#60s clothes adult group

[tsatsked]

Lore details I've noticed: Farewell Rayashki event

As always that's mostly Russian/USSR/Slavic stuff and some translations, feel free to add anything. I've also made a post about Silver Knot lore details

Obviosly, spoiler warning

Alenka - a USSR chocolate type produced since 1965, they are quite soft and sweet and still popular among kids and adults

The playground is quite typical for the time period. The drawings and sunflowers might be Vila’s and kids’ work. It’s not very clear if the graffiti is made by someone inspired by hip-hop culture or is August’s failed attempt at scribbling out his name, judging by “А” and “Г” as 1st and 3rd letters. The only thing I’d add here is more scraped parts recycled into playground constructions

Ijirak, Kikituk, Qiqirn - creatures from Inuit folklore (as far as I know they are not known in native Siberian folklore). I haven’t found information about Hoituk

The Russian word for “most” means “best” in the phrase “the most “most”” (“самый-самый”)

“It was only by luck that we found the runium. For over 60 years, people here have worked together to make it what it is now” - Vila. If the events happen in 60s-80s (judging by the overall vibe), than the last time reverse was at 1977 and Rayashki started to grow from a village to a town at 1917 or later. It means the town exported runium for all the Soviet years.

⬆️ EDIT: Silver Knot (Windsong's story) confirms it actually happens in 80s-90s

Most of the sighs say “For Better Future”, “Welcome to Rayashki” and “Welcome Zeno’s Military Institute”

The room in which Windsong stays is Soviet af. There are an old TV with a lens, cool bookshelf and tiles that surprised me. They’re common for public and liminal spaces but not so much for the living ones. Maybe they’re chosen because they endure harsh Artic climate better that wood or linoleum

EDIT: the TV looks like KVN-49 model, produced in 1949—1962

“It must be Kikituk! But their closest habitat should be Kong Kalrs Land, hundreds of kilometres away”. Kong Karls Land - a group of island of Svalbard archipelago, Norway. As @vingler-mirror point out in their post, Rayashki is likely based on Pyramiden town owned by USSR on the same archipelago

Природа это числа и черты - “Nature is numbers and lines” Природа это мозаика цветов - “Nature is a mosaic of colours”

“Mutant Kikituk from Olga area! You should be at the Olga Strait, hunting for migrating salmon and whales, not here!” - excuse me OLGA STRAIT!? THE ONE NEAR JAPAN!?

Poneva/ponyova - an element of Russian (Eastern Slavic?) female clothing worn on top of the main skirt of the dress. I believe there was either a mistranslation in Needles and Loaves message where Raisa said “poneva dress”, either she meant the whole outfit

Samodiva - Their name is feminine and can be roughly translated as “self-wonder”, but that’s another word for vila the creature from Western and Southern Slavic mythology similar to Eastern Slavic rusalka/mavka

Other stuff I’ve noticed:

The town seems to have a big arcanist population, if not most of them are arcanists. An arcanist right is applicable to them and all Vila’s known students are arcanists (if the kids are arcanists, their parents and grandparents are arcanists too)

The people of Rayashki seem to come from different places, and it makes sense with Pyramiden's history (EDIT: the workers were mostly from a western region of Ukraine). Pasono’s first name seems to be obscure and I’ve found only a surname mostly known in America. Patrik’s name is more popular name in other countries, and it make me to believe his ancestors might be foreigners. Bogina’s name comes from Southern Slavic languages

Rayashki is very communistic compared to the rest of USSR. Maybe it’s the town’s history, citizens’ temperament, small town’s size, seclusion and big self sufficiency combined. EDIT: the town's athmosphere conctasts with the period of USSR where people start feel more positive about the world around and capitalism with it

[chere-indolente]

Newlyn Fisher Clothing Set

I come to you today with this little historical seaside fashion interlude (before going back to work on more 1880′s sets). This set includes cable knit sweaters in high and low waisted, and variations on traditional fishermen smocks. More pics and download below

This set is partly inspired by the works of the school of Newlyn, a group of painters known to have depicted the surrounding of Newlyn, a Cornish coastal town, and its many fishermen in the 1880′s to 1900′s. And here is the painting that I referenced in the promo picture.

—————————  Cableknit Sweater  ————————

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This is the sweater from the Werewolf pack without the little laced up strings on the shoulders (why do you always add these unnecessary details EA ? 😅). I’ve made a short version (S) for my high waisted needs and a long (L) version, for both masc and fem frames, as well as both adult and children. 

Cableknit sweaters originated from Ireland, in the Aran Islands, though other types of knitted jumpers called gansey already existed in the British, Irish and Channel isles. They were created between the 1890′s and 1900′s. They were initially knitted with unwashed and undied wool. Both the natural lanolin from the virgin wool and the knitted patterns made for water resistant sweaters and as such : good alternatives to the previously used ganseys made of oiled wool died with indigo.

 These Aran sweaters slowly became some fashionable sportswear item during the 20′s and 30′s, and later reached its peak popularity in the 50s’ and 60′s worn by the likes of Grace Kelly and Steve McQueen.

40 solid swatches

for adults and children

2 lenghts : S & L

——————————— Vareuse V1 ——————————

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Vareuses are a style of fishermen smocks with a V neck. This style was typical of Brittany fishermen though I have seen depiction of Norwegian fishermen for example sporting this style of smocks on 1880s paintings too. While I couldn’t find substancial informations on their origins and date of appereance, vareuses seem to have been used at least as far as mid 19th century and were still worn as work wear up til the mid 20th. 

It is said that traditionally fishers wore different colors depending on their fishing style : yellow ones for those shellfish picking, rust colored ones for those using fish traps, red ones for oyster farmers and blue ones for those fishing in the open seas.

Fishermen smocks were oiled to be water repellant and worn on top of clothes and knitted garments to protect them from water and keep them relatively clean.

On this 1st version of the vareuse I’ve not put any clothing “underneath” to allow for warm weather and for combinations with accessory shirts or turtlenecks.

33 solid swatches

for adults and children

——————————— Vareuse V2 ——————————

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This 2nd version of a vareuse include a cableknit jumper sticking out of the V neck collar. The set also includes an overlay to pick the color of said cableknit jumper.

33 solid swatches

39 solid swatches on the cableknit overlay (located in the right wrist section)

for all ages

—————————  Cornish Crewneck  ————————

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Similarly to the vareuse, the crewneck is a style of fishermen smocks. This style is traditionally associated with Cornwall, in the north west of England. Cornish crewneck smocks were used similarly to vareuses.

33 solid swatches

for all ages

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Download : dropbox — simfileshare

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[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from the New York Times:

Tiny snouts and long tails. Checkerboards of black and brown scales. Eggs the size of oranges cracking alongside hatchlings mewling and chirping like a choir of baby birds.

The birth of 60 Siamese crocodiles in the wild last month was all very Jurassic Park.

The hatchlings were the largest population born this century, representing two decades of conservation efforts. While the babies slipped and waddled through their trio of nests, their marble-like eyes blinked upon a bright new world for a species once nearly as extinct as the dinosaurs.

“There’s a biodiversity crisis around the world, but in the tropics of Southeast Asia it’s particularly acute,” said Pablo Sinovas, the country director for the Cambodia program of Fauna and Flora, the conservation group monitoring the comeback. “The fact that we’ve been able to help these crocodiles recover and see this landmark breeding event, it’s very significant.”

Siamese crocodiles were first listed as virtually extinct in the wild in 1992. While captive populations lived in zoos and crocodile farms, decades of poaching of the animals for their soft, coppery hides that were used in the fashion industry, along with habitat degradation, had razed the wild population.

In 2000, a very small population was recorded in the remote Cardamom Mountains of Cambodia. The Indigenous population of Chorng people had protected the crocodiles, which they considered sacred, for generations. The species is smaller and less aggressive than its saltwater crocodile relative, and there is no recorded evidence of attacks by the animals on humans, including people who wash clothes and children who swim in the rivers the crocodiles call home.

