#Groom Make-Up Party Wear Wedding Make-Up 2016

[hamingo]

Last Time on Family Matters- Session 6 (The Wedding Episode)

Nov 13th, 2016

The party start their evening at the hotel, getting ready for the wedding reception.  Before they leave, Akari pulls Wolfgang aside and tell him to be cautious around Rosario, and that she had suspicions she won’t name yet in case she’s wrong, but she warns to not trust him and that he may just be manipulating him. Wolfgang does his best not to cry.   

Upon arriving at the reception, the party immediately split up- Cordell bringing Paul Allen to find Eleanora and Magdalene, Akari to see if Anthonio is there, Wolfgang to go see the bride, and Soup to take selfies with all the fancy furniture and artwork.   

Wolfgang heads to the main table, where the bride, groom, best man and maid of honour are all grouped together. The bride is absolutely off the shits, while the groom and best man are having a joking conversation and the maid of honour is desperately trying to sober up her friend and keep her from embarrassing herself. The bride seems to be too drunk to realize that she has no idea who Wolfgang is, and gleefully embraces him. He and the maid of honour take her to the dessert buffet to get some food in her, and when the maid of honour leaves to go find her some water, Wolfgang tries to ask her some about how she’s feeling in the relationship and such, and the bride lets out that she’s just happy to not have the Giovanni name anymore and get out of Venice, as she’s certain her family are in a weird cult and that they’re going to indoctrinate her if she doesn’t leave. The maid of honour returns and ushers the bride back to the head table, leaving Wolfgang alone.

Cordell quickly spots Eleanora and Magdalene up on the balcony. He holds Paul Allen’s hand so as not to lose him and he makes his way up to them. Eleanora wears a high-collared dress, presumably to hide the scars that Akari gave her, and makes a judgy comment about Cordell’s jeans and he decides he doesn’t like her anymore. Magdalene tells Cordell that she has someone she would like him to meet, and introduces her to her sire, Enzio Giovanni, and Dario Puttanesca. Enzio asks what Cordell wants from the Giovanni, to which he replies he wants to live in Venice without having to work for the family, and in return he can offer information on camarilla spies within the city. Enzio is intrigued, and sends Eleanora and Dario away, leading Cordell and Magdalene farther into the manor to discuss more details in his office. Paul Allen notices the band.   

Akari spots Anthonio sitting on a bench at the edge of the crowd with a woman she doesn’t recognize, but as she gets closer she notices that this is probably his sister. My mans is looking fucked up, seemingly going through withdrawal and also looking slightly older than the last time he was seen. His sister introduces herself as Maria, and she tells Akari how about a week ago another ghoul showed up at her place with Anthonio barely alive, and she’s been taking care of him since, but was told to bring him to this wedding to hand him back to the twins. Akari sits to continue chatting with them.

Wolfgang then finds Rosario making ribbons with the maid of honour's young daughters and joins to help. Eventually the girls run off and Rosario asks Wolfgang to come with him to get a drink. At the bar he asks for three glasses of wine, gives one to Wolfgang and carries the other two over to where Akari, Anthonio and Maria are sitting. He offers one of the glasses to Anthonio, telling him to drink, but Akari grabs it instead, downing the whole thing herself. Rosario then taunts Anthonio with his blood, smearing some across his cheekbone and lips, knowing that he’d be going through withdrawals after the week spent away in Sicily, and demanding that he drink enough to get Rosario drunk. Akari and Anthonio then head off, Akari telling Wolfgang to keep an eye on Rosario, so he and Rosario end up on the dance floor, where Paul Allen is busting out the absolute sickest breakdancing moves ever seen on the face of the earth. Everyone is enthralled. Good job, Paul Allen.   

Akari pulls Anthonio away into a semi-secluded corner, biting her lip hard enough to draw blood and pulling him in for a kiss, giving him her own blood in an attempt to ease his withdrawal. He thanks her, but tells her that it’s still not the same as his addiction to the twins, and that he’s going to do what Rosario asks of him to get his blood. The two of them then head over to meet Maria at the bar.

In an office, deeper in the manor, Cordell makes a deal with Enzio. He says that he and the kindred he came to Venice with are working for the Camarilla, and while he only has the surname of the woman who sent them, he can get her full name from one of his companions. He also says that he can get all of this woman’s spies in one location for Enzio to deal with. Enzio agrees with his terms, and gives Cordell his personal phone number to contact him when everything is in place. Cordell tells Enzio that his real name is Ronan, and would prefer the Giovanni refer to him as such. He then heads down to Wolfgang on the dance floor, asking for Mercer’s first name, which Wolfgang tells him is “Greta” without any hesitation. Cordell thanks him and leaves, after which Rosario tells Wolfgang that he’s far too easy, and implies that he was only playing him for the information which he just willingly gave to Cordell. He leaves Wolfgang there and grabs Anthonio, leading him off presumably to feed from eachother (and probably fuck cause let’s be real here).   

