preferably have very individualistic silhouette, etc. So, when we think of Skirk's design, I think we must first and foremost try to understand how it works together with the information that was already known about her.

Skirk is an warrior who dwells in Abyss, fights Abyssal monsters, someone who can be a good mentor figure and who is very skillful at what she does (fighting).

This is where I am a bit confused with what we see. Mind you, it doesn't mean that I have any strong positive/negative emotions about it yet (I'd need to see the full design to properly collect my thoughts), I'm just really, really confused so far.

My confusion stems from several key aspects of the design: chosen colour palette, chosen clothing design, chosen accessory design. Let's dig in.

I will start with clothing design. Now, I've seen some people note that a) Skirk's outfit seems to show a lot of skin, which is impractical; b) that her armour is not complete (top is separate from bottom as I understood it). When looking upon what little we currently have, the armour seems to be complete (there seems to be a connecting piece going over the mid section of the body, however it remains to be seen if it like this from the front view). However, skin exposure is indeed something I do not completely understand as a design choice for a warrior-themed character. I would understand it if it happened naturally (through tears from past battles, for example. Maybe there are patched-up claw-tears or something similar. That would instil air of fear and respect towards Skirk and show that she has been through a lot.), but current setup seems to be too deliberate and more guided by fashion choices, which in my eyes renders it quite impractical. At the same time I want to note, however, that there are weird fin-like structures growing out of Skirk's back (they are briefly visible when she turns). Depending on whether she uses them or not and if she has more of them, then the open skin on the back can be kinda-sorta explained.

Next, I would like to address the accessories. They mostly confuse me because they seem to be very flow-y and etherial. Etherial aspect works in Skirk's favour, because she is someone who should be very different compared to the average character from Teyvat. Their shape (specifically the hairpiece) reminds me of fins and butterfly wings, which can have diametrically opposed effects in term of tone in this instance. Butterfly wings seem more royal, aesthetic, unbothered by the worlds, while fins might hint at the connection of Skirk to the place (Abyss) and to her own nature (the fin-like things on her back). (Together with the loose hair, however, there seem to be lots of flow-y lines in the upper part of her design, which creates air of relaxation about her that I don't find particularly applicable to what we already know of her as a character).

The last but not the least, the colour palette that surprised me the most is something I need to highlight here. Skirk's colours are rather pale/pastel purple/lavender(?), with accents of deeper purple, blue and underlying structure of black. I think it confuses me mostly because it seems to be so non-threatening, when I expected quite the opposite. However, despite confusing me, it kinda works. One of the points of character design is to reflect the surrounding nature of the character/play on it, and current colour choicrs kinda do the job very well. All the colours that Skirk wears are the colours surrounding her (endless space), and is also kinda related to the palette Abyss technically uses in Genchin and where Skirk comes from.

This is where I need to go off on a bit of a tangent. I think normally when we think of Abyss in Genshin we think of Spiral Abyss, which contains lots of heavier, darker colours (very dark blue, dark purples, some silver, black, maybe red); however, the Abyss we've seen (or some parts of the Abyss we've seen) can be quite whimsical and use slightly lighter shades of blue and purple. What I mean to say is that Abyss seems dark, but not always threatening, and so Skirk may embody this trait of Abyss. At the same time, given her current design, she seems more at home in the space the Space Whale TM and Primordial Water comes from, which, once again, leaves me with more questions than answers.

Finally, given that she seems at home in a place that is connected to Primordial Water and the Whale and seems to have fins and fin-related elements incorporated in her design, I wonder if this is supposed to be her natural place of dwelling, and if she is as disconnected from Abyss as she seems to be from Teyvat.

Something like this. I will need to see the rest of her outfit to reach a more final verdict, but for now I am cautiously hopeful and kinda optimistic. Still kinda confused (because expectations were quite different from reality)

P.S. Thank you for reading through this if you did, I'm sorry for rambling for so long.

[nattikay]

Me: Oh yeah, aliens are also a thing in the Sims...eh, well, that’s not really my cup of tea; I probably won’t do anything with them

Sims: Oh hey btw when you make an alien Sim you can make both their alien form as well as a human disguise form

Me: ...

...

...

...OK FINE TIME TO MAKE AJA AND KREL LET’S GOOOOO

So their human forms turned out to be pretty straightforward. I think they came out pretty decent nearly right off the bat! :)

Their Akiridion forms, on the other hand...those were tricky, as they involved a lot of custom content. And when I say custom content I mean literally MADE BY ME. ^^” I hand-altered pretty much every part of their Akiridion forms in some way or other.

Their hair is still a default EA mesh, but I wasn’t satisfied with the default color swatches so I had to go in and custom-recolor them.

I do have some CC I downloaded a while ago for Akiridion eyes, but for some reason custom eye colors don’t show up as selectable swatches in my game despite being in my mods folder, so I had to make some of my own...in the “face paint” category rather than the “eye color” category. But hey it worked! So fyi for anyone interested, you CAN override eye colors with face paint; I’d recommend that route if you wanna make some custom eyes o3o 

(theoretically you could also use this technique to have your Sim change eye color with each outfit, if you want!)

The clothes were the trickiest part. EA does have a glowing “alien suit” that’s pretty cool, but it only comes with green glow. At first I tried to just use that suit with a custom swatch for blue glow, which did actually work (looked a little rougher than the official swatch but was still functional, glow and all):

(screenshot taken before fixing the eyes, obviously ^^”)

...but I still wasn’t quite satisfied with the overall aesthetic. It would be ok for an oc but didn’t really look enough like Aja and Krel to me. But what else could I do? I’m not good enough at modeling in Blender to create my own custom mesh for the outfits, and I couldn’t think of any EA full-body outfits that had the right shape I could recolor....

...UNLESS....

...what if I just painted it directly onto their skin as a “tattoo” like I do for custom fur patterns on the furry mod?!

This was a good start, but of course under normal circumstances Sims aren’t allowed to be “naked”; even if you remove all the clothes you can in CAS it’ll still give them non-removable underwear in its place. In order for the tattoo idea to work properly, I had to find a way around that as the game wouldn’t recognize the “tattoo” as clothes and try to make me put a different outfit on top of it.

So what I did was grab some skintight swimsuits and just...deleted the diffuse texture (as well as specular/shadow/etc maps), effectively rendering the swimsuit invisible in-game. So as far as the code is concerned, they are technically clothed...it’s just invisible so you can see under it without triggering the default underwear...and IT WORKED!!

They’re not perfect, you can definitely see where I didn’t quite line up the UVs right, but I think it’s a pretty darn good start! 

At the moment they’re using the exact same texture, based on Aja; I know Krel’s outfit design in the show is slightly different than his sister’s BUT I wasn’t sure if the technique would work and didn’t want to waste time making two separate nonfunctional textures, so I just used Aja’s as the test. Now that I know it works, though, I’ll go back and make a proper one for Krel later. For now they’ll just have to match haha.

Aja is also sporting @zaneida-and-sims4​’s Angor Rot style legs, cuz I thought it was a bit closer to the show, even if it caused some more issues with the texture lining up. I tried to give them to Krel as well, but for some reason it wouldn’t show up as an option for him. Sorry Krel, you’ll have to stick with regular human legs. ^^; If it makes you feel better, they don’t work on Blinky either (I would be tempted to wonder if maybe they only work on females were it not for the fact that they DID work on NotEnrique...oh well).

I did also experiment with a mod that allowed for extra arms, HOWEVER the arms were basically just an accessory and didn’t actually have any animation on them. While they would cool in screenshots, in-game it just looked really distractingly stiff and awkward, so I ultimately opted for just two arms. 

Varvatos Vex is not currently in the game; I MIGHT add him in later but if I do he’ll be a dog like Aarrrggh. We’ll see though.

So that’s that! I probably won’t play much from the perspective of this house directly, but I look forward to finding them out and about in the world... 👀

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[dorkyungsoowrites]

Eros

Pairings: Kyungsoo x You

Genre: Fluff | Jane Austen AU

Warnings: None

Word Count: 1.4k

Description: Ancient Greeks insist that there are eight different kinds of love, each given a name that holds special meaning…Eros: passionate love.

A/N: Requested by someone whose name is lost to the ether (I’m sorry I hope you find this. I remember it was “Kyungsoo x Reader by a lake plus neck kisses”), and inspired by a post @monicaexol​ made here. Also because you seemed excited, @j-pping​.

| Storge | Eros | ?

There is strict protocol for how a lady's morning is carried out. There is fairly strict--but not as strongly enforced--protocol for her schedule the rest of the day on most occasions afterward. And there are supremely stringent rules to educate them with proper manners and etiquette, usually through classes. At last there are the most dangerous and exhilarating rules cultivated and given by society to every girl as she rises into a woman to prepare them for the rigors and wiles of men. One learns most of these by proxy. If one is blessed with a doting mother, or in fact perhaps sisters were the best teachers second only to the honest and civil conversation with a gentleman, one could be moderately informed of the absolute blunder that fondness breeds on first approach.

So was the path of all affairs before engagement. Gossip and whispers and rumors flew faster than a lark, and the bird that flew it there held the biggest sway in reputation. Promoting each attendant of a party at least a week before the occasion, with each household choosing their favorites. Particularly of the young men and women who were eligible for their matchmaker gambling. Encouraging men to dance with particular women to line their pockets with pride.

That was how most couples met. It was how you met your sweetheart. Your family tittered about the gentleman that had come to visit the hosts of the future soiree for the summer. Japing about his reputation for being curt and austere. In truth you had been intrigued by the tales of his character for it seemed that you should not wholly trust the word of the birds alone.

It was most wise to hold back judgment for when you arrived at the gathering, for you were afflicted in the heart the moment of introduction. Mesmerized by his dark, severe eyes; striking you immobile with but a moments gaze. The memory was as clear as glass in your mind. The shape of his eyes, the intelligence and intensity in his irises, the way your breath tightened as your bosom inflamed. Longing, lusting, light-headed. You'd never seen such eyes.

So were the eyes you sought out a month after the party. The morning had been much the same as any other; your handmaiden helped you dress. First was your shift; a plain cotton garment you often slept in. Then the simple clocked stockings, secured with ribbon garter at the knee. A petticoat was necessary for warmth and modesty. Then the stay was laced around your torso with a wooden busk center front for posture support and to keep the figure once the dress went on. Next were pockets which you enjoyed stashing trinkets in to take to your secret affairs. After a hip pad was added, the outer layers could go on. A petticoat, a white neckerchief that was tucked into the front of the stay to protect your neck and chest from the sun, and the actual gown. As the off-white material was laced at the front you gazed down at the pattern on your long sleeves. Little blue flowers were speckled everywhere, and you lamented the season of falling, an autumn's blush in the trees and on your cheeks. Lastly was the silk apron to separate you from the workers of the household, and shoes with little silver buckles. All together the outfit was quite hardy, and you were able to slink away after lunch past the garden and through a narrow wood to a lake.

It was often as a child your siblings would swim during the sweltering summers there. It was well secluded from prying eyes and ears, but the waters were far too chilled that time of year. The stillness reflected the trees encompassing the grounds, and in the center, the purest blue called out for your heart to shine with it; luminescent and alluring. Letting your mind wander. It was in those moments that the voice that had been torturing your thoughts smiled behind you.

"Would I offend you, if I were to admit how long a time I've watched you?"

A grin stretched your lips, turning to see him approach. A hand was lowering the hat from his head, allowing the short, silken ebony locks to shine under the brightness of noon. The black and white suit he wore was proper, however devoid of accessories it was. And he had dained to switch the regular coat for something of thicker cloth and longer gait, the hem brushing his calves. It was a navy hue, highlighting the horrifically vivid and ethereal glow to his tawny complexion. Your heart could not be tamed at his approach just as the ocean would never cease to reach for the shore.

"Instead I would offer a warning," you replied. "For you shouldn't stare at the sun too long."

The hat was discarded, forgotten on the grass as saltwater embraced the sand and tarried. A wry smirk twisted his lips as his eyes focused on yours. Always intense and enchanting, and the light reflecting enhanced the color within, the sun swimming among his whiskey irises. Intent on getting you drunk.

"Then let beauty blind me and allow my last sight to be of everything that is precious. You are the sun and stars. You are the mountains, and the fields, and rivers and lakes. Always to be cherished. Never to be violated. Only to be loved...vigorously."