For the last two decades, Fauna and Flora has worked with government agencies and local people to formalize species protection through a program that provides a modest stipend, along with work clothes, GPS devices and transportation like kayaks and motorcycles.

“The community members already protecting the sites is key to why this program works,” Mr. Sinovas said. “Instead of a group coming from the outside, we’re supporting what’s already there.” At last count, a very rough estimate of 250 adult crocodiles persisted in Cambodia, according to Fauna and Flora, and between 500 and 1,000 existed in the wild, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Siamese crocodiles “are a charismatic, large predator, so they naturally fascinate humans, and they have cultural importance,” Mr. Sinovas said, noting that their conservation could have ripple effects.

[gritsandbrits]

Remember the episode of dexter's lab where val hallen introduces us to his lady friend who is also a musical superhero?

Since Checkered Past is out and I saw a promo with val hallen i decided to revisit my OCs. Here's design notes on her

Primary fashions are based on 60s~80s attire (miniskirts, gogo boots, groovy florals, beehive etc)

Her hero costume is NOT white it is actually silver/VERY pale blue, it also sparkles

Front is pinned by gold musical note brooch

Tiara, Go-go boots and evening gloves adds elegance

Dark navy to black hair

Physique is drawn using circles; even when expressing extreme emotions her movements remain soft

Her design contrasts Val Hallen

Val's muscles -> suzy's soft curves and plump body type

Long hair -> short hair

Black outfit -> silver dress

Fairly light skinned -> deep rich brown skin

Eyes always covered -> eyes always showing

Tall as heck -> short princess

Loves to rock out/uses a guitar for powerful shocks -> uses her voice and enchants like a siren (form of telepathy)

Cloth Headband -> metal tiara

Speaks in a vaguely British/rocker accent -> speaks in a heavy southern accept

General Backstory

Started hero career as a way to pay for repairs, her church was not in the best of shape in years

After a couple of years she got scouted by the Justice Friends

First met Val at one of his concerts

Outside they bonded over their shared love of music and her takin a liking to his wild side

OKAY SO partly this is salt out of the Powerpuff girls episode Members Only but Suzy wasn't able to join AWSM

So she, Ashi (descendant of samurai jack), and Major Glory's sister created their own group

For a while everything was working fine but battle of the genders distracted both groups from actually saving lives forcing the PPG to intervene

The boys and girls made amends and worked together to stop the villain if that episode, at the end combined both teas to accept all heroes regardless of gender

She and Val have an on/off again relationship; when she's off she focuses on normal adult things like paying taxes.

She once went out with General Skarr on a blind date. Obviously it didn't last lmao

Absolutely ADORES children but not sure if she's ready for the next step.

She can be real petty and vain, even Val can get sick of her vanity but hey nothing is perfect not even oc x canon

[oflgtfol]

hope you had an awesome time at the show! I’ve pissed off everyone who knows me irl bc I won’t shut up about it lmao but if you want to talk about it 👀 also congrats on escaping michael!

thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to scream into my pillow about this

IT WAS SO FUCKING AMAZINGGGGGG i'm so in awe. SO in awe i'm kinda upset i haven't seen them live before. towards the end dustin did the whole 'raise your hand if this is your first demonstration or if you've seen us before' thing, and straight up 60% of the audience were part of the latter group, and then also 'raise your hand if you've been with us since transmissions' and it was so painful to say i've been here since transmissions but this is my first demonstration AGH. TEN years!!! but in my defense i was a kid for most of those ten years and then covid happened so like. here i am finally. definitely planning on seeing them again whenever they next visit long island

literally my neck hurts so much today i was headbanging so hard i pulled muscles in my NECK over it and there was a mosh pit that lasted for the entire show even for the slower songs. it was lowkey fucking hilarious seeing the moshers go crazy over echo when the lyrics to echo are so flowery and the set visuals were focusing on the little guy from the music video

the music was so loud i could feel the vibrations not only in my own body but also in the clothes around my skin, i ltierally could not hear my own voice as i sang along (which is insane because my only two other concerts i've been to as an independent adult were twrp, and both times we were standing in the first/second rows and yet i still felt so obnoxiously loud when singing along because i'm all that you can hear in any videos. meanwhile even in my videos of starset, even with me recording right next to my face, you still can't hear my voice)

i will admit toksik was kinda meh to me when it first released, like it was a good meh but not in the "holy fuck im gonna listen to this on repeat" kind of song yknow. but then they played it as an encore at the show and they had GAS MASKS ON and i went to the concert with my boyfriend who only barely knows starset (and mostly as preparation because i was bringing him to this concert with me) but he loves toksik so he was having a fucking blast with that song unlike the others that i could tell he wasnt as familiar with and so it just really heightened the experience to hear him singing along with it and he was dancing with me and the music was even more of a banger live than the studio version so just AHHHH i love toksik now so much

AND THE LAST SONG BEFORE THE ENCORE WAS MY DEMONS and i swear yknow as much as we all joke around about my demons being the stereotypical edgy song etc it was a BANGERRRRRRRRR live and the way the entire audience went fucking NUTS (MYSELF INCLUDED!!!) was such a high

only thing i have to say is that i do wish they played more horizons songs, off the top of my head i think they only played devolution (FUCKING BANGER LIVE) and infected? so sad i love horizons so much. they seemed to focus mostly on vessels and divisions. and the way that they said this tour is wrapping up this arc of the storyline that has spanned across two albums - presumably divisions and horizons?? - it feels kinda weird that there was barely any horizons features if that's the case. anyway. i'm not upset about it because of course every single song was a banger just wah they have too large a discography now to have every single song play. too much of a good thing....

[beardedmrbean]

It’s the Third World meets Bangkok.

In "Squad" member Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s district in New York City, those who are described as scantily dressed migrant prostitutes line blocks of a long commercial strip during all hours of the day and night, brazenly soliciting sex to passersby while their pimps strike fear into local business owners, one of whom told Fox News Digital he’s been threatened for speaking out and is on the verge of closing his store.

The trash-filled streets of Roosevelt Avenue in Queens, which encompasses the migrant-heavy communities of Corona, Jackson Heights and Elmhurst, has become a veritable hotbed for one of the world’s oldest professions, and residents say that most elected officials and police are turning a blind eye to the neighborhood nightmare, which looks more like the famed brothel-filled red-light district streets of Bangkok than one of America’s biggest cities.

Illegal vendors also overrun the sidewalks, plying their hustle in what residents have likened to "Third World" conditions, cooking hot food out in the open devoid of any health certifications or inspections as hungry birds swoop down in search of leftovers and leaving their droppings along the way. 

AOC DISTRICT NEIGHBORHOOD LABELED 'THIRD WORLD' AS MIGRANTS CLOG STREETS AND PROSTITUTES OVERRUN EVERY BLOCK

Known to locals as the "Avenue of the Sweethearts," this epicenter of vice is not some desolate area on the outskirts of a city but rather the heart of the borough of Queens underneath the area’s main subway track that serves as a vital cog connecting Manhattan and its local schools to families, many of whom stream down the subway steps and are then inescapably met by armies of prowling solicitors. 

Fox News Digital even recorded a man pushing his young son in a stroller past a group of five sex workers.

Residents say that students pass prostitutes every day on their way to school or on their way to local taekwondo centers situated along the busy strip and that the situation has become the norm for their youthful eyes with the alleged sex workers, mostly composed of Asian and Hispanic women, filling the sidewalks. 

On Sept. 18, the NYPD raided a brothel just off Roosevelt Avenue and arrested three people. The following evening, Fox News Digital was conducting an interview in front of the raided premises when an alleged sex worker and her reported john casually walked out of the same building. 

On one block along Roosevelt Avenue, Fox News Digital cameras recorded a line of no less than 19 alleged sex workers on the sidewalk. Around the corner, there were at least seven more, and a woman on the next block was witnessed soliciting sex for $60.