Cordell leaves to find a secluded area before calling Mercer, fucking lying to her and saying that their postion in Venice has been compromised, and they need a new home base and backup immediately. She gives him an address of a new hotel, and says that she’ll send as many of her contacts as she can spare. He ends the conversation with “Thank you, Greta” like a sneaky fucking bitch, and informs Enzio that there will be a bunch of camarilla spies at the hotel Mercer gave him and to move on them immediately. Enzio is hesitant, not wanting to make a scene during the wedding, but is convinced to send as many kindred as he can spare to deal with it. Cordell then heads back to Hotel Canal, rifling through Wolfgang’s stuff and stealing his diary. Bastard.

Back at the wedding, Akari and Wolfgang have decided to follow Rosario and Anthonio and confront them, because they have no manners and won’t even let them finish what they were doing. Anthonio has fucked twice now during this chronicle and not been allowed to finish even once what the fuck, guys. During this bathroom confrontation, Wolfgang is Very Mad at Rosario and Akari calls him out on her suspicion that he’s actually married, to which Rosario tells her the truth that he isn’t married but is engaged to a woman named Abriana, however, his family doesn’t approve of her and won’t let them actually get married because she “isn’t like us”. They end up making a deal that they will help Rosario out with his problems related to his fiancee, and in return he will give Akari Anthonio, and wean him off of his blood so he doesn’t forced to stop cold turkey again and have severe withdrawals.   

After the deal is struck, they head back to the main ballroom, where the best man has begun to give a short speech before the bride and groom cut the wedding cake. Midway through his speech, the best man falters and seems to go blank for a second, before suddenly righting himself and smashing his glass of champagne against the groom’s face. At once, all of the lights go out, and guests begin attacking each other, and the chandelier falls, quickly catching on all of the table cloths and decoration and starting a fire. Guests who still seem to be in their mind scatter, and most escape the building, while the few Giovanni kindred left in the manor try to exorcise as many of the spirits causing this as possible before eventually having to flee themselves.

Akari, Wolfgang, Anthonio and Maria end up back at Hotel Canal, where Wolfgang sees his stuff has been looted and his diary is missing. Akari receives a call from Mercer, asking her if she’s alright and if they’ve made it to the new safe location. When Akari doesn’t  understand, Mercer realizes she’s been lied to and hangs up, and is unable to be contacted again.   

Paul Allen finds his way to Cordell through the blood bond, where Cordell has disposed of yet another phone by throwing it in the canal. He ends up back at Eleanora and Rosario’s apartment, where Enzio and Magdalene are waiting to greet him and thank him for a job well done regarding the camarilla spies, who’ve been successfully taken care of, although he explains that he has no idea what just happened at the manor.   

The session ends and no one really knows what the fuck is going on. Thanks, guys.

[violetsmoak]

Tabula Rasa [1/?]

AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20183281/chapters/47822500

Blanket Disclaimer

Summary: Tim and Jason have known they are soulmates for years, though neither has said anything about it. Tim thinks Jason doesn't know, and is just trying to live with it. Jason thinks Tim knows but doesn't care, which is fine with him, he thinks the soulmate thing is a crock anyway. But one night, a minor mishap forces them to confront the issue head-on, leading to a series of events no one could have predicted.

Rating: PG-13 (rating may change later)

JayTimBingo Prompts This Chapter: #a lie #bright vivid colours #danger #enemies to lovers #soulmate aversion #soulmark tattoo

Canon-Compliance: Follows the New Earth continuity, with elements of New 52 (ie the ones that don’t completely contradict everything that happened pre-Flashpoint). Ignores Rebirth completely. So, up to about 2016 in terms of publication dates? Robins War happened, but Red Hood hasn’t met Artemis or Bizarro, and nothing bad has happened to Roy ffs! 

Beta Reader: I'll get back to you on that.

________________________________________________________________

“Three cheers for the happy couple!”

The south wing ballroom of Wayne Manor erupts with the raucous shouts and applause of a hundred and twenty reception attendees. Tim’s congratulations get lost in the din, but he does catch Dick’s eye and flash him a thumbs up.

Seated at the high table, his older brother leans in and kisses his bride, which causes more cheering and catcalls from the guests, and makes the normally unflappable and newly named Barbara Gordon-Grayson blush.

Tim turns away and pastes a smile on his face as the Davenports, a senior couple and two of Wayne Enterprises' most influential shareholders, approach him.

Time to be ‘on’ again…

A generous mix of family friends (most of whom are vigilantes or heroes), and GCPD officers, fill the ballroom. These are interspersed with a few Haly’s Circus performers, and the requisite number of elite guests required by the Society pages of the Gotham Gazette.

Bride and bridegroom sit at the head table with their respective entourages, engaged in animated chatter. Babs and her maid of honor Alysia dissolve into laughter as Dick says something to Damian, who scowls and turns redder by the minute. The Gordon family is there, the Commissioner conversing in stiff politeness with his ex-wife Barbara, and Bruce is in full “Brucie” mode. In the background, Alfred directs the hired staff with his usual decorum and efficiency.