Words which you had never thought would ever leave a mouth as pretty as his, let alone become a bastion for fondness; his lips tender on your neck after his stark proclamation. Air became a rare commodity, catching in your throat. The bawdy action sent ripples of excitement through your body, and you clutched him closer. The indecentness would serve as a warning but for the sentiment in his heart.

Their families had made different matches for one another before the night you met; smarter matches they would tell. It only revealed their ignorance on the subject of affection. For if there was never a coupling such as yours for the next century, then not another couple would suffer as greatly in a century if you were parted.

The pressures of high society had been choking him and you. The birds, and the parties, and loquacious old women so sapped of their own vitality in their dull lives as to make interfering with others' their sole hobby. There never seemed to be a caring hand; someone who didn't only seek the ends. Get married; nevermind the adventure in courtship. Nevermind reveling in the company of a kind intellect. Nevermind celebrating the magnificence of life steeped in wonder while laying entwined in soul, spirit and body. Nevermind love.

He was of a mind to yearn for conversation and contented silence with a partner. To stroll away and earn peace and happiness without a crowd or extraneous clothes and property. You wished the same, and in the space between, your passions collided; coalescing into something greater. Being wanted solely and completely as yourselves, you may be able to break through that foul and ugly mist that had strangled you both.

"Shall I never tire of your winsome character," you elated.

A gust of wind dusted your cheeks with chill and fluttered your skirts. His mouth stole another taste of your skin before pulling back to greet your gaze once more, inadvertently shielding you from the cold. You were acquainted with a mien he intimated was rendered by you unwittingly; warm and soft with a smile that could raze even the strongest of wills.

"The days after our meeting," he said. "I spent walking through gardens hoping they would drive away the heavy thought of care, and perhaps it worked as such for I am here, with you now...without a care in my heart but for you." Your mouth opened, but his words carried on before you could reply. "Despite what our respective relatives might assume, this hasn't been some summer dalliance for me, and as I know I must return home before we are beset upon by winter, I know I would be leaving my heart here with it. Therefore, with all my soul and self bared vulnerable, I would disclose one more thought...nothing would make me happier than to escort you home alongside me as my betrothed."

"Is...this a proposal?"

"With an answer that is yours to give as you please."

The lake's reflection rippled under the wind. He lifted a hand to your face and it betrayed his calm; trembling as fingers fondled stray locks of hair and moved them aside. Tumultuous tenderness as his drunken eyes studied every heartbeat.

To leave all you knew to venture with all you wanted to know. Rational thoughts absconded from your mind. To pretend you required to rationalize this at all was folly. You knew the answer, and when your love collided with his in a kiss, he did too.

[blacknovelist]

Half-Empty, Half-Full (FE3H Fic)

hey hi what’s up lads, so I like, 100% forgot I could post my piece for the @threehouseszine Beneath The Banner (also available on Twitter under the same name) and as such I’m like ten years late. :) But the zine has been sent out, and I finally noticed like the fool I am that others have posted their pieces, and thusly, I too will post mine! Because I can. And I want to.

My focus was on the Golden Deer post-skip, specifically in some nebulous point during the war. Being part of this zine was really, really cool -- I can’t wait for all the books and merch to arrive with everyone!

(will reblog with links because we all know tumblr likes to break things.)

A beat of something nice, amid the fragments of harder times.

In the spaces between war — between scattered supply checks and ration distribution, bandit skirmishes and long watch nights — Hilda finds the time she needs to breathe.

It came easier, back in the academy. She could simply step back and let the world move around her, steadfast in her belief that it would still be standing when she returned. Nowadays she steals the air in her lungs from glances at the sky and quick delivery walks, from the chip of chisel and steel against stone and wood, from the sensation of gems and petals inlaid on clothes, chains and hooks when she can afford to lay down her axe. Infrequency makes the beats between battles all the more precious.

With the professor around she can afford more pauses still, but Hilda watches herself. She knows, all too well, just how young she is. Claude lies at one year her junior and the professor, with their five year hiatus, sits at two. It wouldn't do for her stubborn leaders to find someone they can’t believe in among their ranks, now.

She’s on the run for errands when she spots a hint of not-plant green and wood not far off the beaten path, and she wastes no time following that tried and true Deer instinct to take a peek. Ignatz is there, as expected, easel propped on a patch of flat land, what she can see of the canvas a tasteful blend of browns and golds. He leans in, fingers dabbed in the same off-white his paintbrush dusts onto his scene. 

Now, Hilda doesn’t paint, but she does understand the stress and struggle of art, different forms aside. Which is why she waits until he leans back before she steps forward and taps his shoulder. 

“Hey, Ignatz.”

Ignatz yelps, almost drops his brush and earns himself a stripe on his palm for his troubles. “Hilda! Hi. I’m sorry, I didn’t notice you there.” 

“Don't worry about it.” She clasps her hands together. “What’re you painting?"

"I wanted to capture the cathedral, while it's still under repair." He gestures to his piece — the white forms the glint of sunlight off patches of rubble, steel and glass, along with the robes of monks and priests as they shift and sweep aside what debris they can. "A lot of artists depict places in their prime, or utterly destroyed, or after they've been restored to their former glory. I thought it would be nice to show the in-between for once. People from every background imaginable, coming together to rebuild for the future. A little different from what I usually paint, but sometimes a little variety is nice." 

"And you're doing it all the way out here because…"

"I didn't want to be in anyone's way, and I come out here a lot. I've got plenty of references with me, so it's not a problem." Ignatz shifts and Hilda catches sight of a stack of sketchbooks, some more worn than others, half-spilled from a bag. The top one gets plucked up and held between them as he flips from page to page. Statue busts, the altar and rows of pews among pillars rendered in charcoal and sleek pigment lines. Sometimes, she catches glimpses of green and blue and other colors, or shapes that don't quite match the church art he focuses on, but Ignatz flips too fast for her to see. 

Or, almost. "Go back two pages," Hilda says. A grin tugs at her lips. "Was that Claude?"

"Oh! Uh, yes." Though Ignatz learned to leave embarrassment and nerves about his art behind, something in his chest still squirms, just a bit. An image of their leader in the library, face cast in candlelight and more at peace than he ever is during daylight, stares up at the duo. "It's easier when I’m with a person, but sometimes I'll do studies on my own. Practice makes perfect, after all." 

"It's beautiful." She reaches out, pauses. "May I…?"

He passes it over. "Here. You can look at the others, too. I don't mind." Then he turns back to the easel and reaches for his paint. "Anyway, I thought this was as good a spot to work as any. There's a field down that way you can see best in the spring, and I like the view of everything from here."

"You'll have to show me when it's in season." 

Her eyes flicker over thick paper. Statues. Flowers, trees, forest paths. Distance shots of people, strolling towards town. Swirls of filigree and patterns fill whole pages in patches, tiny stylized animals and the occasional dragon tucked into the empty space. Silhouettes crowd around the pews, and even if she recognizes clothes, many of these smaller figures are faceless. 

But she finds a loose sketch, hair popping blond against black ink, of Raphael and a young girl with the same square jaw and broad shoulders. Claude himself appears once more, this time in wireframe form, ordinary steel bow drawn all the way back and arrow pointed to the left. When she plucks one of his other books from the stack it follows a similar trend — renderings of the cathedral, inside and out, stuck in among horse-drawn carriages and sunlit grass patches and clothes and people, both familiar and unfamiliar, faceless and defined. A few drawings are from the past few months: Sylvain in his armor, Baltie with his open-chested shirt, Leonie and her long hair, the monastery scaffolding. 

Most of his drawings are from the academy days. 

Lindhardt, leaned against a tree, the shadow of leaves mottled on his lap. Herself and Marianne seated in the dining hall. Lysithea, with a book in one hand and a swirl of magic in the other. Claude and Lorenz mid-argument. Felix as he trains blade blurred and bent as he lunges. Dimitri and Dedue bent over a table in their classroom. Edelgard as she strides across the courtyard, Hubert one step behind. Busts of the professor and Jeralt, side by side, the faintest quirk in their lips. 

Hilda looks up and pauses. Ignatz presses so close to the canvas he’s peering over the wire frames of his glasses rather than through, brow furrowed and jaw set. She shuts an eye as the sun slips out from behind what’s left of Garreg Mach’s spires. Greyscale flowers peer up from the pages, a reflection of the few asters scattered around their feet. Mountain monastery air goes down sweet and full in her lungs.

"I gotta say, Ignatz,” she says, the edge of her thumb smudged in stray charcoal. "These are amazing. How long have you been doing art?"

"Since I was little." He leans back, considers his work, then leans in again. "My parents are merchants, so we delivered paintings and statuettes to a lot of noble houses in the Alliance. One day I found some extra supplies lying around so I just… picked it up and gave it a shot."

"Well, I'm glad you did. Even these plain sketches look much nicer than anything I could do, and don't even get me started on painting. No offense, Ignatz, but no thank you. Definitely not my wheelhouse."

Ignatz pauses. "None taken, and thank you. You draw?”

"Not much." She waves a hand. "My talents lie in accessories. I like to plan before I start working, figure out how it should come together and doodle in the margins a little sometimes, that's all."

"You're always wearing beautiful jewelry, but I didn't realize you made them yourself." A smile breaks out across his face. "That's amazing, Hilda!"

A blush rolls across her cheeks and she can't stop the tug of her lips into a matching grin. "Oh, stop it. Really?"

"Of course! The colors and shapes you use match your hair, complexion, and the clothes you tend to wear quite beautifully." His brush plunges into a cup of water by the foot of his easel and faces her fully. "When did you start?"

"A long time ago, now – I'm not even sure exactly how long, anymore. I used to make flower crowns and necklaces with my big brother, and it just spun out from there." The book lies closed in her hands now. Her finger runs up and down the paper, feels the grooves between unaligned pages. "I could make them as pretty or ugly as I wanted, so long as I was happy in the end. No one ever expected anything more or less. Not that I ever made something ugly, mind you."

Ignatz hummed. "Have you ever considered selling them?"

"Not really.” Hilda tilts her head. “Do you think it'd be a good idea?"

"Absolutely! You should consider it, once the war is over. I bet people would love them."

She taps her chin. “I’ll give it some thought. What about you, Ignatz? What do you plan on doing once this whole mess is behind us?” 

“Well… Ideally, I’ll keep painting,” he says. “Even if I have to do it between my duties as a knight. It might make it hard to find a household to serve, but I don’t want to just stop.”

“Why are you aiming to be a knight? How come you’re not just going off to be an artist or something like you want to?”

“My parents sent me to the academy since my brother’s taking over the business. They didn’t really approve of the whole artist thing.” Ignatz shrugs. “I don’t really think I’m all that cut out for it, to be honest. Fighting’s never been my strong suit.” 

“Well that’s a shame,” Hilda says. “Have you ever spoken to them about it?”

He shook his head. "Not much recently, at least."

“You should. Maybe you can convince them, after all this. And if you can’t, then just come to House Goneril, okay? I’ll let you paint as much as you want.”

“That would be nice.” He smiles, then bends to reach for his bag. “Thank you, Hilda.” 

“Any time.” She holds the sketchbook out. Ignatz takes it, tucks it gently alongside the others. Before he can put his brush away, he pauses. 

“If you have time,” he starts. "Would you like to join me out here again tomorrow? We could work on our projects together, if you have any."

Hilda smiles. "I'd love to, but I'm on stock duty tomorrow. No shuffling off the responsibility for that."

"I see. That's too bad. Maybe next time?" 

"... Sure. I'd like that."

[20dollarlolita]

Hey! I have a slightly off-topic question, but I thought you might know a little bit? I'm applying to colleges for costume design, and I'm confused about portfolios (although I'm excited to say I'm including some lolita stuff I made partly thanks to stuff I learned from your blog, so thank you so much!). Do you have any advice? Like, how many sketches should I include, should I include multiple angles of the same piece, should I include non-costume art too? Any advice is very welcome, thank you!

Hope this isn’t too late, but here goes.

I don’t know for sure about how well this tailors to college, but here’s what I’ve learned about making a portfolio to get costume work, and usually they just want to see the same kind of professional work. 

All of this is super subjective. There’s a lot of people out there who have very different portfolio styles than I do, and many of them are probably more successful than I am. However, when I have no idea where to start, reading someone else’s style can really make me feel like I have enough of a handle on things to begin, so I’m going to just barf out what my personal guidelines are.