Nearby, vendors sell everything from used clothes to pots and pans or tools. More recently, female vendors have begun cutting hair and painting nails under canopies on the cluttered sidewalks, with all of these illegal vendors operating feet from legitimate brick-and-mortar stores whose owners rage they are being undercut in prices while also having to pay taxes, unlike the illegal vendors.

Shoplifting and pick-pocketing is also widespread, business owners say, and there’s a sense here that lawlessness is breeding more lawlessness.

On Sept. 19, the day after the raid, Fox News Digital witnessed a man being arrested for allegedly groping a 17-year-old girl as she walked down the subway steps. 

In police handcuffs, he denied the accusations to onlookers. The girl, who was being comforted by adults, looked visibly shaken.

Ramses Frías, a local resident turned activist, is furious with the deterioration of his neighborhood and says "it feels like Bangkok with women outside locations and pulling men off the street."

"This area has been run rampant with prostitution," he told Fox News Digital outside the raided brothel. "It's just been out of control and the lawlessness continues to happen." 

"This doesn’t feel like my home. I've been here my whole life, and this feels like I'm a tourist in a Third World country. This is not how this is supposed to look, this is not how it's supposed to feel," he insisted. "This is a neighborhood and a community full of hardworking individuals, immigrants and second-generation Americans that worked really hard to be here and are facing all this evil and all these bad things. ... And it's just causing more issues daily and our quality of life just continues to drop."

Seconds later, an alleged sex worker and her client emerged from the brothel.

A neighboring business owner then ushered Fox News Digital into his store, warning that "pimps" were watching via CCTV. The store owner did not want to be named but said he had reported the cathouse to police and had been threatened by those involved with the brothel. 

"I’m so scared, this is my business," he said, adding that his business is suffering because customers are avoiding the area and will likely have to close because of it. 

Curtis Sliwa, the founder of the Guardian Angels and a Republican candidate for mayor, says prostitution has exploded in the neighborhood after the pimps and sex workers were driven out of the nearby area of Flushing, well known for its Asian population. 

"It was never like this. It was a family area with a lot of retail," Sliwa told Fox News Digital of Roosevelt Avenue. "The Chinese community pushed it out [of Flushing] and Asian cops were getting busted because they were on the take, so they just decided, the madams, bring the girls over here … and its open prostitution, 24/7. [It's] lawless. Anarchy. You get to do what you want when you want."

Two NYPD officers were busted in 2006 on bribery charges relating to the protection of a brothel in Flushing, and there are similar cases stretching back further. 

Sliwa says the police and New York City Mayor Eric Adams are not doing enough to clamp down on the racket. In January, the NYPD raided six establishments allegedly engaged in prostitution, which were issued closing orders. The raid was well publicized, with Adams and local Democrat City Council member Francisco Moya present. However, it appears to have done little to curb the problem. 

Sliwa slammed it as a "show raid" and said there were no arrests. 

"They didn't arrest the johns, prostitutes, madams; they never went after the landlords, and they were back in business the next day," said Sliwa, who joined Fox News Digital and Frías on a walking tour of the area. 

The Queens District Attorney's Office confirmed that no arrests were made, saying it was strictly carried out to serve court closure orders of nuisance abatement over which the NYPD has jurisdiction. 

"This would never be tolerated in Manhattan. They tolerate it because it's … a poor and impoverished area in the eyes of many New Yorkers, but that doesn't give you a reason to allow this to exist," Sliwa said. "This is so unfair … and the mayor is allowing a culture of corruption to exist. These police officers are on the take. It's the only way they could operate openly. They'll say, ‘We deny that.’ Well, that's what happened in Flushing and that's why they pushed it over here."

Adams' office did not respond to a request for comment. The NYPD confirmed the three arrests after the Sept. 18 raid but did not respond to a request for further comment.

No police officers have been charged for being involved in prostitution in recent years. In 2018, seven NYPD officers — three sergeants, two detectives and two officers — were indicted in connection with an illegal prostitution and gambling ring in Brooklyn and Queens, which encompassed Roosevelt Avenue.

Separately, NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell told Fox News that it suspects members of the brutal Tren de Aragua are linked to prostitution in the area, trafficking women into the industry to pay off the debts the gang is owed for smuggling them into the country. 

Meanwhile, the Queens District Attorney’s Office says it is working hard to stamp out prostitution and crime in the area, noting the office has "evicted 13 prostitution locations this year being used for illegal activity on or near Roosevelt Avenue." The office says it's in the process of permanently shutting down the raided brothel.

Of Ocasio-Cortez, Frías said the socialist lawmaker has not been seen in the neighborhood since she took part in a rally there in August 2023, where she condemned a city crackdown on illegally operating vendors and called for the city to issue more permits to those vendors. 

"She does not visit this area; this is actually an area where she campaigned the hardest and a lot of people went out [to vote] for her, and she doesn't come over here. She has totally neglected us," Frías said, noting that other local elected officials are rarely seen in the area, which is only represented by Democrats.

"So, we're totally neglected, we're here to fend for ourselves and this is what we have to do now. We're going to organize. We're going to have a rally coming up on Sept. 29, and we're going to let our voices be heard and make sure that the city understands that they need to come over here and do their job," he adds. 

Ocasio-Cortez’s office did not respond to repeated requests for comment on this story or on a March story in which Fox News Digital brought attention to the neighborhood’s plight, featuring the additional publication of a now-viral video provided by Frías showing an almost endless stream of vendors with piles of clothes stacked along the streets.

Police swept the area days later and Frías – a former Democrat who is running for City Council as a Republican next year – said vendors have simply set up shop there again. 

Rep. Grace Meng, whose district also encompasses Roosevelt Avenue, said in a one-line statement, "Quality of life and safety issues need to always be addressed, and I remain in contact with the 110th precinct, Councilman Moya, our local community board and other local elected officials."

Frías also took aim at state Sen. Jessica Ramos, a Democrat who represents the area and is running for mayor. She has previously labeled prostitution on the strip as "survival work" and in 2019 co-sponsored a series of bills that would have decriminalized sex work and vacated the records of people arrested or charged with prostitution or related offenses.

Ramos told Fox News Digital she was happy to see the recent raid take place and pitted blame on the mayor for the unsavory situation, saying Adams' office has been sidetracked by scandals rather than addressing the concerns of the community. 

"No one wants to see people selling sex, especially when they’re being coerced by traffickers. It’s unclear what took so long," Ramos said in a statement. 

"The underground economy has spiraled out of control," she added, referencing the illegal vendors. "Without work permits from the ‘feds,’ migrants need honest work to provide for themselves. The fact is the migrants are here, and they want to work."

Meanwhile, Moya, who attended the January raid and has rallied alongside so-called "clean streets" advocates like Frías, said that his fellow Democrats are impeding efforts to shut down the brothels and illegal vendors. 

"I’ve lived my entire life in this district, and I’ve never seen it this bad," Moya said of the prostitution. "After COVID, the situation has worsened significantly. The influx of migrants plays a part in this issue, as many have no other means of survival. The federal government has turned a blind eye to the situation and there’s only so much the city can do, since we don’t have the authority to grant work permits or legal status to those in need."

Moya said other elected officials have been calling up city agencies demanding that all enforcement stop.

"Some elected officials don’t see this as a problem, suggesting that ‘work is work’ and we should let it be. I believe that if a state representative wants to legalize prostitution, it should be done with strict rules and regulations, in designated areas like the city of Amsterdam – not in our community, especially near schools where children pass by and witness these activities daily," he insisted. 

"I’m doing everything in my power to mitigate this issue, as you can see many have been investigated and shutdown – but what I have been doing is being undermined by these leaders who don’t recognize the urgent need for change. Yet, I assure you, I will not stop until significant change is made."

[kayssweetdreams]

A "Perfect" Vacation Ch 6

The Group gazed in awe of the Hotel when they stepped in. It seemed like somethings out of a movie, with tropical flowers blooming from every corner, and the scent of tropical fruits hitting their noses. "Here! Have a complementary Flower Lei or Crown! On the house!" Ka Lā said, as her employees put one on all of them. "Thanks Miss Ka Lā!" Lora said.

The eccentric woman flashed a smile "No problem! You know what they say! Mi Casa es su Casa!" She said. "Now let's get you checked in so you can enjoy everything my little paradise has to offer!" She said. The adults went to the check in desk while Ka Lā went to the children "And you don't have to wait for them, feel free to explore the hotel! And if not, there always our kid zone" She said.

The kids looked excited about the prospect of exploring the hotel so they decided to visit the various areas in and around the building. They were amazed at, well, Everything! From the 60 foot rock climbing wall, to the botanical gardens, to the 24 hour all automated bar. "This place has EVERYTHING!!" Emma shouted. As they reached the top of the hotel, they could see the entire island from above. "Whoa...Imagine flying around this Haoyu." Bianca said playfully. Haoyu absent-mindedly nodded before they saw the bell boys with their luggage...and a whole group of them straining to pull at least 70 different luggage covered in rainbow music notes.

"Kaylo...is that yours?" Mei asked "Yep! That's all my clothes in there!" She said. The kids looked at her oddly "You need that many clothes for a week?!" Leo shouted at her "Well yeah. You never know when you need a change of clothes." Kaylo said "You need to change every 10 minutes?" Clem asked. Kaylo narrowed her eyes at him before Rebecca perked up "Well, we better get back down there, everyone probably checked in now." She said. The kids hurried back down to the lobby where Bruce was the last one entering his reservation.

"There you are! We were worried when we couldn't find you!" Cal said "Sorry Cal! But this place is HUGE!" Yuri said. "She's right! We barely saw everything yet" Trisha Jane said. "Well, let's go unpack so we can explore it too." Sana said, walking over to them. When the group managed to get their rooms, and unpack (for the Brunos...it took a while) they all were ready for a week of rest in relaxation. That's when Iben heard a 'PING!' from her phone, with a news story that read "MADAME PRIM FINALLY FOUND AND CAPTURED!"

"H-Hey! They caught Madame Prim!" She said happily. That got the inhabitants attention as they all gathered around Iben's phone, or turned on a nearby TV. A news anchor was seen talking as the Bulletin "Prim Caught and Convivted" was seen "Parents breathe a sigh of relief today as the authorities have finally found the recently convinced Madame Prim. Witnesses say that she was found somewhere near the Azure Isles in search of one of the Bruno Children. Let's now go to the scene live to see her arrest."

The footage showed the police struggling to get a rambling Madame Prim into the back of the padded wagon, while she was screaming and ranting about something, however, what that something was, was difficult to hear. "Well then...If she's locked away, then I guess that's good! Now we REALLY can enjoy our vacation!" Ren said as he playfully hooked a arm around Yuri's shoulder "Yeah! Wanna go celebrate?" Miguel asked "Why not? We're on a private island in a luxurious hotel, and Madame Prim is back where she belongs, I'd say that we should DEFINITELY celebrate!!" Mei cheered.

The group went to find a good place to celebrate the re-capture of Madame Prim, before Leo turned back to see Ka Lā giving a strange look...one that looked almost TOO happy to see Madame Prim back behind a padded cell. "See that they have everything they need." She said to two employees "Yes Miss Tropica." They said back to her before joining the group, and pushing Leo to join them

"Yes...make sure that their stay is. Perfect..."

Mei, Rin ,Miguel, Bianca and belong to @sundove88

Rebecca belongs to @thehypercutstudios/@thehyperrequiem

Trisha Jane, Bianca and Phil belong to @lovelyteng

[livsunit2]

THE SWINGING SIXTIES

The Defining Look of the Sixties

Taylah Brewer. (2022). 60S FASHION FOR WOMEN (HOW TO GET THE 1960S STYLE). [Online]. www.thetrendspotter.net. Last Updated: 7 August 2022. Available at: https://www.thetrendspotter.net/60s-fashion-for-women/#google_vignette [Accessed 4 January 2023]

The Supremes

They were not only the most commercially successful female group of the '60s but among the top 5 pop/rock/soul acts of that decade. Diana Ross, Mary Wilson, and Florence Ballard had a mature, glamorous demeanor that appealed equally to teens and adults. Beautiful, musically versatile, and unique, the original Supremes were America's sweethearts.

Steven Ward. (2019). VINTAGE GOLD: AMERICA’S MOST SUCCESSFUL VOCAL GROUP IN THE SUPREMES. [Online]. www.grimygoods.com. Last Updated: 25 February 2019. Available at: https://www.grimygoods.com/2019/02/25/americas-most-successful-vocal-group-in-the-supremes/ [Accessed 3 january 2023].

Edie Sedgwick

The original 'it girl' inspired Bob Dylan and Andy Warhol, and was the toast of the New York art scene with her bouffant blonde hair, vintage chandelier earrings and by wearing nothing but a leotard and tights.

The Designers

London's fashion sector existed until the 1960s in the shadow of the renowned Parisian couturiers. Paris served as the centre of global fashion, specialising in tailored clothing for a fantastically wealthy, elite group of women. But all of a sudden, as the youth market expanded, London started to lead the pace.

Thanks to a handful of up-and-coming young designers trained in the couture tradition, Paris has maintained its edge. Fashion firms like Saint Laurent, Cardin, and Courrèges discovered how to appeal to younger customers. They established ready-to-wear shops and concessions in department stores and produced "space age" clothing that was quickly imitated on the high street.

The youth market was enormous in the US, and department stores made millions by importing London fashions. But retailers also recognised the boutique's potential. Local stores that catered to affluent customers by selling unique, cutting-edge designs thrived, notably in New York.

Andrè Courrèges

André Courrèges

The French designer is best known for introducing the revolutionary space look- featuring white boots, goggles and boxy dresses designed in futuristic metallic shades, high shine fabrics such as PVC. His look was a blend of avant-garde geometry with sports classic driven by the youth culture.

Pierre Cardin

Became famous for his brightly colored mini dresses. At the time his garments were "avant-garde" he like other designers at the time was heavily influenced by “Age" movement. His design style is mainly geometric shapes and colours.

Paco Rabanne

The Spanish born designer made a name for himself in the 1960s with his space-age inspired fashions. He used materials such as metal, aluminum, plastic, plexi glass and even fiber optics. He was the first fashion designer to use black models in a catwalk show. As a result, he was almost thrown out of the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne, the governing body of Parisienne fashion.

Givenchy

Responsible for the iconic little black dress that is essential to every woman's wardrobe and dressing the most elegant ladies of the time such as Audrey Hepburn, U.S. first lady Jacqueline Kennedy, Princess Grace of Monaco; Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor and socialite Babe Paley.

Yves Saint Laurent

Shift dresses and pea coats became YSL trademark styles. In 1965, colour blocking made its entrance in the world of fashion, when Yves Saint-Laurent introduced the colour block dress, inspired by the works of the famous painter, Piet Mondria.

Emilio Pucci

Is best known for colorful psychedelic prints, especially for headscarves and dresses. In 1962 the world lost screen siren Marilyn Monroe. It's believed that she was buried in one of his dresses. Monroe was a huge fan of his work which can be clarified by the volume of Pucci garments in her personal collection displayed at Christies in 1999 prior to auction. Although an already established designer, Pucci saw an increase in sales in the sixties which he attributed to Miss Monroe and her popularity.

The Birth of the Hippie

(1960-70s)

Originally used to designate beatniks who had settled in San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury neighbourhood, the word hipple is derived from the hipster. The hippies sought for alternate lifestyles. The majority of hippies cherished independence, nature, closeness, peace, generosity, and spirituality.

Nudity was another expression of freedom that hippies used to set themselves apart from society's norms. They frequently stayed in parks or set up camp in the woods, discarding their belongings.

All throughout, people wore tight-fitting bell-bottom jeans, preferably with flower patches and ankle fringe, T-shirts, or just a skimpy halter top. All of the peasant blouses complemented jeans. Anything handcrafted was considered an accessory, and many of them had peace symbols. Popular shirts and dresses had floral prints that stood for peace and love.