So here goes:

First of all, you need a portfolio that stands on its own, without you having to explain any pieces. It’s nice to be able to have things to say about it, if you’re presenting in person, but you also need to be ready for someone to see it without you there. People with know knowledge of you should be able to tell what’s going on.

Part two, don’t use paragraphs of text. In fact, except for page headers, I try not to use text at all. This sounds really counter to the first point, showing that your work and photography of your work is good enough to stand on its own really shows professionalism in this field.

Part three, don’t crowd the pictures together. Try not to overlap anything. Avoid weird crops. You don’t want a lot of clutter on the pages. This isn’t a graphic novel. You want your page layouts to encourage viewers to spend time looking at the details of a single image, instead of you trying to direct their gaze to details. Too many detail shots can make it look like you’re hiding something.If you have a specific detail that you need to show on a piece, and that isn’t visible on a simple front/back view, a single little detail shot is sometimes nice. For example, I made a ton of wigs and custom hair accessories out of clock parts, and none of my actor shots had the most elaborate hair clip on it, so I had a little back view of that wig on a head form.

Of the more subjective parts, what work you have and have done is going to make a huge impact on how you arrange your portfolio. I’ve had the most success with having sections for my different categories of work. I have one for design, a basic construction, a draping/patterning section, a costume crafts section, and a specialty skills section. Each are arranged slightly differently.

For the costume design section, I have a two page spread for each theatrical show. The left page will have several costume renderings (resized). The right will have production pictures from the show, making a point to have the costumes from the renderings I chose visible in the pictures. Larger shows can have 25+ renderings in them, and it’s not helpful to have all of them in the portfolio. I like using actual production pictures in these. Any legitimate theater that cares about promotion will probably take production/archive pictures, and it’s totally acceptable and a little bit expected for you to ask to get copies of some for your portfolio. While a behind-the-scenes image is more likely to show the costume better, a production image shows how your work translates into the stage, and that’s usually more useful for the people considering hiring you.

Also, it makes your work look really good. For example, in 2010 I did a few costumes for a show, which were all plain clothes. It’s one thing to show a picture of a hoodie sweater and some jeans. It’s another thing to have a picture of the scene. You get the advantage of someone else focusing on the staging and lighting and modeling in the image. Costume design for film works pretty similarly, with one major note I have: when you’re getting screenshots from your film, keep them in the same aspect ratio as the film. You want them to visualize your work as a film, so make your screenshots look like a film.One of the things about my design section is that it’s not necessarily pieces that I made. I’m also showcasing how I can work from prefab clothes and rented costumes, and how I can make rented costumes from different areas and hand built costumes mesh into a cohesive world of the play. This is a very important skill, so include shows that you didn’t build from scratch into this section.

My basic construction section is for projects where I did a lot of creating things, but not very much in the way of designing things. This happens if I’m a stitcher and another person is the designer, if I made something for a personal project, some cosplay and things like that, and heavy alterations (wedding dresses, mostly). In this case, good shots on a dress form or on a model in relatively neutral poses work really well. You can have a nice backdrop and things like that, but don’t use a pose that doesn’t show off the garment. You want pictures large enough for someone looking at it to see details, but that are also clear enough that someone who’s just flipping through your pages will stop and look at it to see the details. Hold it at arm’s length and squint, and see if the picture still looks somewhat interesting. If I’m a stitcher in someone else’s design, it’s not unexpected for me to use the designer’s renderings, while making it clear in the portfolio that they are not my renderings. Building from someone  else’s designs is an important skill and you want to show that off. In general, however, this is the section that I have for just finished pieces. I make a lot of tutus without designs, so there’s just some pages of tutus with no design images or explanations.

The only section that I show WIP shots is the patterning/draping section. Sometimes, I make patterns without making a full design, and then I’ll have a picture of the pattern and the muslin mockup.

Usually, I’ll stick some kind of watermark on these, or take off certain pieces. You’re looking at if you want to hire me. You’re not here to steal patterns from my portfolio.

Anyway, moving on, costume crafts is my section where I put things that aren’t really sewn. This is where wigs go. This is where tiaras go. Gloves? Hats? Jewelry? Fabric fans? Did I make it for a costume, but didn’t sew it? Here it goes. This one tends to get a bit more cluttered, because I don’t want this section to be too big. This isn’t a hello, hire me for my costume crafting ability. This is a BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE! I ALSO MAKE WIGS! I ALSO DYE SHOES!! It’s a good way to remind a potential employer that there’s all these small things that they’ll need, that not every costumer can do, but that I can do.

Specialty skills is another small section. Do I do anything particularly well? I do a lot of custom dye jobs, so I’ll have a couple of pictures of that. I make costumes for dogs, so there’s a picture of that. Embroidery? put a sample there. This is just another section for where they might hire you for just a random skill you have. I know an actress who got a job because she mentioned that she can make realistic baby noises on her resume. I know another actor who got hired because his special skills section said he could skateboard.

So, that’s a lot of sections, and you need to be really careful that your portfolio isn’t too long. Since I go around to a lot of places that might want different things, what I have is one very long portfolio, and then a second, shorter portfolio book. I can take pages out of the long portfolio and fill up the short portfolio, which requires me to decide what pages are the best and the most relevant. Editing a lot of information down to the best and more relevant is another really important skill.

So, that was way too much information. Sorry about that. If it’s a college portfolio, don’t freak out. They’re usually looking to see 1) if you have any experience and 2) if you’ve gone through the effort to arrange a portfolio and 3) if you vaguely understand what “professional” looks like. One of the first things we did in my program was get all our portfolios and resumes together and discuss why they worked and didn’t work, so that we could improve. No one’s expecting it to be great (though it’s nice if it is). They just need you to take that first step and show that you’re trying and that you care, and that you can do some googling and asking around for portfolio tips.

I also have a “casual costume scrapbook” that I keep in my car, which is useful for when I’m trying to foot-in-the-door my way into a small theater. Having my professional portfolio on me is dangerous, because I don’t want to damage it, and looks like I’m trying way too hard if I’m just striking up a conversation with someone in Starbucks. This has a couple of techniques in it. Specifically:

“Yeah, sewing with cats is the worst. Look at her.” *casually opens the book to this page* “I was gone for one second and then I came back and here she was, right on my cutting mat. Oh, yeah, you can look at the rest. That’s cool. I should have some of my cards taped in the back page.”

But I’d never, never actually bring this as a portfolio to an interview.

There’s other costume people out there, so if anyone else has portfolio tips, please share!

[kiraraneko]

CATS as reviewed by a furry

Apparently this is a movie review blog now lmao (listen I just have some Opinions™ I feel like writing down lately) You’ve already heard from a hundred sources about the terrible CGI and bad quality of the film overall, so I’m going to focus more on the characters themselves and how they’ve been translated from stage to film. As someone whose been a fan of CATS since childhood AND is active in the furry community, I hope this will be different from the other reviews. (YES THERE ARE SPOILERS)

Let’s just start this off by saying - everyone who keeps comparing this film to “furry porn” clearly is not familiar with furry porn, because the alleged “hornyness” of the actor portrayals is pretty in-line with the stage play. The only reason this movie comes off as so much more sexual is because the bad fur CGI doesn’t keep your brain from knowing these people are all basically nude. The stage play costumes feature fur tufts and limb wraps that work to somewhat hide the human silhouettes, whereas (even with some characters in coats and accessories) everyone’s fur in the movie is so skin-tight they end up being unmistakably human, so every sway and hip-thrust comes off as slightly disturbing in an uncanny way instead of feline and graceful.