In general, people dressed in a way that they believed represented who they were as individuals and not only to follow the rules of fashion. For instance, both sexes wore their hair longer and it had an unruly, uncared-for appearance. This was in response to the mid-60s girl in the miniskirt who had neat, short hair.

Woodstock 1969

At Woodstock over 250,000 hippies showed up to hear artists like Janis Joplin, The Who, Canned Heat, The Allman Brothers, and County Joe and the Fish. Woodstock was not just a music concert. It was a "profound religious experience."

vintag.es. (2015). 40 Rare and Incredible Color Photographs That Capture Scenes of the Woodstock Music & Art Fair in August 1969. [Online]. www.vintag.es. Last Updated: 7 February 2015. Available at: https://www.vintag.es/2015/02/40-rare-and-unseen-color-photos-of.html [Accessed 3 january 2023].

The controversy of drugs

The most popular music of the time was psychedelic rock. Many of concerts were places for lippies to protest, socialise, dance, or take drugs. Drugs like marijuana and LSD were a big art of the hippy/counterculture movement. Using drugs made hippies feel like the were belling from mainstream society.

[succubus-interactivefiction]

Final Girl lore?

Fun facts about Rockgate

Before Kahn Tech moved into the area roughly 73% of the population was human, that has since gone up to 91%

It seems like every ten years there is a rash of disappearances, but the town just appears to ignore that it is happening. It always follows the same pattern, with two from three different age groups each being taken. Children ages 6 to 12, Adults ages 18 to 30, and Elderly ages 60 to 84.

Rockgate has a thriving tourist economy with camping, hiking, and mountain climbing being extremely popular. The lake that inhabits a crater formed by a meteor strike from thousands of years ago is also extremely popular.

The town is also unusual in that 65% of the population is female and children born in the town are predominantly afab.

There are many stories that the locals like to share with tourists ranging from tales about malicious fae in the trees, restless spirits haunting the lake, and ancient daemons inhabiting the old mines being most popular.

Since Kahn Tech moved in, the population has exploded from 4300, to just under 6000. While a large portion of the newcomers work for Kahn Tech other industries have followed in their wake including several chain restaurants, coffee shops, and clothing retailers.

Rockgate once had a very small crime rate which has since risen considerably and the police force has been forced to expand to accommodate the influx.

Before Kahn Tech arrived very few people ever moved to the sleepy mountain community and roughly 94% of the families living there went back generations. Before the tech giant moved in newcomers were welcomed with open arms, since then the locals have become more standoffish with those they view as invaders.

[hersterical]

(quick disclaimer: I only know the very basics about punk culture. This isn’t supposed to be very serious)

If MCU Steve Rogers was a teen/young adult in the 60’s/70’s/80’s he would’ve been a hardcore punk (this is just for fun so I’m not going to talk about Vietnam) He’d do the safety pin earrings and the handmade patches on his old and ripped clothes and the whole thing with lots of diy and thrifting and painting his clothes. He’d go to protests and make sure everyone was properly hydrated and snacked up and do his best to keep the peace between the protesters and the police. But as soon as the first protester is unjustly harassed by an officer he’s throwing punches. If he looks like pre-serum Steve this leads to him being beat up a lot more but that obviously doesn’t stop him from getting into fights and hurts himself more than the person he punches. Bucky and Peggy take turns bailing him out of jail (whoever’s not bailing him out is usually in jail with Steve). He is impossibly nice even by punk standards.

Peggy would also be a punk but she’s not as hardcore as Steve when it comes to the aesthetics. She’s just as hardcore punk when it comes to attitude though she’s more careful about thinking things through than Steve is. She goes to all of the same protests and rallies as Steve (and is sometimes even one of the organizers) but she wasn’t usually arrested until she fell in with Steve and Bucky who encourages her more reckless side.

Bucky isn’t hardcore when it comes to the aesthetics because it can make it difficult to find dates but he’s right there with Steve through everything. Mostly he just wears a lot of eyeliner, and leather/denim jackets and has an eyebrow piercing. He did at one point have a mohawk but he didn’t like it. He doesn’t care quite as much about the causes as Steve and Peggy who are both unhinged, but he is still passionate about civil rights (partially because of Steve). He’s even more passionate about the people he cares about and keeping them safe (mostly Steve because everyone else usually has a basic sense of self-preservation).

Sam is there as well. He’s the last one to join the group and is a hippie (I’m not going to talk about that because I know even less about hippies than I do about punks). He’s even more passionate about civil rights than the other three but he’s a lot more careful about not being caught (Sam’s the most self-aware about the groups tendency to lose brain cells when they’re around each other and there’s also the necessity of him having to be more careful of racist cops). Sam is also less prone to getting into fights as the others, but he still gets into a surprising amount of fights for a hippie. Especially when he has to back the other three up. He’s quickly added to the paying for bail rotation because he gets into his fair share of trouble as well. He gets the other three to do some drum circles and go on camping trips with him. Bucky secretly loves doing these things even though he pretends to hate it while Steve and Peggy enjoys it more for the bonding and making Sam and Bucky happy than the actual activities. They still have fun though.

It’s funny seeing them all hang out together because there’s three punks, two of whom are some of the scariest, most intimidating people you’ve ever seen, an impossibly skinny dude who’s dressed even edgier than the scary ones, and a really happy and nice looking hippie. Sometimes the Howling Commandos show up and then usually gets them kicked out of wherever they’re hanging out.

[youthculture2b]

The power of your style

Ana Luíza Porchat

Have you ever stressed out over the outfit you would wear to a party and started screaming that you have nothing to wear? Couldn't you wear your cool top that you have been planning in your head despite the weird looks you would get in school? Have you asked for a friend's opinion on your gear? If you remember how life was as a teenager you probably went through at least one of these situations. Young people have a bigger tendency of considering they have to prove themselves, in spite of having lower confidence. The influencer and fashion blogger Monique Meads says "they believe that they need to fit in somehow. By copying the fashion trends around them, they can feel like they belong to the world. Teenagers use fashion to hold friendships and boost their self-esteem by “mirroring.”". Based on that, is why talking about the establishment of fashion trends and its reflection on youth culture since the 60s is such a fundamental topic.

Since the beginning, clothes were highly associated with social interactions and most of the trends signify a safe space for youth. Fashion recently became an echo of teens' mood, personality and self-esteem. In addition, nowadays young people are the most style-oriented and construct different aspects of their lives based on appearance. The influence of social media on the process of establishing certain fashion trends of the youth intensifies the unification in fashion. Social media has facilitated the amplitude of reach of the different trends, making it easier to purchase and copy clothes. "There is a generation that, since birth, has lived with another powerful media, the Internet. In front of the new devices, these young people don't maintain the same passive attitude that their parents and grandparents had towards the means of communication available to them" (from the book Cultura da Rebeldia: a juventude em questão). This constant access to the internet world plays an important role in establishing fashion and not only did social media make it catch on as fast as it did, technology improved the likeless of the fads to switch as much as they do now (Fashinnovation).

Starting in the 60s, young people were included in a category called "youth". When the industries began to notice they were "capable of setting trends and spreading fashion",  this decade became a synonym of a change in attitude, a youthful revolution. According to  Elle magazine's fashion history post, teenagers had specific clothing (more colorful and casual, contrasting with adult ones), being strongly influenced by tv shows and music. Looking back to each one of the past decades or even years, we're able to recognize specific trends that characterize the social environment and, in consequence, the young people that grew influenced by each one of them. Punk, rock, groove, indie, hippie,... All of them have distinct soundtracks, hairstyles, makeup, jewelry and, mostly, clothes. Even comparing the early 2000s fashion to the 2010s' you'll notice a gigantic difference, because the popular culture and styles that were trending can drift very quickly.

Youth culture is a very broad term, having the mission to englobe all the different categories that young people create. The recent change in fashion trends influence the youth and end up suppressing the diversity of youth culture. Even though there are different trends happening simultaneously, fashion has always been used to manifest which group you belong to. Furthermore, it becomes more than your identity, because the different singularities are quieted by peer pressure and trying to fit in. Nobody wants to stand out, making it difficult for those with a unique personality.