Victoria the White Cat Now here’s where I’ll admit to my blatant bias - Victoria has always been my favorite cat (other than Rum Tum). Here’s a bit of trivia for you: Ever wonder why my fursona is a white cat? (Jumpcut to me as an 8 year old wearing a scarf around my waist, pretending to be Victoria). Her role in the play is small but she’s elegant, beautiful, and an incredibly talented dancer, and I always idolized her for that. So, you can imagine I was pretty delighted to find that she plays the role of “main character” in the film. Now in the play, the cats explain to the audience about who and what they are, with Munkustrap (the grey tabby) serving as a kind of narrator/translator and leader. Since you can’t exactly address a stage audience in a movie, Victoria fills that role of the “questioning onlooker”, which I feel fits her character very well considering she’s both a younger/newer cat to the Jellicle scene and she was the first to accept Grizabella, which connects her nicely to the entire story (both in the play and the movie). What I was markedly less jazzed about was the addition of her own song in the movie. I think it was a nice attempt to expand her role, but as an extension to Memories, I found Beautiful Ghosts to be frankly kind of boring and unnecessary. She’s essentially saying to Grizabella “I was just abandoned and I don’t have anything, at least you have good memories to look back on” which to me, came off as belittling to Grizabella with a dash of “poor me” for Victoria. However, the reprise version with Old Deuteronomy I actually ended up liking much more. It is less condescending when two old cats are singing to one another, versus a kitten who has their whole life ahead of them lecturing Grizabella about a past she knows nothing about. One last thing I’ll note about Victoria is her slight re-design in the movie - she’s been given some light striping patterning as opposed to being a pure white cat. This doesn’t bother me at all as I assume when it comes to lighting and rendering, pure white fur would have been too distracting on screen. Jennyanydots / The Gumbie Cat I’ll just come right out and say that this segment was probably the worst translation from the play in the entire movie, and it happens early in the film, so you’re already questioning what the hell the rest of the movie is going to be like. In the play, she’s a slow-paced and motherly type cat that only becomes energetic at night, when she sheds her fur to reveal a vibrant coat and goes to work teaching vermin of the house good manners and skills like crocheting (as opposed to hunting them, like other cats would do). In the movie, she’s flitting about the kitchen like a hyperactive rabbit, rampantly consumes some of the insects she’s painstakingly coached, and whines about wishing to leave her household. If this butchering of her character weren’t enough, they actually included the fur-shedding bit in an incredibly disturbing skin-unzipping sequence where she steps out of her cat skin to reveal a sparkly dress underneath. Characters in the CATS play occasionally do wear some clothing accessories, but this movie does not know the meaning of subtlety, and various characters are wearing fullbody clothes which even further breaks any illusion of these characters being cats. It just constantly wants to remind you that these are human people in unitards jumping around on a greenscreen. Rum Tum Tugger Undoubtedly a fan favorite, Rum Tum is the rockstar cat who swoons all the kittens and makes a general ruckus, with stylistic influences of Mick Jagger and Elvis. To say the least, I thought his part in the movie was fine, but certainly doesn’t quite have the punch to it that the stage play does. The movie has him breaking into a 50′s style diner while milk is liberally poured for all the younger cats. Both his character and that of the Gumbie cat’s are diminished further as she makes fun of his singing and dance moves - which may have been a funny addition, if it weren’t for her alleging his show-offiishness to a recent neutering. This joke just went a little too far in my opinion, and really detracted from the rest of Rum Tum’s performance. Bustopher Jones A very charming and gentlemanly cat, Bustopher’s sequence started well and then just got really weird. His song prominently describes his love of fine dining, his cheerful demeanor, and his well-groomed fur. The last of which was directly contradicted in the movie, as he rolled around in actual garbage making an utter mess of himself. He’s shown gorging himself through the entire segment with increasing fervor, until it’s just a bit too much to bear witness to. At one point, he’s meant to trapeze into a trash can, but the cat who jumps on the other end of the catapult is markedly smaller, and nothing happens. This is actually quite a funny moment, until once again, the joke goes a little too far and Bustopher comments being “sensitive about his weight”. This is just.. a bizarre comment considering he’s sung an entire song about being charmingly large and we’ve just watched him unabashedly stuff his face for five solid minutes. Applying human weight-shaming to the ideals of a cat is just completely unnecessary, awkward, and contradictory to his character. It changes him from an indulgent but experienced chap into something to be pitied. Asparagus / Gus the Theatre Cat Possibly my favorite segment of the movie, this is the only part I actually teared up at. As a child, I always thought Gus was a very boring character with a boring part, but watching as an adult I can understand and appreciate him much better. Sir Ian McKellen did an absolutely phenomenal job of channeling the frail, endearing, proud character of Gus (despite the wonky camera work of the scene). This might be the only part of the movie that matched, or perhaps even exceeded the stage play version, and I don’t think it’s any surprise that it also happens to be the most subdued sequence, relying almost entirely on character acting and line delivery, instead of fancy effects cluttering up the screen (as this musical should be). The end of his storytelling features some “lightning strikes” for emphasis, created by what I imagine would be a simple shadow stencil, and it added some genuine atmosphere to the idea of Gus as a performer with simple stage effects. It was a nice subtle touch, and I only wish the rest of the movie could have been more like that. I found his line condemning “modern productions” to be more poignant than ever before, and it makes you wonder if this movie suddenly became painfully self-aware.  Also I just want to throw this in: Before Gus’s song, there’s an unintentionally hilarious shot of Mr. Mistoffelees walking up on him drinking milk from a dish, except Gus is mostly in shadow with his cat features obscured and is standing fully upright, so he just appears to be a hobo man lapping at a dish, like someone legit just walked up on Ian McKellen being a complete fucking weirdo.  Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer This segment was another one that just didn’t come across quite right. These two are mischievous partners in crime, causing mayhem and stealing treasures. The '98 film version characterizes them as playful and upbeat, delighting in trouble-making, but they don’t seem to be quite experienced or clever enough to get away 100% of the time. The 2019 version came off as almost.. sinister to me. They coerce Victoria into stealing, frame her, and then leave her to what could nearly be her death, all while sort of talking through their lines with a cold inflection. This is supposed to take after the original “languid” London version, but they don’t play off each other very well and you don’t get a sense of the fun, amusing partnership they’re supposed to have. It’s mostly just watching them destroy several rooms of a house and then leaving Victoria to her fate like utter assholes. I don’t really have anything more to say on these two, it was just kind of bland and forgetful and leaves you disliking them instead of enjoying watching them have a fun romp. Skimbleshanks the Railway Cat I would give Skimbleshanks the award for “most baffling redesign”. As mentioned earlier, this movie takes cats-wearing-clothing to an uncanny level, and this is certainly the uncanny-est. While the play version has him in a cute waistcoat and arm warmers with elbow patches to give a “train conductor” vibe, the movie has him in full bright red overalls, with other reviews calling him “gay nightclub Mario”, lmao! As much as I wanted to enjoy this number, the sight of him was just too weird to look past.  The tap dancing during his skit was a fitting addition to his character - he is quite bouncy and light on his feet, so I thought it suited him very well and really liked that part. His song picks up after that, with all the cats dancing on the rail and there’s more weird camera work, at one point zooming out so ridiculously far it’s actually jarring. The rest of his song was okay, a CGI greenscreen that can do anything you want unfortunately just isn’t as creative and inspiring as watching actors build a train engine representation out of junkyard scraps on an actual stage.  Magical Mr. Mistoffelees The movie really took some liberties with this character, and I’m still on the fence about whether it was a good choice or not. In the play, Mistoffelees is a magician cat, performing tricks through his segment (including the most complex dance routine of any character) while other cats usually sing about his feats (in the ‘98 film, it’s Rum Tum). They went for the younger, unsure version of Mistoffelees in this new movie, and doubled up on it by turning him into something of a comedic-relief character. He doesn’t quite have a handle on his magic, and he trips up on his words and his feet several times through the movie. This would have been fine if his musical number hadn’t been such a let down. This is supposed to be his grand moment, but his “magic” ends up being underwhelming and the chorus repeats for SO long you’re practically begging for it to end. Where “Oh! Well, I never! Was there ever a cat so clever as Magical Mr Mistoffelees?” was once a cheerful and upbeat line, it will certainly become a droning echo in your mind after watching this movie. The added plot of his implied attraction to Victoria I also found kind of weird, though I’ll admit that might just be my personal tastes. I always liked Mistoffelees being a more aloof kind of cat.  Grizabella / The Glamour Cat Alright buckle in, I’ve got some strong opinions about this one. Grizabella is undeniably the star of CATS - she’s an incredibly emotional character, visually intriguing, and her performance in the musical is nothing short of heartbreaking. She was referred to as “the Glamour Cat” in her prime, but it has turned into an almost mocking title as the other cats reject and shun her. We never really know why, but it can be implied she may have been cold and elitist to the other cats who once adored her, or had some other tragic and sudden fall from grace. Despite Jennifer Hudson putting in a damn good effort to play the role of this character, the movie itself let her down. The CATS play and the Jellicle ball which it centers around, while being a musical, is foremost a ball in which cats perform for the honor of being chosen. The dancing is just as important as the singing, and Grizabella’s character is heavily communicated by her posture. She’s hunched, stiff and limping, reaching out for others to accept her, and at one point even attempts to mimic some of the other cat’s dance moves before slinking away in shame. The 2019 movie paradoxically chooses to use extremely tight face-shots for just about every character routine. It is frustrating and claustrophobic to watch a movie where cats who are supposed to be expressing their character through movement are shown from only the shoulders up, just standing there singing into a camera - and this frustration is paramount at the Grizabella sequences.  Jennifer Hudson, singing her absolute heart out with tears pouring down her face, is still emotionally lacking because of the terrible cinematography refusing to show her doing any actual acting. I was so distracted by the mucus running down her face that I couldn’t even connect with her. I thought the costuming of Grizabella was very well done, but you barely got to see any of it. Overall a very disappointing performance, because Hudson was doing all the right things, and it could have been great if the movie had met her even halfway. Macavity the Mystery Cat Played by the incredible Idris Elba, Macavity underwent some heavy changes and expansion in this new movie. He’s the main antagonist of the play, and most of his antics like committing serious crimes and alluding the police are sung about as rumors but doesn’t himself sing, and actually doesn’t have any speaking lines in the play, adding to his mysterious character. When he eventually appears, he battles with Munkustrap and steals Deuteronomy (who is brought back by Mistoffelees). Macavity is usually depicted with vibrant clashing colors, wild hair, and uses quick threatening movements, while the Idris Elba version rein-visioned him as extremely sleek, black-furred, and sly and cunning, often emerging from the shadows to tempt other cats with their vices. He is given numerous speaking lines, and his villainy is expanded on as he kidnaps the other cats in an attempt to be the chosen Jellicle. I actually quite like this interpretation of the character, and it makes him a little more relatable instead of the vicious enigma he is in the play.  Something of note is just how literally the new movie took the rumors of Macavity’s powers. His abilities, which were muted and used sparingly in the play, were used constantly and without hesitation in this movie. He spends most of his time teleporting other characters and creating illusions, but then uses trickery to try and win the Jellicle ball, and fails to demonstrate his power of levitation when it really matters. So whether he does or doesn’t have real powers seems to be.. situational to say the least. Another thing I want to point out is just how uncomfortably sudden Macavity’s reveal is. He spends most of the movie in the shadows hidden under an oversized coat and hat, and then suddenly appears at the Jellicle ball without any disguise on whatsoever. Idris Elba is a damn fine looking dude, and you can clearly see his very human-shaped abs beneath his sleek Macavity fur, which is so close to his actual skintone that I’ve seen him described as “extra naked” and it’s pretty accurate. You just really aren’t prepared for this moment when it happens. Growltiger This guy is a rough and rowdy pirate-esque character with a dramatic love life. His segment was cut from the ‘98 film, so seeing the play in person is just about the only way to experience it. Because of this, it’s probable that many people may not even be aware of this character, so I was pretty excited to hear that he would be featured in the 2019 movie. Growltiger is quite overdue for his time in the mainstream spotlight. Turns out, unfortunately, Growltiger's Last Stand is not what you get. His appearance in the movie is more or less a cameo with a short introduction, and the rest of the time he’s serving as Macavity‘s henchman in the background. This is based on the 2015 revival of him as a dock worker, but I feel it was a weak representation of his character, and really wish he’d been shown in a better light. The movie cuts out pretty much every fight scene, and Growltiger‘s would have been dramatic and fun to watch, especially after Gus’s reminiscing. Instead, he was kind of lazily thrown into a river by Gus, who previously bragged about playing the role of Growltiger on stage, which is kind of an interesting juxtaposition if you don’t think about it too hard. Old Deuteronomy A surprising change was the decision to make Deuteronomy female, played by Judi Dench. I love old grandpa Deuteronomy, but this didn’t really bother me. Deuteronomy is a wise, beloved leader of the Jellicles and there’s not really anything integral about the character that says they couldn’t be female. Deuteronomy carries himself with dignity, but isn’t afraid to dance along with the songs of the other more lively cats, and Judi Dench certainly has an air of authority and respect about her. The character’s songs are reflective and thought-provoking, but once again, the 2019 movie fails to make any of these sequences actually entertaining. The absolute worst part of the entire movie comes at the very end, when Deuteronomy makes horrific, unblinking eye contact with the camera, and slowly talks her way through the Ad-Dressing of Cats. This is absolutely bewildering considering how the movie deliberately sets up Victoria as a main character in place of the audience, only to completely chuck that out the window of a moving car just to break the 4th wall in the most uncomfortable way possible and directly address the audience anyway. What is even the point? I can’t imagine there’s a single person that would watch that and be okay with it. The Ad-Dressing of Cats is supposed to be a cute, fun little recap of everything the cats supposedly taught you, but this movie made it feel like a lecturing stare-down. Other notes The Awefull Battle of the Pekes and the Pollicles was cut entirely from the movie, which is fine because it isn’t integral to the story or anything, considering it was also cut from the stage play when I saw it live. I kind of shudder to think of how The Great Rumpus Cat would have been interpreted in this movie, so I think we were all probably spared some indignities.  While this movie was watchable and certainly an interesting take on the play, it creatively added very little and only succeeded in making me desperately want to go watch the ‘98 musical. I thought at least this movie would be a fun soundtrack to view, but many of the songs just didn’t have the punchiness, joy, charm, or energy that I’m used to. There were parts of it that I liked enough to say this isn’t the worst movie I’ve ever seen, but that’s not exactly a glowing review. From the perspective of a theatre fan and a furry: If I want to see CATS, I’m most certainly going to choose the filmed musical over this new movie any day.  I’m infinitely more charmed by the graceful 80′s style dancers of the play than I am by the uncanny valley, painfully human cat-people of the new movie (and honestly I haven’t seen a single piece of fanart for it, so that really tells you all you need to know).

[brianburell]

Future of Fashion Lies with Technology

Valerie Steele, an American fashion historian, puts, “I think that a lot of our fashion history shows do touch on important issues. Fashion and technology obviously do, because technology is impacting fashion in so many ways, from computer-assisted design to the way we actually purchase clothes online”.

Indeed, technology has become one of the highly applauded value-generating elements in the fashion industry. Brands are focusing on a digital-first approach. They are committed to leverage tech advancements to strengthen their diversified assortments offered through online channels. The head-on sustainability agenda is inspiring them to invest in a tech-driven business model for longer-term transformation and serve a growing breed of customers who adore sustainable fashion.

The fashion industry is witnessing changes as brands are pioneering exciting business models leading to new paths of profitability. As 2020 will experience tectonic shift with fashion companies pushing tech-integrated services in the market, the future of fashion will undeniably be driven by tech currents as companies will keep their fingers on the pulse of market demand.

Delivering top-end consumer experience is a priority, and technology is available at the perusal of fashion brands to make them digital right. Here are some tech-centric fashion business concepts that will revolutionize this highly competitive space in the coming years.

Technology Changing the Future of Fashion

Blockchain making fashion transparent

The technology well known for fusing immutability in business transactions, is now finding its way in the fashion industry. Statista reveals that the Italian fashion and luxury sector is showing a keen interest in blockchain because of its capability to make supply chain traceable while preventing counterfeiting. Fashion is all about offering exclusivity and desirability, and nothing is better than a technology that can assure the authenticity of every transaction. Whether it is about supply chain activities or procuring raw materials unethically or involving child labor in production or emitting hazardous waste in the environment, blockchain can keep a check on all. Fashion brands can create a digital identity of the apparel and accessories, thus thwarting the economy of fake goods.

Moreover, it is offering food for thought to socially and environmentally aware consumers as they shift towards ethical consumerism and sustainable fashion. Blockchain is facilitating a win-win solution for all stakeholders by calibrating the information. Brands can experience more customer engagement as consumers develop trust in them. Blockchain is still in its nascent phase as far as the fashion industry is concerned. The future is perky as it will bring enormous opportunities for the brands to show consumers that they care for them.