In conclusion, when we talk about fashion we refer to it as a reflection of the different categories of your life, like your age, group or culture. The various fashion trends are a way to manifest those aspects related to the social background the youth grew up in over the past 60 decades specifically. Many things might influence how a person chooses their style, however the role of social media is essential to consolidate mass fashion. Evolving through the years, the identities and attitudes have shifted together with fads, creating a bigger generation gap. The representation of youth culture through fashion became today a symbol of broader group characteristics, hiding individual personalities. Considering the ideas presented here, shouldn't we reflect if what we wear is simply our style or are we mirroring different concepts through our outfits?

[ridearockox]

The who exploring eachother bodies in the mid 60s am I right

Hello you are absolutely right and I'm going to talk about + it gives me an excuse to post photos! Win/Win!

Read more because more photos and I will ramble, ops!

Mid 60's Who, my beloved. That's easily one of my top three favorite Who eras, no joke. John slowly becoming more eccentric with his clothes, Roger doing slay after slay, Pete growing ridiculously cute and Keith reaching that innocent yet mischievous balance.

I believe that they are the most explosive and careless during this era. They aren't teens anymore, but they aren't full adults either, and there's still a lot of tension and frustration in the air. Yet they are all growing steadily closer, despite their clashing personalities and them talking about how they "dislike" each other whenever they are asked about if they get along (I'm calling out Roger specially during this time like stop lying).

My favorite thing ever from this era is Moontwistle because I think that at this point they are literally glued to each other, I mean their stupid carnival date photoshoot is during that era like, OK, just say you are gay, geez!

I absolutely love the idea of them starting their relationship during this time. I have a lot of soft thoughts about them during this and the more late-ish 60's like they are legit in love and they are just cute. Cute and a bit kinky because they are who they are fufufu.

It's the perfect Moontwistle era for awkward but enthusiastic making out, Keith being a little too eager to please, John being enamored by Keith's cute looks, them teasing each other playfully at every opportunity, having sex at "unconventional" places because they are just hormonal and in love and can't keep their stupid hands off each other. Keith specially needs to be touching John 24/7 or he'll literally die.

I want them to explore and discover kinks together, and I specially want this Keith and John to explore Keith's crossdressing tendencies I think it's very ripe for good content (I mean I wrote a fic on that before so yeah).

But, oh dear, it would be out of character of me if I didn't mention my love, my lifeblood: 60's problematic Daltwistle.

And no I don't care how many times I post these photos and scream about them and become absolutely unhinged. You're gonna have to deal with me talking about it again (also can I just talk real quick about how being a daltwistle shipper is the worst because there are like three photos with only them, and all other times I'm trying to show them together to make a point I need to crop a group shot or use individual images I hate it here)

I love flustered Roger who doesn't know how to deal with his feelings for John in a healthy manner. And John taking full advantage of Roger's confusing feelings to pretty much manipulating him into sex. I make John very toxic during this era with Roger for absolutely no reason. He's manipulative, intimidating, nasty and literally doesn't know what "No" means.

But let it be known it's far more in a dubcon light than full on non-con, with Roger's moaning and gasping just occasionally being interrupted by a "stop" or similar, but John can feel Roger so tight around him~

Hm? What is that? It's getting too risqué in here? OK, fine, I'll talk about Towntwistle then.

Where do I even start with these two?

This is some "childhood friends who started dating" energy right there. They could not be more opposite to each other and yet they've been friends for 5987867 years and the only logical progression to their relationship was to start dating.

Love that Pete gets over the initial awkward stage at this point (he honestly starts off terrified because he absolutely thinks John is not gonna be OK with being more than just friends but he clearly is more than OK) and while John comes up with the strangest stuff to add to their sex, Pete is a poor naive soul who goes "Well, I trust him, we've been friends for so long. He wouldn't do anything evil to me."

And yeah, John doesn't do anything mean to Pete, but it doesn't really take long until Pete finds himself all tied up and restrained, which he didn't expect to get turned on by and yet... (thanks to the server for planting this idea in my brain, now it won't leave).

But honestly Pete likes the whole bondage thing because he legit an just turn off his brain and let John take care of everything and honestly, being able to do that is bliss for Pete. Because he thinks all the thoughts all the time.

Wait, I need to talk about Towntrey before this post is over!

So they are ridiculous and I love them? Roger is at this point where he's finally moving away from being super aggressive all the time, so in turn his relationship with Pete starts to improve steadily. Also this is the point where he starts to become my personal favorite type of Roger: flighty and not afraid of flirting.

Meanwhile Pete is terrified of flirting. Specially coming from Roger because he can't tell if he's doing it to pull his leg, make fun of him, or if he's serious. Roger is always treating everything like such a huge joke, Pete can't tell when he's being for real about something. That is until Roger gets fed up, corners him one day and kisses him. That's when Pete knows he's for real.

I don't have super spicy takes for them sadly. I feel that almost every time I think of Towntrey in a requited way, it always ends up landing on more soft, fluffy sex, which isn't a bad thing, but it's not interesting for me to talk about unless I am writing a fic or something (but I'll say this: Pete is the biggest sub top ever, even if their relationship doesn't really follow dom/sub dynamics).

And that's all I have to say about mid 60's Who and ships lol

[nickgerlich]

Young Guns

I suppose it is just intrinsically human to consider your generational cohort the best that ever was, and to be dismissive of all those coming along after you. Oddly, we become more accepting of the ones before us, if only because we have started to grow old ourselves, able to see a little more clearly.

And so we mock the music our successors find appealing, knowing full well that our parents (I am speaking of mine right now) hated rock-n-roll with a fervor. We mock their clothing, their hair styles, their desire to DoorDash everything, and the amount of time they spend on their phones doing everything else.

Of course, my people are called “Boomer" with ridicule and scorn, not a whole lot different from the hatred we lobbed at our parents. It’s normal, remember, even though that alone does not make it right.



With COVID slipping ever farther into the rear view (aside from a nagging number of cases still being reported), shoppers have returned to BAM stores. Well, except for Millennials, who reported in a recent survey that nearly three-quarters plan to maintain or increase their online shopping in the years ahead.



That’s probably not too much of a problem for mainstream retailers in the short-run, but as Millennials assume the roles that Gen-Xers and Boomers are in today, it could spell long-term problems. That’s another way of saying once the crusty old curmudgeons are gone, it could be tough sledding for BAM retailers.

I get all the intergenerational complaining, too, but I am blessed to be surrounded by young adults all the time in my profession. Not everyone can say that. I embrace the changes around me, but others less fortunate than me may not be so quick to hitch their wagons to the engine we call Change.

I prefer to go with the 1980-1996 time frame for Millennial membership, although there is not 100% agreement on this. It was only about a decade ago that the cut point was moved from 1998 back to 1996, which left my oldest daughter sorely disappointed. She is now a Gen-Z, although she lives and shops like a Millennial. Those on the cusp, either beginning or end, may exhibit traits of the other generation nearby.

The jury is out yet on Gen-Z, many of whom have not yet become shoppers in the adult sense of the word. If I had to bet, they will leave their Millennial brothers and sisters in the dust and do even more shopping online. Remember, these are the true digital natives, humans whom have known only one way of life thus far. They could have easily been born with a smartphone or computer mouse in their hand.

Given that the oldest Millennial—using the generally agreed-upon definition—is turning 43 this year, it means that this group is at or near their peak consumption years. Once you hit 60 and/or have an empty nest, consumption starts to decline, from the houses we buy, to the things we put in it. And if Millennials are inclined to continue shopping online without a thought, it means that retailers need to start planning for the declining emphasis on their actual shops.

I foresee, as we have discussed previously, more empty malls, and quite possibly standalone and strip mall shops as well. Vast ghost towns of commercial structures may blight our city streets.