Digital Stores rendering immersive and convenient experiences

In an attempt to fine-tune the customer experience and differentiate themselves from competitors, fashion brands are investing in digitization and unconventional business models. In a “winner takes all” economy, fashion companies are keen to offer a value proposition to their customers by implementing cutting-edge tools for a marvelous in-store experience. With interactive devices like AR-powered smart mirrors, AI-powered apparel design software, tailored suggestions driven by big data, interactive catalogs in 3D, digital tags, virtual fitting rooms, agent-facing bots, automated and contactless checkouts and selfie kiosks; brands are underpinning revolutionary ways of selling through brick and mortar stores. It would not be superfluous to say that fashion brands are going phygital.

The stores of the future will offer RaaS (Retail-as-a-Service), where innovative technologies will spellbind customers by providing on-demand services in the stores. Research by Raydiant justifies that retail is not dying; it is technologically evolving and redefining customer experience with new engagement models. Undoubtedly, in the quest to become the best-in-class fashion retailer, companies will continue to offer an immersive environment powered by new-age technologies.

Clothing-as-a-Service (CaaS) offering luxury fashion easily

The rental and resale model is an emerging concept in the fashion industry. With the potential to tackle the problem of overconsumption, this model is all set to end permanent ownership of the clothing and begin circular fashion. The craving for newness in the younger generation has inspired brands to come up with this creative way of refurbishing the apparel.

Clothing-as-a-Service is a subscription-based model in which apparel and accessories are provided to customers for temporary use. Gaining widespread momentum as key players are experiencing customer engagement through this model; fashion by subscription heavily relies on the latest technology. Advanced tech like AI is helping entrepreneurs in this segment to predict inventory and demand patterns. They are designing highly interactive web-based platforms where users can place an order after taking smart trials. Needless to say, fashion retailers will harness digitally advanced ecosystems in the coming years to add CaaS in their omnichannel portfolio.

Bespoke apparel transferring style ownership

Bespoke apparel now no more signifies a tailor-made outfit; instead, it is an emotion, a sentiment that is driving customers to design their own clothes. The trend of empowering customers to custom-create their clothes is a paradigm shift in the fashion industry that not only makes customers, style owners but also contributes towards sustainable fashion. Powered by sophisticated tools like apparel design software, fashion lovers are customizing any form of apparel with few clicks.

Apparel companies and brands are investing in AI and AR tools that augment the online experience of designing clothes, thus helping brands to simplify their technology footprint. Moreover, customers are attracted to create a statement piece that reflects their personality and taste. Therefore, the future of tech in fashion is optimistic as companies are moving towards a made-to-order style that is faster to market and agile to implement.

Katalyst Technologies can Catalyze your Journey to Future

The unfolding implications of disruptive technology will continue to impact players in the fashion industry. If you are still on the other side and are exploring ways to enter into the realm of tech-driven fashion, Katalyst can help. We are a leading IT company with immense capability to support the digital transformation of businesses in all verticals. iDesigniBuy is our established product that offers customization software for fashion apparel and accessories. Our experts are continuously working on removing hurdles while paving a path for digitization coupled with sustainability.

Collaborate with us.

Source Link - https://katalysttech.com/blog/future-of-fashion-lies-with-technology/

[tacitoru]

All That Glitters (m)

pairing: Taehyung x Reader

genre: smut

warnings:  dragonhybrid!Taehyung, sugar daddy au, slight humiliation, spit play (i really don’t know)

synopsis:  A “strictly business” relationship quickly breaking its own boundaries. You’re in denial and Taehyung has had enough.

notes: of course when I finally write something I think is worthy of posting it turns out to be just pwp. But hi, I’m back bitches.

Call him a stereotype, but Kim Taehyung has always loved pretty things.

He had a natural eye for beauty, for things that not only shimmered and shined in the sun but glowed with an inner radiance of their own. Whether that glow was from the pride of its maker, the spark of interest from the story behind it, or the price tag that would make simple mortal cower, Taehyung knew beauty when he saw. In the modern world, it had become less of an obsessive tendency to hoard and more of inherited hobby passed through his bloodline. It had been long since his gallery surpassed mere gems and gold coins; he had become a Laura Croft of sorts; minus the violence and cultural intrusion, mountain climbing and manhunts. He never touched anything of cultural importance, never went out of his way to take from those who held a much greater value in particular items than he did. As young as he was, Taehyung had considered himself a having done a fine job in keeping himself in line.

However, that itch to take – to have – came back every so often, just like that rainy night so many months ago. And that night he wanted you.

He’d never felt it so strongly before that night, the need to possess – let alone possess someone. He prided himself in being a man aware and respectful of other’s limits and boundaries. And to top it all off, you had initially refused! Of course, his delivery hadn’t been the smoothest, but after some clarification, it hadn’t taken long for you to be persuaded. Money; you needed it and he had too much of it. And so began a partnership of sorts. He had the honor of dotting you around on his arm as company for dreaded public events and you attended university sleeping comfortably each night knowing your tuition for grad school was long paid off. It had been a careful balancing act for many months, simple conversations slowly transforming into something a little more, heated glances in silent car rides doing nothing short of burning a hole in Taehyung’s chest. Over time, you had gone from one of Taehyung’s favorite accessories to someone dear to his heart - his little gem. Until tonight, when the tightrope you both had been balancing on was strung so tight it snapped.

Although you were the one to back him into the wall in a frenzy, Taehyung is quick to put you in your place. His hand finds its way to your hair, and in one rough jerk, he tugs your head back to a expose the skin beneath your jaw, his mouth sucking a new pattern of purple down your neck. You groan in indignation, yet his firm grip restricts you from moving too far away. Taehyung laughs, lips ghosting your collarbone.

“You often speak so indifferently of me - at parties, company functions, to your friends - renouncing your feelings at every chance you get, and yet-.” His laugh is one of bitter amusement, whispering against your skin, yet the slow movement of the other hand that had fallen from your throat instill the very opposite of fear in your bones. “And yet your body is strung tight like the strings of a violin because even it acknowledges that this-,”

His free hand moves to your left breast, just above your heart.

“-this-,”

It travels further, palm circling your belly button to your navel.

“-and this-,”

You choke on a gasp of his name, elicited from a rough hand cupping your clothed mound, having maneuvered its way under the hem of your dress. Without a doubt, he can feel the warm moisture seeping through the fabric on his fingertips. “-Are mine.”

As though he senses the beginning of protests forming on your lips, he grins. Pretty white teeth glinting in the light of the moon. “As I am yours.”

You go just about boneless in his hold, grappling at his shoulders as you fall into him. Fingers moving on their own accord, you begin scrambling to undo the shiny buttons of his dress shirt.

“Uh-uh,” he tuts, nipping at your ear in retaliation and – much to your dismay – releasing his hold on your hair. “Slow down little gem, we’re in no rush.”

“But Tae-,”

“Y/N” If the firm tone of his voice wasn’t enough to render you still, the golden glint of his irises do. “On your knees, hands under your thighs.”

Albeit reluctant to obey, you sink to your knees, wincing when met with the texture of the tiles of the kitchen floor. Taehyung pays no mind, a single hand wrapping around your jaw to squish your cheeks with his thumb and forefinger. It forces your lips into an awkward pout. You attempt to glare up at him in irritation as hard as possible in your slightly humiliating situation.

“Aw, is baby upset? Don’t worry sweetie, patience is virtue,” he coos, thumb stroking your cheekbone. With the other hand he slowly undoes his belt and suddenly your attention is otherwise occupied, annoyance dissipated with the quiet clink of metal. “Open your mouth and stick your tongue out.”

You raise an eyebrow at him. When you fail to immediately adhere to his command, he presses against your cheeks, firmly working your jaw open in his grasp. “Now be a good girl and stay put. I have a quick call I need to make.”

You cry out in disbelief as he pats your right cheeks and walks off with a smirk, belt swinging loosely from the loops of his suit pants. What kind of game is he playing?

“No moving!” He calls from the direction of the bedroom and a whine builds up in your throat. It doesn’t take long for an ache to grow in your hands and knees, blood circulation nearly cut off at the wrists. The tile floors become more and more uncomfortable by the minute. Listening to the deep timbre of Taehyung’s voice on from the other side of your apartment, you’re quick to realize that this is a test. He’s testing to see just how far you’re willing to go, pushing your limits with his commands. You’re perfectly capable of closing your mouth and getting up right this instant, yet-

And yet you don’t because of the realization that some part of you has been craving this. The burning flush of humiliation in your cheeks, the taunting look reflected in his gold-flecked eyes. Relinquishing control for a few blissful hours. It sends a delicious thrill down your spine. So you sit in the middle of your kitchen floor, knees burning and fighting the temptation to swallow the saliva gradually pooling in your mouth.

Around the time he finishes his call, you glance blearily at the clock on the stove; he’s left you for a good ten minutes. By now the joints in your jaw ache as well, and you’re thoroughly soaked down to your neck in your own dribble.  You hear Taehyung before you see him, the soft padding of dress shoes on your shabby carpeting before met with the tile of the kitchen as he rounds the counter and comes into view. His appearance makes you nearly gag on your own spit; having discarded the belt and undone his dress pants, the dragon hybrid approaches you with his cock half hard in his hand and a self-satisfied, expectant smile. His gaze makes you feel twice as small.

“Well just look at you,” he chuckles. His hand returns to your jaw, unflinching when some of the warm fluid in your mouth spills over your bottom lip onto his hand and the palm of his hand is met with the sticky residue at your chin. “My little gem. Such a good girl for me, Y/N,” A reluctant sigh. “You can get off your hands now.”

Exhaling in barely concealed relief through your nose, you pull your hands out from under you, wincing at the realization that they’ve fallen asleep. You drop them in your lap, having been practically rendered useless for the moment. However, the new discomfort is the least of your worries as your eyes take in the sight before you in incredulity. True to his dragon heritage, Taehyung is big and most certainly more daunting in length and girth than what you’ve taken on before. He slowly strokes with his free hand, and if you’re eyes hand been so caught on the motion, you wouldn’t have missed the adoring smile on your benefactor’s face.

“It’s big, huh? Is it too big for you to handle? Baby girl looks worried, do you think you can’t fit it in your mouth?”

At this, your eyes shoot up to his face in surprise, cheeks burning red from not only the exertion but the filth of his words. You imagine that he’ll barely make it halfway down before you’re gagging, and the thought makes you just as turned on as you are intimidated. As if knowing you wanted to object, Taehyung’s grin grows even wider.

“Look at you, already drooling; you want it anyway, hmm?”

Not really looking for an answer, the hand on your chin slides up to squish your cheeks again, this time resulting in an overflow of warm liquid spattering onto the bare skin of your thighs, revealed from the gradual riding up of the hem of your dress. The feeling makes you cringe, your automatic reaction to recoil from his hold to wipe yourself off. Taehyung is having none of it though, quickly switching hands to keep a hold on your face with the opposite while stroking his length with the soiled one. “Not so fast,” he grunts, and the idea of swallowing anyways just to piss him off flickers through your thoughts. The buzz of excitement is slowly becoming overshadowed by your own growing impatience. He waited this long, why wait any longer?

“Keep it wide open for me,” is your only warning before he pushes his way into the warm cavern of your mouth.

[kpopisthereasonihavenolife]

I’m Not That Easy Mr. Kim [24]

Words: 2.5k

Pt.  00 / 01 / 02 / 03 / 04 / 05 / 06 / 07 / 08 / 09 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 / 14 / 15 / 16 / 17 / 18 / 19 / 20 / 21 / 22 / 23 / 

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Taehyung didn’t want to wait for the ever so slow elevator, yet he did.  Clad in black pants, belt wrapped through their loops, with a tucked in, black collared button shirt, he impatiently tapped his toes against the hardwood floors of the main floor.  His blazer may seem excessive to some, but he didn’t care.  He wanted to be excessive tonight.  Shining with each movement from him, the blazer was clad in gemstones that gleamed in wave like patterns and hung comfortably on his shoulder.  

He was anxious.  Oh so anxious.  He could only imagine what you looked like right now.  He thought you were beautiful in your day to day appeal, but dressed up- he hoped he wouldn’t act like an idiot when he sees you at least.  He whispered a small pep talk to himself as he step into the elevator, punching in your floor as the doors close and sent him up.

Up the small metal box took him. He pulled up his sleeve just enough to view the time on his wrist watch.

4:57 PM.

Still early, but he didn’t mind.  He stepped off the elevator and moved to your door number before knocking.  You shouted back at his rapping an ‘It’s open’ and he pushed his way inside.  He shut the door behind him, seeing your heels standing in the landing, indeed taller and thinner heels than you were use to.  He desperately hoped you wouldn’t fall or hurt yourself in them, even if your only going to wear them for a few hours at most.  He was still keen on leaving early.

“Y/N?  I’m here!”  He heard your rushed, padded footsteps then you rounded the corner, coming directly into Taehyung’s field of vision.  

“I can’t hook this, do it for me?”

He was rendered speechless, so much for not acting stupid.  Was this really you, or had you actually swapped places with Aphrodite herself for the night?  He wasn’t entirely sure.  The dress hugged and complimented you perfectly, just as he thought it would.  Your accessories of shimming a pair of earrings, a bracelet on one wrist and choker around your neck made you uncannily gorgeous.  Almost too perfect for someone like him.

“Tae?”  He snapped out of his trance as he looked down, now noticing that you were standing with your back to him, rather close.  The open back showing him your shoulder blades and all.  Your hands were behind you neck, holding the chain of your choker. Your hair pulled into a curled bun, as your hair tied curled around it. “Hook this please?”

“Oh, right, yeah.” He took the chain from your hands and hooked it for you.  You adjusted where the choker sat as you spun around and fixed this and that as Tae just watched you.  “You’re beautiful,” he whispered more to himself, but you picked up on it.  

“Thank you, you look rather handsome yourself.  The jacket is very flashy.”  Normally, he’d appreciate your compliment, but his mind didn’t even filter it. He was simply just too focused on you.  You, you, you.  He grabbed at your hand as he held it, his touch light as he thumbed over your knuckles.

“I’m serious.  You’re breathtakingly beautiful.” You slightly held his hand back as you then bent down and started pulling on your heels.  “Oh,” he made a small sound as he held your hand tighter and with his other hand, placed it on your small, naked back to keep you steady as you slipped on the aching shoes.

He helped you out of the apartment after you grabbed your small white handbag with your wallet, backup makeup, and a few other random things you may or may not need while you’re out.  He held your arm as you two went downstairs and out the building as you slid into the passenger seat of his car, only for him to climb into the driver's seat and off you two were.  

You looked out the window, Taehyung holding your hand the entire way, seeing how jittery and nervous you were.  He would occasionally glance at you, but would only sit and stroke on your knuckles, trying to calm you.  Ever since he got back with you from your grandmother’s visit, him holding your hand is becoming more and more normal and he couldn’t be more happy with it.  

When the two of you arrived, Taehyung pulled the car into a small space next to a large building.  It was like a grand hotel, and all around it were fashionable, expensive cars, people walking in and out the doors, gussied up for the party of 21st century. The weight of the situation hit you and you were almost tempted to beg Tae to take you back, take you home, but you couldn't. You wouldn’t do that to him.  You’ve made it this far, you can’t go back now.

After he parked the car, he took out his keys an pocketed them, he looked at you, grabbing our hand with his second one now free from the wheel.  

“Are you sure you want to go in?  I swear, if you can’t handle it, I’ll take you home right now.  I don’t want you to be miserable, I just want you to be happy and comfortable, and if that means taking you home, then home is where we’ll go.”  

You shook your head.  

“I didn’t get all dressed up for nothing, I’ll be okay.”  You took a shaky breath as you looked at him, eyeliner lined eyes looking into his.  “You’ll be with me the whole time?”  He nodded.

“If I’m ever away from you, Jin will be right next to you in my place.”  You did briefly remember him telling you Jin would be there was well, as he was Tae’s secretary, and a vital part of the company when one brought up work ethics. You nodded.

“Alright.  Then, let’s just rip off the bandaid and go inside.”  He nodded as he let go of your hand and got out of the car, racing over to help you out of your side.  He looped your arm under and around his as he aided you to the door, presenting his invitation to the doorman and, with you beside him, waltz right in.

It was like stepping through a vortex into a different world entirely.  The entire of the main floor was like a giant ballroom.  Chandeliers, candles, white cloth covered tables of foods, beverages and alcohol and of course all the consumers dressed head to toe in jewels and money made into fabric.  You almost felt out of place when Taehyung pulled you along with him and soon you felt someone touch your shoulder from behind you. You jumped as you looked behind you, relaxing when you saw Jin’s familiar smile.

“I see you two made it.”  You both turned to look at Jin fully as you smiled to him, relieved to see a familiar face other than Tae.  He cupped his chin and looked at you, you raising your brow in confusion.

“What?”

“Nothing.  You look beautiful, Y/N.” Taehyung jumped in, smiling as he took your hand tightly.

“Doesn’t she!  She’s doubting herself though.”  You looked at the in-line CEO.

“I never said that!”  He smirked down at you.

“You didn’t have to dear.”  You and him had a small staring contest as Jin laughed at you two.  It was then that you noticed you weren’t nervous as much anymore. The way you were with these two, it helped loosen you up.  Taehyung saw the change in your eyes and smiled, you looking at his smile.  Was he trying to help you ease up the entire time?

“Has all the guests arrived yet?” Taehyung took to the conversation with Jin as he pulled out a small notebook from his inside chest pocket of his black tux.  He scanned over the list and sighed.

“Nearly.  I’m still waiting on your father’s arrival.”  Taehyung’s brow furrowed and he clicked his tongue.  It was his stupid party, yet here he was, running late.  The host surely wasn’t following through on his job.

“Of course he’s not here yet.  He’s never on time to anything.”  Tae sighed as you looked up to him, seeing his annoyed gaze you squeezed his hand. He glanced down at you and smiled a bit, and squeezed back.  He appreciated your attempt to try and lift him back up, even when you were struggling to even breath in the air in this place.  

“He’ll be here shortly, don’t worry too much about it.  I’ll text you when I see him.”  Tae nodded as Jin excused himself to go and greet and thank others for showing up.  You were waiting for Tae to start leading you around to greet people as well, and were confused when he never moved from his spot.  But, it all made sense when people started catching sight of him and trotted happily on over.  

They came to him.

He was the handsome, CEO in line to B&H Corp., as well as the only son of the host of the party.  Of course they came to him, not the other way around.  It was simple to understand and you felt Taehyung grab your hand tightly as he tugged you just a tad be closer to himself.  He wanted to offer as much warmth, and comfort as he could before the first insufferable ‘hello’.

“Mr. Kim, how are you!”  The first older woman asks, her voice almost nasally.  You felt awkward, trying to keep a friendly approach on your face, even though you know no one would be talking with you.  It was all for Taehyung’s appearance and how these people should view him.

“Please, Mr. Kim is my father.  Taehyung is simple enough for you Madam Yang.”  His smile and sweet words rolled off his tongue in a disgustingly familiar fashion. You watched as the older woman’s face lit up, one of her hands cupping a wine glass, the other touching her cheek in bashfulness.

“Why I’ll be, you remember me?”  Taehyung smiled sweetly still.  

“Of course.  I’m quite proud of the fact I’ve never forgotten a face before.  You’re a very familiar one.  It’s a pleasure to see you this evening.  I hope you are enjoying your time thus far?”  It was so foreign to hear him speak of formally.  It was like the first time you two spoke, or your first conversation via text.  Thinking about it, you liked how they had mellowed out, you converse with him so easily now.  

“It’s a very lovely venue.” The gaze of the woman finally fell to you as you offered a bow of your head to her and a smile that you tried to not seem to nervous filled.  “Who is your friend here? I don’t think I’ve had the pleasure of ever seeing her.”  Her smile was sweet, sure, but you couldn’t help to feel so small under her gaze. Normally, Tae would pull his companion in front of him more to introduce them, but you were so nervous, anxious and swirling with uncertainty, he couldn’t detach himself from you.  

Instead, he let go of your hand, seeing the slight panic in your eyes return, only to fade again when his hand was placed on the small of your naked back.  He pushed your closer to him as he rubbed his thumb on your mid-back, trying to sooth you and offer you the comfortable, and still socially acceptable, amount of distance between the two of you.  He looked down to you and smiled, when you looked up at him and smiled back.  

“This is Miss Y/L/N. Y/N.  She’s my date on this fine evening.  It’s her first time to something so grand, so she’s a bit shy.”  The older woman shook her head.  

“It’s quite alright.  I remember my first time attending something so flashy when I was still young.  I was petrified. Such a wallflower I was back then.  Oh, but I’ve aged and grown since then, now things of this stature are second nature to me.”  She looked at you and offered a smile, and it seemed pretty genuine, but you couldn’t be sure.  “You’ll be alright dear, just hang in there.  You’ll soon learn to enjoy yourself.” You smiled to her and nodded as he prodded off and soon it was like that for a solid 40 minutes before Tae and you had a time for breath without other hovering around you.  

He had asked how you were holding up and with a shaky exhale, you told him you were alright.  It wasn’t too bad, but you felt bad for making him do all the talking.  But, what were you suppose to say.  ‘Hi, I’m some low-class working girl, of a low-scale beauty company and I’m this handsome, rich man’s date for some reason’.  Yeah, you thought not.  He didn’t mind though, he had come prepared to speak anyways, with or without a date.  He was an important picture in this world after all.

He was enjoying his time speaking when he got a text.  Plucking his phone from his pocket he unlocked it to see a text from Jin.  When Tae looked up from his phone, his eyes looked right past you and locked onto someone behind you.  You wanted to turn around, and see who it was, but Tae stopped you.  

“Keep looking at me.  Don’t turn around.”  His voice had dropped and you simply did as you were told.  You gently took his hand and held it, trying to offer something to make the dark glare in his eyes go away.  He looked down at you, eyes softening as he brought your hands up to his lips, kissing your knuckles, nearly making your face flush.  You’d been good about keep everything bubbling in your gut under control, but being in this stressful situation and seeking Tae as your only solace, your guard was lowered and he unconsciously took advantage of that.

Keeping your knuckles just at brushing distance of his lips, he spoke lowly to you.

“I have someone I need to speak to, but I can’t have you with me.  Not that I’m shooing you away, but this person is-”  

“It’s alright,” you cut him off.  “I understand.  I’ll go and hide away in the bathroom and if I feel brave, I’ll come out and maybe try and talk to some people.  You go do what you have to, okay?” He smiled at you as he kissed your knuckles once again and ushered you off to the bathroom down one of the halls.  As he watched you disappear, he turned to lock eyes with the person he was previously glaring at.  

The figure jerked his head to a different hall and started off.  Taehyung got the message of them telling him to follower after, and he did.  He had a few things to say to this person, a few things indeed.  Words, ideas, thoughts, opinions and he was more than ready to fight. Fight about and for you.  

Because the person he glared at, the person leading him to a empty meeting room down a vacant hall was none other than Mr. Kim.  The current CEO of B&H Corporation as well as Taehyung’s father.

[phantapm-senior-project]

Week 10

Starry Sky and the Adventures of Water Simulation

I was getting really close to finished the water part of the last scene. The tutorial I followed was extremely helpful (and gave wonderful warnings about how to not make Blender crash 🙏)

The first finished water simulation, I noticed that for a calm scene, the water jumped around a little too much

some splashes are literally going so high up and back down

To help make the waves a little calmer, I turned down the power of the particles (to quickly explain, there’s a particle layer that pushes force onto the water simulation to give it that ripply wavy effect)

much better!

Also if you haven’t noticed, the HDRI did work! Although it’s not perfect with reflections, it fits with the scene really well. The above two videos are viewport render though

Here is the actual render with Eevee! With some variations

Also testing whether I should do rain

I wanted to try to make rain particle effects to add to the atmosphere but I ran into some issues...

It’s difficult to loop unless you time it perfectly

The “transparent” rain just look like dark blobs--not very good looking

The star rain idea looks strange when not falling from the stars on scene

Basically, if I would like to add some rain, I’d have to animate it myself through 2D. And I’m learning towards star rain, which would happen when the character enters the scene! Otherwise it’d be more calm.

Finally all the 3D scenes have been made! Now it’ll be time to focus on all things 2D.

Continuing Character design

The first character design acts like the base for the rest of the outfits this character is going to have, so I tried to modify it to reflect the specific scenes she’s in.