It is a fool’s errand for any generation to expect subsequent ones to act just like them. You will fail, no matter how much you gripe about the ways they have chosen to define their generation. In other words, give it up. My generation has had its time in the sun. In fact, I’m pretty sure that we Boomers have enjoyed being the darlings of society ever since we were born.

After all, we broke all previous—and future—records for percentage growth rate. But that does not mean we are the kings and queens of our culture. We may be in the lofty position of owning much of our nation’s wealth right now, but that too will pass when we bequeath it to our heirs.

It just means there might be a lot of grumpy old men and women in the foreseeable future, bitching about how so many things have changed in their lives, and that things just aren’t the way they used to be. Get off their lawns, and turn down your music. Getting old sucks for sure, but your turn (I’m talking to my students now) will come and then you’ll be able to complain about all the younguns coming along.

Sure as the setting sun.


Dr “Talkin’ About My Generation“ Gerlich

Audio Blog

[spooksgrove]

FULL PLOT  !! 

             — welcome to shady grove,  washington state,  a fictional town in the pacific northwest,  united states.  a secluded, wooded haven located a couple hours away from any major city,  most people go their entire lives without ever even hearing about it.  for others,  it is home.  most moved away as soon as they turned 18.  but for some  ,,  if you dare to believe ,, they never truly leave  ,,  an afterlife & supernatural dwelling ground for spirits and some unexplained phenomenon ...                  tucked away among the typical charming features of small town life — coffee, ice cream, & flower shops ,, vintage/antique, vinyl, & thrift stores  ,,  diners, sports bars, restaurants — has always stood a large cabin along the edge of shady lake.  for those who grew up in the late 70s, 80s, and 90s, both the cabin and lake always sparked curiosity.  it was rumored that a set of twins living in the cabin estate drowned at shady lake in the 60s and ever since,  the cabin was completely closed off and inaccessible.                  shady lake remained a centerpiece of town:  everyone remembers fourth of july fireworks over the water ,, kayaking, boating, fishing and swimming in the summer ,,  bonfires & roasting marshmallows on its shore each fall ,, but for those who dared approach the lake after nightfall ... memories remain.  and rumor had it anyone who tried to sneak into the cabin was never heard from again.                   but it was all silly teenage imagination,  right ?  boredom in a rural town led their minds to come up with their own entertainment ... that’s what former residents tell themselves now as adults.  regardless,  when the infamous cabin estate popped up on airbnb and former students were invited to shady grove high school reunion in 2022  ,,  a group of friends just couldn’t help themselves but to rent it out and reunite for one last hurrah.  ( or the first of many ,, who knows.  )                   browsing the airbnb reviews ,, it’s easy to see that these former residents weren’t the only to find disturbances at the cabin:                 ‘ ... when i tried taking a swim one night,  i felt someone pulling at my feet trying to drag me under the water ...’   ‘ ... the pipes in all the bathrooms turn on by themselves at all hours of the day and night ... ’   ‘ ... flickering lights in almost every bedroom ...’  ‘ ... my daughter was walking on the dock and i saw her crash into the water ... she didn’t fall ... i know it sounds crazy but someone invisible shoved her off ...’  ‘ ... i was woken up at 2am to the sound of a little boy crying but no one was there ... ’   ‘ ... don’t look out the windows after sunset ...’   ‘ ... i swear i saw someone hovering above the water ... ’   ‘ ...  i didn’t feel alone in the shower ... ’   ‘ ... plates crashing to the kitchen floor when no one was in there ... ’   ‘ ... when i returned to my bedroom,  all my clothes were folded in my suitcase again as if someone wanted me to leave ...’   and those are just a few.                 call it stupidity  ,,  call it a midlife crisis.  good luck revisiting all your high school memories  ,,  insecurities  ,, friends ,, lovers ,, enemies ,, fears.  no matter how far you’ve roamed ,,  your high school ghosts lurking in shady grove will never truly let you go. 

[lifeforms]

ʺ  LANA LANG   ︰   𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑  𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐒 .

𝙻𝙰𝚈𝙴𝚁  𝟶𝟶𝟷    :    𝐓𝐇𝐄    𝐎𝐔𝐓𝐒𝐈𝐃𝐄.    

NAME  :  xiulan lang. her middle name is too incongruous with her vibe. even though i literally gave it to her and now will not change it.

EYE COLOR  :   hazel. heavy on the green.

HAIR STYLE  /  COLOR  :  dark brown. mostly straight (has just enough natural Inclination To Wave to behave if it's supposed to be doing something else). usually on the longer side of medium, i guess. if it's ever substantially shorter you SHOULD be concerned. she is easy that way.

HEIGHT  :   about 5'3" / 160 cm.

CLOTHING STYLE  :  something you'd probably hear advertised on a podcast as 'smart'. she is not a flashy dresser. but as an adult she also definitely knows a dry cleaner, and that frightens me a little bit.

BEST PHYSICAL FEATURE  : personally i am crazy about her little eye teeth that like to peek out of her mouth like vampire fangs. but that's just my own correct opinion. you can't really go wrong with this one 🥺  

𝙻𝙰𝚈𝙴𝚁  𝟶𝟶𝟸    :    𝐓𝐇𝐄    𝐈𝐍𝐒𝐈𝐃𝐄.    

FEARS  :  she truly has done so, so much for the Abandonment Issues industry. basically everything is tied to that in one way or another.  

GUILTY PLEASURE  : you'd think i'd say some kind of fancy coffee but she doesn't... drink coffee...

BIGGEST PET PEEVE  : don't lie to her. and if you have to lie to her, at least be good at it. she will do the same  

AMBITIONS FOR THE FUTURE  :  her brain is not really well-suited to that kind of thought. she's just trying to minimize harm all the time. and it works for her

𝙻𝙰𝚈𝙴𝚁  𝟶𝟶𝟹    :    𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒.

FIRST THOUGHTS WAKING UP  :  usually she initially thinks she is somewhere in The Past. there is a depressing monologue about that

WHAT THEY THINK ABOUT MOST  : i don't think there is any one thing, mercifully. though she certainly has her Thought Habits [nostalgia disease] [major depressive disorder] [Protect and Serve but not in a cop way] [a certain inextinguishable childlike wonder]

WHAT THEY THINK ABOUT BEFORE BED  : oh, nothing. she's one of those people who won't lie down until she knows she'll be out before her head hits the pillow. so she doesn't really have any kind of 'routine' as such. she's just going until, for a few hours, she's not.

WHAT THEY THINK THEIR BEST QUALITY IS  : her last name 🫶

𝙻𝙰𝚈𝙴𝚁  𝟶𝟶𝟺    :    𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓’𝐒    𝐁𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑?

SINGLE OR GROUP DATES  :  please don't take her on a group anything.  

TO BE LOVED OR RESPECTED  :   respected.

BEAUTY OR BRAINS  :   secret third option 🫶

DOGS OR CATS  :  she is rightfully a centrist --- but i don't think she would ever have a cat that wasn't like, a barn cat, for what it's worth. if she wanted something to make her feel unnecessary and kind of stupid in her own home, there are so many people she could just invite over instead.

𝙻𝙰𝚈𝙴𝚁  𝟶𝟶𝟻    :    𝐃𝐎    𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐘…

LIE  :  she will, if she has to. she's excellent at it. it's not in her nature, though --- it is not a skill she values or enjoys using.  

BELIEVE IN THEMSELVES  :  yes. mostly.

BELIEVE IN LOVE  :  sometimes i think we all kind of wish she didn't. but yes.

WANT SOMEONE  : lana just kind of... wants. obviously certain people (past, present, future) are part of that --- but i'm not sure she's quite capable of settling down [romantically] in a way that would actually be fulfilling to her, either. she does not know how to trust like that lol 🥺

𝙻𝙰𝚈𝙴𝚁  𝟶𝟶𝟼    :    𝐇𝐀𝐕𝐄    𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐘    𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑…

BEEN ON STAGE  : i'm sure she has been as like. someone being interviewed for The Press / that sort of thing. but otherwise, absolutely not.