I wanted to go in order, but I was having trouble making her second outfit because I didn’t know where I wanted the outfit to end up. So, I started on the very last outfit in the starry sky scene:

idea sketches

I wanted something elegant, an outfit that shows her “final” fairy form while the outfit also staying true to her first one. I really liked the idea of long tails in the back of her dress, and I added some cute star decals as well. I also wanted her skin to be more blue pigmented around her hands and feet, but I thought about it and realized it’d be difficult to animate a gradient consistently.

The wings I wanted to also make star themed to complete the outfit and help reflect the scene. As the final wings, I wanted something ornate yet easy to draw multiple times, so why not have a connected pattern of stars. I hope will make it easier, while also being really pretty!

With the final outfit planned, I went back to the second scene’s outfit, a kind of transition period between the first and last scene. I wanted there to be a mix of elements from both that helps anticipate the changes the character is going through.

took a little longer with this one--idea sketches

Here her outfit alludes to the eventual tails, and the darkening of the clothes. Her wings are also simple and fit with the scene--since this is a transition period, she hasn’t fully formed her identity but just grew wings.

Side note: for the longest time, I didn’t know what hair accessories she could have on her head, as you can see in the sketches, I tried a variety of things: from flowers at the very beginning to pine needles and then finally landing on the idea of clouds on her head. It’s something I feel is iconic to the scene and to the time of dusk. I decided to make them asymmetrical too because having them be the same felt a bit funny. It could also represent the uneasiness in transition I suppose.

Turnarounds

Here are rest of the turnarounds!

rooftops dusk

starry night sky (with glowing accents to help her stand out of the scene more)

alternate colors to make it stand out more (not sure which is better)

Next Steps

Now that all the elements are now done, it’d time to put everything together into a final animation! By next week I’d hope to have the following:

An animatic of what’s going to happen

Or even a rough animation at this point of certain scenes done

Design some portals if possible (so that they look cool)

My idea has shifted a little bit since I’ve last done storyboards, so I hop nailing down the animatic will bring the same old ideas, while also help me finalize the newer details (like this last scene entirely)

In terms of what software I’m going to use, I’ve been debating between ToonBoom, a professional software used by animators, or use Blender grease pencil, a software that has been gaining a lot of traction and could help me just stay in one software.

Both are cool and I’ve heard some opinions from online, to people close to me, but I’m still wondering what’s better. Potentially I just may stick to Blender, but we’ll see

P.S: here’s the tuorial I used to make the water: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XJHc5xUFoM&t=1281s

[teachtoconnect]

Top 7 Essential Online Courses for Fashion Designers

Fashion Designing is a creative process of designing clothes and accessories. It is the art of creating new designs and products. Fashion designers design clothes, garments, and accessories for other people to buy.

Fashion designers combine creativity with technical skills to create new clothing styles and trends. They work in various industries, including fashion retailing, manufacturing, advertising, merchandising, and product development.

Therefore they need a robust and compact Fashion Designing course that will include all sorts of skills, like various textiles, fabrics, cutting, and stitching styles.

The successful fashion designer must be able to create original designs that appeal to consumers while still reflecting current trends in fashion or style. They must also understand how their creations will be marketed by their employer or client and how manufacturers or suppliers will produce them within their industry.

Here are a few introductory online courses for Fashion Designers:

1) Fashion Design Fundamentals: This course is designed for aspiring designers who want to learn how to design clothes from scratch without prior knowledge or experience. You'll learn everything from pattern making and draping to sewing techniques, plus there are video lessons on drapery, accessories, and more.

2) Fashion Illustration: Fashion illustration is an online course that will teach you how to create illustrations for the fashion industry. This course is designed for both professionals and beginners and will teach you how to draw clothing from any angle and give your drawings depth and detail.

You'll also learn how to create a variety of illustrations, from fashion sketches and drawings to 3D renderings such as shoes and bags. You'll also learn how to use different techniques, including crosshatching, stippling, and shading techniques which are essential when creating realistic-looking illustrations that capture the essence of your creations in your portfolio.

3) Fashion Photography: This course will teach you how to take beautiful photos of clothes to show off your designs in their best light. You'll learn about lighting, composition, posing, and more, and how to use Photoshop to create professional-looking images.

4) Patternmaking for Fashion Designers: This course teaches you everything you need to know about patternmaking, including drafting patterns from scratch using a variety of methods (including draping with muslin) as well as fitting them onto mannequins or natural bodies using muslin or tissue paper drapes so you can get a good fit before cutting out expensive fabric!

5) Photoshop for Fashion Designers: Fashion designers need an understanding of graphic design software like Photoshop if they want their work to look professional! This course teaches fashion designers everything they need to know about Photoshop, including layers, masks, gradients, and filters so that they can add effects like shadows or reflections.

6) Fashion Styling: If you want to become a fashion stylist, this course covers everything from choosing colors and fabrics for your client's wardrobe until she steps out onto the runway in front of thousands of people at Paris Fashion Week! You will learn about different materials such as wool or cotton and how they behave differently when worn by other people depending on their age.

7) The Art of Selling Your Work: This course covers everything from pricing your work to setting up social media marketing campaigns and optimizing e-commerce sites for maximum sales potential. It's perfect for professionals who want to take their business online but aren't sure where to start or for anyone who wants to improve their existing online presence! You can also check out how to use web design to build an app to take your business mobile.

Fashion Designing Course at Upskillist

If you are looking for a compact Fashion Designers course, you need Upskillist. At Upskillist, you will learn various aspects of Fashion Designing, including sewing techniques, pattern making, fabric choice, color blocking, etc.

The course is designed in such a way that it can be completed in just a few weeks. In addition, you can choose from various courses, including Fashion Designing for Beginners, Fashion Illustration, and more.

Upskillist offers a wide range of courses for fashion designers. For example, by taking our Fabric Selection course, you can learn about different fabrics and their uses in the industry. If you want to learn how to sketch your designs on paper and make them come alive, take up our Sketching course at Upskillist. Our team of experts will teach you everything there is to know about sketching while ensuring that they give equal importance to all aspects involved.

[queencatherynerhys]

Blast To The Past - Liam x MC Fanfic

A/N: I am so excited for this giveaway fanfic #2. This is for you, @katrina86. Thank you for the amazing idea! This is a time travel. Again, credits go to the writing prompt list from @laniquelove. This is #49: Time Travel. I decided to the Roaring Twenties because I love the Great Gatsby era. It was one of my favorite books that I read in high school. Besides who doesn’t love Leonardo DiCaprio? Hope you love it. I did a lot of research for this, so I’m sorry for the delayed post, @katrina86. I also provided lingo dictionary so you don’t get confused with the language.

Summary: What happens when Liam sees a falling star and makes a wish?

Tag List: @captainkingliam @decisso @devineinterventions2 @madaraism @theroyalweisme @drakewalkerwhipped @laniquelove @drakesfiance @hhiggs @hellospunkiebrewster @alicars @mrswalkerreynolds @mfackenthal @simplyaiden-blog @hopefulmoonobject @blackcatkita @cocomaxley @boneandfur @lizeboredom @crayziimaginations @umccall71 @zarina-x-zig @trianiasti @ranishajay @heatherfilliez @flyawayblue56 (using my normal tag)

“Quilt” – a drink that warms the drinker

“Phonus Balonus” – Nonsense!

“Dumb Dora” – an unintelligent woman

“Bubs” – boobs

“Dead soldier” – an empty drink

“Ankle on” – to walk

“Reuben” – a hick or redneck

“Half-seas over” – shitfaced

“Choice bit of calico” – a desirable woman

“Let’s blouse” – we’re out of here

 Liam stands on the balcony of his room, watching the clear, night sky. The stars gleam brightly against the dark background. He just finished packing for his weekend trip to New York City. His friends insisted that they have a proper bachelors party before he is thrown into the ordeal of the social season. He has never been to New York before, so before heading to his quarters he made a stop at the palace library.

He loved that place. It’s one of the few places he can feel close to his mother. She insisted that they fill the bookshelves with all kinds of books and novels. He searched for a book and found one titled “The Historical Atlas of New York City” written by Eric Homberger. As he sat in his balcony, he sifted through the content and pictures of the treasure trove in his hands. He was awed at the wonderful changes the Empire City has seen through every era. He particularly loved the 1920s, or the Roaring Twenties as it was dubbed. He admired the frilly dresses of the women and the vintage attire that the men sported.

Fatigue and anticipation starts to take its toll on him and he gets up to get ready to catch some sleep before leaving early tomorrow morning. A glow in the distant midnight sky catches his eyes. “Wow,” he admires as he watches a star fall from the sky. It was beautiful and serene. He heard that you could make a wish when you see a falling star. He thinks for a moment at the silliness of the idea but decides to make a wish. He remembers the picture of the women and men from the twenties and how they just looked content. He envies that. He wants freedom and some escape from his inevitable path to the throne.

He closes his eyes as he whispers his desire, “I wish to have freedom, even just for a small sliver of time. I wish to experience the same contentment that the people in the 1920s experienced.” He sighs deeply as he released yearning to the universe.

It doesn’t take him long to fall asleep once his body touches the soft comfort of his king-sized mattress. He descends into a deep sleep, something that was new to him since he usually slept light. Morning comes sooner than usual, and Liam stirs awake. He feels his sheet and notice the difference. It’s not as smooth and soft as his normal ones. Maybe I am just tired. He sits up and rubs the blur away from his eyes.

The sight before him clears and he stands abruptly. What the hell? He is not in his room. The bedroom he is in small and mediocre. The walls are painted with an off-white color. An awful blue curtain with paisley patterns drapes the windows. The full-sized bed sits against the wall with a wooden drawer is situated across it. It’s a small space, such a contrast from his royal quarters. This is a prank. It’s an elaborate prank that the guys are playing on me. They spiked me with something and transported me here as part of their bachelor’s party. Isn’t that a tradition?

He goes to the room’s closet to find his luggage, so he can change to a more casual outfit than his pajamas. He opens the dark space, searching for the light switch and flips it on. WHAT THE HELL? Where the hell am I? How the hell did they have time to do this?  He is met with a tiny walk in closet, full of clothes and accessories. His luggage is nowhere to be found and he is growing more frustrated and puzzled by the second.

He cautiously walks in to the closet, eyeing the garments in front of him. His bewilderment increases when he realizes that none of the clothes are his and they seem to be from a different era. Seeing that he couldn’t seem to spot his suitcase anywhere and he really wants to be out of his sleepwear he puts on a pair of gray slacks pairing it with a white button-down shirt and a black sweatshirt jacket. He completes his attire with a blue casual bow tie and black wingtip shoes. He glances in the mirror hanging in the back of the door and taken aback at his choice of wardrobe. He already feels embarrassed by the silliness of his clothing. They are so going to feel the wrath of my revenge. I will have payback. This elaborate prank of theirs will come to bite them in the long road. I swear it.

He shakes his head as he steps out of the tiny space and out in the room. He searches for his phone to call his friends, but he can’t seem to find it anywhere. They must have taken it last night along with my bags. He gives up on finding it and step out of the bedroom. The rest of the small apartment adorned the same painted walls and blue curtains. How in the world did they find this place? Is this a themed party?

“Drake? Maxwell? Tariq? Where in the world are you guys?” he shouts hoping his friends would turn up, but nothing and no one replied. He decides to step out of the building and out onto the street. Just when he thought the surprise has ended. The view in front of him intensified the confusion. His eyes widened as he takes in the sight. This isn’t a prank. He is somewhere else. Some-WHEN else.

Crowds of people bustle about everywhere, on the sidewalk and on the streets. They all don the same type of clothing. Women style dresses of all colors with feathered hats. Men are wearing a variety of sweater coats, suede jackets, and pairs it with dress pants and hats. Liam blends right into the crowd. He feels light headed from the shock and he sit on the cement steps of the building he came out of. He couldn’t believe his eyes. He is mind cannot process this information. It isn’t possible. He is dreaming right now, and he needs to wake up. He slaps and pinches himself hoping to wake from this very inexplicable dream.

A newspaper dispenser catches the corner of his eye and practically runs to it. He takes one to and searches the top for the date. It reads May 26, 1925. Nineteen twenty…what the hell is happening? How the hell is this possible? He recalls the night before with the balcony and the drink, reading the book, then…the falling star. He remembers making the wish. It brought me to the 1920s?! The reality of it all finally hits him, and he looks around him with newfound awe and…excitement. This is the freedom he’s always wanted. No royal guards following his every move. For the first time in twenty-five years he is granted liberty to just be him.