CHANGED WHO THEY WERE TO FIT IN  :   if lana were capable of changing herself for another person, her onscreen personal drama would have been cut down like 60%. but she's not.

𝙻𝙰𝚈𝙴𝚁  𝟶𝟶𝟽    :    𝐅𝐀𝐕𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐄𝐒.

FAVORITE COLOR  : purple.

FAVORITE ANIMAL  :  all animals is good animals. but, gun to our heads, the answer is, of course, horse. she'd also especially love anything else that is Big But Gentle. elephants being an obvious example 

FAVORITE BOOK  :  great question! her taste is probably far more discerning than mine! but i do think she'd be into arundhati roy and dorothy allison. catherine lacey. edwidge danticat. toni morrison. i'm not ALWAYS wrong

FAVORITE GAME  : some kind of trivia board game, probably. sorry. MAYBE pictionary

𝙻𝙰𝚈𝙴𝚁  𝟶𝟶𝟾    :    𝐀𝐆𝐄.

DAY THEIR NEXT BIRTHDAY WILL BE  : 1 february.

HOW OLD WILL THEY BE  : however old we need her to be for the bit, son. but the character herself (sv edition, anyway) was born in 1986. so i guess she'd be turning 39.

𝙻𝙰𝚈𝙴𝚁  𝟶𝟶𝟿    :    𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐈𝐒𝐇    𝐓𝐇𝐄    𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄.

I LOVE  :  yeah my characters will never cooperate with these things

I FEEL  :

I HIDE  : 

I MISS  :  

I WISH  :

[casspurrjoybell-19]

Does it Matter? - Chapter 60 - Part 1

*Warning Adult Content*

The rain finally stopped after two long days.

On the morning of the third, Maric stepped out of their tent into a world washed clean, the sun shining brightly in a cloudless sky.

Some of his men were already up, moving around the campsite, packing things away.

Brayan emerged from the tent minutes later, already dressed for the day, then did an about-face back into the tent.

When he sat down next to the campfire with Maric to eat some breakfast, no longer in his uniform blues, a subtle yet perceptible shift swept through the camp.

Without a word from Brayan, the message was clear.

By the time the camp was dismantled and everyone stood ready to depart, the colour blue had vanished from sight.

Once they crossed the border into Ticia, being recognised for what they were would be a very dangerous thing.

Brayan even dusted Luce with some of the region's reddish soil, though it didn't do much to disguise his fine breeding.

There wasn't much that could be done to disguise the quality of the men in their group, either.

They weren't very convincing as a ragtag group of merchants or mercenaries.

As they began their ride, Hudson gave the other men lessons in how to slouch and look undisciplined.

He'd clearly spent the last few days working on a particularly unsightly beard that Maric had to admit made him look quite unlike someone who ought to have a place in the prince's guard.

Riding out toward the valley's winding exit, Dara and Bug fell into lively chatter in Eulan.

Brayan observed them with a rare serenity on his face, as if trying to piece together a puzzle.

Brayan had always been the eye of the storm, calm, collected but Maric was beginning to realise that he'd never truly been at peace with himself.

Maric wasn't one to judge, he had been walking the same tightrope, draped in duty, yet feeling distant from its heart.

They were meant to be beacons for the border soldiers, a morale boost in what appeared to be an endless, joyless tug-of-war.

For Maric, this role was a convenient escape from his father's shadow, a space where he didn't have to confront their strained relationship.

Just thinking about his father made Maric tense up.

The idea of any reconciliation was unthinkable now, especially after what had happened to Dara but it wasn't just about Dara.

Maric had always harboured resentment towards his father, believing it to be a private issue that inadvertently bled into his duties because he couldn't detach his feelings from his responsibilities.

Now, he understood it was more than a family squabble.

His father's actions had taken the brother of one of Maric's own men from him.

Maric would make sure he answered for that and for the many other wrongs he'd done to many other people.

The misery of Maric's childhood was the least of those but these were heavy thoughts for another time.

For now, Maric allowed the cool mountain breeze to soothe his spirit as he led his men along a narrow, rugged trail towards the unknown.

********

By midday, they reached what could only be described as the saddest excuse for a border marker Brayan had ever encountered, a barely discernible, faded red cloth tied to a weather-beaten stake in the ground.

Dara gracefully dismounted and assisted Bug down, their hands clasping as they theatrically stepped across the boundary.

Standing now in Ticia, Bug's face lit up with a radiant smile, turning towards Brayan as Cassie, ever attuned to the group's emotions, danced excitedly around them.

"Let's take a short break here," Maric declared, watching the scene unfold with a softness in his eyes.

"Savour this moment. We'll need to be even more vigilant once we move on."

Bug, lingering by the modest marker, silently beckoned Brayan over, clearly reluctant to cross back over.

With a nod to Raedon, who took Luce's reins, Brayan walked over.

"Can we go for a walk to the top of the hill during the break?"

Bug asked.

Brayan's gaze followed the path winding up the hill into Ticia.

It wasn't particularly steep nor distant but he knew Bug's stamina was limited.

"Wouldn't it be wiser to rest now?"

"Well, maybe but... please? We can rest once we're up there."

Brayan let out an indulgent sigh.

"I'll get some food."

Bug waited patiently and once Brayan had gathered some dried meat and hardtack, they set off together.

As Brayan watched Bug struggle to haul himself up the short distance to the top of the hill, he was tempted to just pick him up and carry him but he didn't want to rob him of his dignity.

Reaching the summit of the hill, modest as it was, seemed to infuse Bug with a renewed vitality.

He spun slowly, absorbing the expansive view of the arid landscape that unfolded around them.

There was a smile on his face as he turned to Brayan, and Brayan found himself mirroring it.

"This is the moment," Bug said, locking eyes with Brayan.

"The one I was shown. What the thing in my head promised me to get me to stay."

"And has it lived up to your expectations?"

"It's surpassed anything I could have dared to hope for. I'm glad I trusted it."

"Was this why you wanted to come up here? Did you know?"

"I had a feeling," Bug admitted.

"But even if my hunch had been wrong, sharing this moment with you would have been worth the climb, don't you think?"

"If you're willing to use your energy for this, I won't object but once we're back on the road, you're sharing my horse so you can get some rest."

Bug's eyebrows lifted.

"I'm not sure you have the authority to give me orders on this side of the border."

Brayan faltered.

"I didn't mean..." he paused, choosing his next words carefully.

"You're right. That came out more like an order than I intended. I apologise."

Bug's smile softened the moment.

"I was teasing. You're right, of course and I welcome the rest. If you're offering, I'd be glad to ride with you."

"Even so, your point stands," Brayan said as he extended a piece of dried meat to Bug.

"I don't have the right to command you and I must be mindful of that. I imagine it doesn't help that my own father was very much the head of our family but you're not a woman. You're just as much a man as I am."

"Oh," Bug said.

"I guess the Eth are a little different. My parents ran our household as an equal partnership. For us, that's normal."

Brayan mulled over Bug's words.

"I suppose I have no strong feelings on the matter. I think there's value in hierarchy but I've come to see that assigning someone a leadership position by default has its flaws. Perhaps it is stronger for two people to negotiate that role between themselves. To balance that power in a way that supports a more levelheaded approach."

Bug offered him a fond smile.

"I never really thought about it as a matter of power. They were just my parents. We loved one another and lived a quiet life with our goats."

"My father had high standards for me but I wouldn't be where I am now without them. Without a prestigious family name, I had to outperform at every turn to secure my position. We were comfortable, yet in circles where titles weigh more than talent, I was an outlier. I'm lucky that Maric is the kind of man to overlook such things but I also put in the work so that I could confidently say that I am the best choice for the job."

"I was never very ambitious," Bug admitted.

"I was quite happy just... living. Raising goats, making cheese, doing a little hunting and of course, fantasising about the man from my dream. I hope my lack of drive doesn't disappoint you."

"I value who I've become, Bug and I aim to be a good partner for you but trust me, no relationship needs more than one person like me."

Bug nodded, a thoughtful silence falling as he began to nibble on the dried meat Brayan had offered.