He blends among the crowded walkways and explores the treasures of the roaring twenties has to offer. The first stop on his adventure is a hat store called Worth & Worth. His curiosity peaks as he sees the many different styles and hues of headwear on the shelves. All the men from this time are sporting one I might as well blend in. Fortunately, there is a wallet in one of his pocket pants to buy a hat. He picks a 1920s fedora-style white hat with a black trim going around. He loves the sophisticated quality of the apparel, yet it still has its casual touch.

His explorations consume the day. He went through different stores admiring all the different styles and cultures. He stopped at multiple restaurants tasting the variety of lifestyles through the versatile foods. He was awed at the many arts displayed in The Met. But what rendered him breathless was the sight of the Lady Liberty herself. The radiance of the afternoon sunlight casts an ethereal sense to her features. She was more beautiful than in the pictures. She truly did emit freedom.

He stays there for a few more minutes watching the sun set on the horizon before finding his way back towards his place. On the travel back, a building across the street calls out to him, luring him with its big block letters. The Cotton Club, it reads in neon lights. What an intriguing place. I wonder what type of club it is.

He decides to head back to his place and change before heading to the mysterious club. He changes into a classy white suit, pairing it with a brown vest, blue dress shirt and a yellow tie. His pocket square matches his vest. He feels a little out there, but he didn’t care. His adventures push him to be out of his comfort zone.

He does a 360 turn over in front of the mirror feeling satisfied with his ensemble. He puts on a pair of black oxford shoes with white trimming and the hat he purchased earlier from the day and heads out to the captivating club. He encounters a burly man by the entrance. He exchanges looks with him. The guard looks him up and down and again and then steps aside to let him in.

He is surprised to learn that it wasn’t a club after all. It is a speakeasy with an entertainment show. Booths and table crowd the space with waitresses dressed as flappers running about serving shady looking men. The room is fogged with smoke from cigarettes. Jazz music plays from the band in front of the small, makeshift dance floor.

He finds an empty half-moon shaped booth near the middle, past the shifty men who eyes him as he walks by. He settles in the plush burgundy vinyl seat for a few more minutes before a waitress dressed in an indigo flapper dress walks to him. The intricacy of her outfit is no match for the beauty that she is.

Her brown hair is placed on top of her head in a beautiful updo. Elegant pearls hug her neck and hang from her ears, but it only accentuates her natural exquisiteness. She has fair skin and narrow brown eyes. Her lips are painted red emphasizing the shape of it. And here I thought nothing could top the Statue of Liberty.

“Evening, sugar, I’m Ryne. What can I get you started with tonight?” she breaks him out of his daze. “Oh, hello, I’m Liam. I guess I’ll just have a glass of whiskey. Neat,” he orders still feeling the effects of the spell of her beauty. She squints her eyes suspiciously at him before walking away to fetch his beverage.

A few minutes later, she comes back with his drink, “One neat whiskey for the gentleman.” He thanks and watches her walk away. She gets a few steps in before turning back around and takes a seat in his booth.

“You’re not from here are ya,” she asks, peaking curiosity on her voice. “No. I am not. How did you know?”

“Well, most here are regulars,” her thick, sultry New York accent hypnotizes him. “Careful with the quilt. The prohibition’s made all the drinks strong. It’ll definitely keep ya warm.” His face must’ve registered confusion because she rephrases her sentence, “Watch out for the whiskey. It has a strong kick. Wouldn’t want ya passin’ out, sweetheart. You’re not from here, are ya?”

He hesitates before answering, “No, I am not. I guess it’s pretty noticeable.” He brings the tumbler of amber drink to his lips and takes a sip. He coughs as soon as the content travelled down his throat. She’s right. This does have a kick. Drake would love it.

“Well…where do you hail from then?” she leans in as she asks. He whiffs a scent of jasmine from her perfume and falls deeper into her gorgeous spell. He inches closer to her, as if she’s luring him into her reach. “I’m afraid I really can’t answer that question, Ms. Ryne,” he apologizes.

“Phonus balonus! Now, don’t be a wet blanket. I’m serving you. Least you can do is answer my question,” she protests. He thinks how to best satisfy her inquiry, “I am from somewhere far away, to keep it simple.”

“Visitor, I see? I can tell by the accent. Well, I guess I won’t push ya to tell me,” she flashes a brilliant smile. Before she gets another chance to ask him a question, a man in a beside them hollers for her, “Dumb Dora, bring your bubs and the rest of yourself over here! I have a dead soldier!”

“Well, I guess I better ankle on up there and deal with that Reuben! Nice to meet you, Liam, is it? I’ll see you ‘round, Blue Eyes,” she winks at him as she slides out of the booth back to the bar to fetch the rowdy man a refill. Liam watches Ryne as she moves about the space. He admires how her hips sway, sending all the frills of her dress in frenzy. He eavesdrops her encounter with this man.

“Here’s your refill, sugar, but I must say this is your last one. You’re looking half-seas over!” she says in a chirpy tone. “Nonsense, but I must say you’re a choice bit of calico, baby!” he slurs disgustingly at her. The banter continues for several more minutes with Ryne subtly evading the aggressive passes this man is giving her. Liam finally looks over when he hears her scream at him.

The man has her in his arms, trying to kiss her. She writhes in resistance and yells at the man making a scene in the room, “Bank’s closed, mister!” She slaps him hard on the face and pushes him off her. Liam is now standing from his spot, ready to rescue her if the rude man decides to retaliate. He doesn’t. The obvious drunk passes out on his booth.

Ryne fixes herself before striding up to Liam, “Let’s blouse, Blue Eyes.” She grabs his hand leading him out the door. “Ernie, I’m done for the night,” she looks to the man handling the bar before heading out. When they get to the street and farther away from the tavern, she finally acknowledges him, “Sorry ‘bout that, Blue Eyes. I hope you were done in there, but if not, you can always go back. I can promise better company though.” Again, she puts on a sparkling smile that makes his heart skip a beat. How much did I have to drink? I am not thinking straight. I can’t do anything with this woman. She’s almost 100 years older than I am! His mind and heart struggles with the dilemma, but in the end the heart wants what it wants.

She leads him back to her place. “Make yourself at home. I’m not much of a drinker, but I can offer you water or juice,” she says as she walks to the kitchen. “I’m fine, but thank you,” he replies.

They take a seat on the lavish brown couch. “So, how long are ya in town for, Blue Eyes?” a perfectly trimmed eyebrows raised as she asks her question. “I’m not quite sure,” he truly did not know the answer. He isn’t sure if and how to get back to his own time. Or if he wanted to.

After getting through an awkward phase, the pair settles into a nice flow going from strangers to acquaintances in just a matter of several minutes. Liam finds himself comfortable around her. His guarded persona forgotten by her light, bubbly presence. They spend the night getting to know each other and asking silly questions, laughter filling the spacious living room. Liam doesn’t know the last time he’s truly been able to be himself like this, if there was a time at all.

“You ain’t like those torpedoes in the speakeasy. You’re different,” she observes. “Torpedoes?” he asks confusingly. “I’m sorry, darlin, I forget you’re not from ‘round here. Torpedoes kinda means thug. All the men in there only care about two things: drinking and feeling up the girls. So, thank you for not doing that. You don’t know how hard it is to not slap them in the face,” she clarifies the misunderstanding.

By this time, they are sitting shoulder to shoulder on the couch. Liam feels a clear fascination for her. He wants to spend the rest of the night getting to know her and every part of her. He gazes at her features from the side and perfection is as glorious as the stars in the sky. She catches him looking at her and he tries to feign it, but she smiles flirtatiously at him.

Their faces are nothing but mere inches from each other. An eerie silence blankets the room and electricity passes between them before Liam gives in. He catches her luscious lip with his own, tasting orange juice on them. He can feel her hesitation at first, but her body finds itself drawn to his warmth.

He tangles his fingers in her hair, ruining her delicate updo while his other hand roams on her thigh savoring her smooth, cool skin. She grabs him by one of his lapels pulling him in for a deeper, passionate kiss while grabbing him by the back of his neck to press him more firmly against her.

She feels his tongue brush on her bottom lip, silently asking for permission to enter her mouth. She parts them giving way to his dancing tongue as she moves to straddle his lap. His hands grip the back of her thighs bringing her closer to his body. His desire for her increases by each passing second. He pulls away for a moment to look into her eyes and asks for reassurance, “Are you sure about this?”

“Definitely, Blue Eyes. You intrigue me,” she lustfully replies. With that, Liam loses all inhibitions and they spend the night knowing each other in every level. Their love making moved from the couch to the kitchen and ending in her room.

As the night passes on, Liam holds Ryne close to his chest under the covers. Their legs are tangled, and warmth comforts them to sleep. “That was a perfect ending,” Liam whispers to her ear and kisses her hair. She hums in agreement and he feel her succumb to her sleep. Before closing his eyes, Liam glances out the window and sees another falling star. He smiles as he sinks comfortably to slumber, holding Ryne to him.

Little did he know that he was never going to see her again. He doesn’t if what happened was a figment of his imagination or if it was reality. He decides to believe the latter when he wakes up the next morning back to his current time. Back to his prison life. His heart is heavy when he gets ready to travel f

or his bachelor’s party, the last taste of “freedom”.

His friends notice his beaten demeanor and tries to coax him out of it, but to no avail. “Maxwell, let it go. He doesn’t want to hear any more of you incessant rants about rap battles or dance offs,” Drake scolds his friend. Once again, he is grateful for his best friend looking out for him. He knows him well enough to leave him alone.

All his mind can think of is Ryne and how her body felt as she moved against him. Her sweet lips and beautiful eyes. Her genuine kind personality. He sinks deeper into his sorrow, missing her. How can one-night mean so much? I don’t even know if it was real. It felt real.

They spend the short weekend getaway going through the motions of a traditional party for a bachelor. Tariq takes them to a high-end men’s fashion boutique to get new suits, something to wear during the upcoming social season. Drake grumbles in complaint through the whole ordeal and is finally relieved when it was over.

“Finally! After all that I need a drink. I’ve been looking at some dive bars near us and there’s one a couple of blocks away,” Drake leads them to car to travel to the next itinerary. Liam hasn’t been there 12 hours and he’s already tired, but he marches on for the sake of his friends. They arrive in front of the bar and one by one file out of the black tinted SUV. “You guys go on ahead. I’ll follow along shortly. I’ll help find parking for the car,” Liam says from the car. They knew better than to push it, so they let him drive off. Truly, he just wants a moment to collect his thoughts. Try as he might he can’t get Ryne’s face out of his mind. It’s as if it’s permanently branded in his memories, a fond yet bittersweet memory.

He walks the short block with his guard following close behind. He enjoys the crisp night air. He misses the neon lights of the twenties and the eccentric attire of the crowd. He misses the unlimited freedom he felt during that short span of time. He opens the door to the dive bar Drake found and finds them already seated with a young woman in front taking their orders.

“Four?” she asks Drake and he nods towards his direction. When he sees her face, all the hope he thought was lost comes rushing back like a tidal wave. Shock hits him but he quickly hides it, masking it with genuine interest. Standing in front of him is a young woman with the same exact features as Ryne, right down to the smile.

For the first time since he woke up alone back to his own timeline, he feels genuinely happy. He flashes his princely smile, his eyes once again housing hope. “Sorry I’m late. Thank you for your patience, Miss…” he greets the beautiful woman in front of him. It takes her a moment to collect her senses, “Uh, Catheryne.”

The rest of the night passes by with Liam feeling happy and content. He invites Catheryne to accompany them for the rest of the night. She takes them to a private cove overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. While seating by the bonfire, Liam asks her a question that’s been on his mind since he saw her, “Your name? Is it from a relative? I’m just curious?”

“Oh! Yeah, my mother named me after my grandmother. She said I look just look like her,” she answers simply. She is right about that. She looks exactly like her. Liam finds himself already falling for Catheryne. He knows even if he tried to stop it that it wouldn’t do any good. Catheryne is captivating, just like her predecessor.

Liam thanks the deities for bringing him to that time and leading him to her. Sometimes, the universe aligns the stars on your favor.