Across the room, Cassandra drags Stephanie over to the dance floor. At a smaller round table near the bride and groom, Duke just misses being speared with a fork by his girlfriend when he tries to sneak a piece of Izzy’s cake. Helena flirts with both Luke and Kate and Tim’s sure Selina is somewhere in the house stealing something to lure Bruce over to her place later.

It’s rare to have so many members of the family together in one room, and so Tim does his best to ignore the lingering dismay at the glaring absence in their numbers.

Dick and Babs look at each other now and again, like they’re the only ones in the world, and he makes an effort to find it adorable. He bolsters the jovial front he’s been wearing all night, reminding himself that his happiness for his brother and new sister-in-law isn’t something that needs faking. It took so long for them to sort everything out between them; it goes to show that being soulmates doesn’t equal an automatic perfect relationship.

I know that better than anyone.

It’s just getting more difficult with every passing hour to maintain the graceful Timothy Drake-Wayne façade.

“It will be your turn next,” Mrs. Davenport informs him, while her husband nods along. “Since Richard and dear Cassandra have found their matches, you’re the only one left.”

Tim’s smile becomes a little more forced. “Well, there is Damian.”

The demon brat looks as if he swallowed a mouthful of peppercorns as Brucie leans over and ruffles his hair, laughing his raucous fake laugh.

Now I’m glad Dick didn’t ask me to be his best man, or I’d be the chump stuck up there.

Not that he was that upset when he heard the news.

Tim’s distanced himself enough from the loss of Robin to accept Damian needs as much help as they can offer if he is ever to be a ‘real boy’. Little gestures like this from Dick are part of a larger plan. And it was endearing, in a way, to see the kid stomping around in the weeks leading up to the wedding, trying to check off a list of best man duties he’d printed off the internet.

And dissolving into teenaged fury when innocent things went wrong or when the groom teased him by flouting what Damian considered ‘according to convention’.

And then there was that bachelor party he organized…

It would seem extreme trampoline parks were a thing; also, getting banned from said parks within an hour for trampolining while drunk was a thing.

“Yes, but he’s still so…young,” Mrs. Davenport says, bringing him back to the present. Tim perceives how she hesitates on the best word to describe the youngest member of the Wayne family.

“It’s fine, you can call him a prepubescent terror. I always do.”

“Oh, Timothy!” Garish laughter as if he told the most hilarious joke of the season. “You are such a character. Why haven’t you found your someone yet?”

Tim catches sight of Steph once again, dancing with Cass and looking carefree and blissful and in love. And this time it’s a bit harder to experience only joy for his siblings, more of a struggle to fight the pang of hurt and jealousy that rears its head.

“You’re almost eighteen,” her husband remarks, interrupting his thoughts. “Most people find their matches much younger. Eleanor and I met when we were fourteen.”

“Oh, it was a beautiful summer in the Hamptons.”

“And it seems like youth today are finding each other earlier every year.”

“My sister and Stephanie didn’t,” Tim points out, only somewhat strained because that one still stings.

He and Steph had been together for most of their teenage years. She hadn’t possessed a soulmark, and Tim’s…would lead nowhere. He truly loved her, and if things were different, he knows they would have had a happy future. Lots of people whose marks don’t match are.

But then the day Spoiler and Black Bat met, they’d shaken hands, and everything fell into place. He’ll never forget either of their eyes—Steph bemused as her mark appeared for the first time and then exploded into color across her forearms; Cass puzzled until she realized what was happening. Then her face became an open book of joy rivaled only by how she looked when Bruce told her he intended to adopt her.

Faced with their happiness, it was only natural that Tim took a step back, much as it hurt to do.

“Perhaps your soulmate lives in another country,” Mr. Davenport suggests; it is clear he is not picking up on Tim’s reluctance.

“Oh!” his wife cries. “You should go on that television show they have now! You know, the one where they try to help you track down your match? I can’t remember the name, but it’s something like The Amazing Race or the Bachelorette.”

“Perhaps yours is younger than you. That happens sometimes.”

“Yes! May-December relationships aren’t that uncommon with your generation, I hear.”

“Or maybe they’re dead,” Tim suggests, and though his tone is light and friendly, his words shut them up in an instant.

Because if very well could be true.

Tim’s never shown off his mark in public, and he told Steph that exact story when she asked all those years ago. At the time, he wasn’t even lying.

Soulmarks develop around puberty and last the duration of the lifespan of the shorter-lived partner. Some people are born with several, the way Dick was, and some only share platonic or familial bonds, like Alfred and Bruce. Others have none at all. When a soulmate dies, the mark associated with them vanishes.

That’s because most don’t come back from the dead.

Still smiling at the now cringing couple, Tim takes his leave, letting them stew in their faux pas as he wanders toward the bride and groom’s table. He’s reached his limit.

Not wanting to crouch down in the middle of their group, he gestures until his brother sees him and makes an excuse to Babs. She’s following his gaze, offering Tim a worried look, but he smiles and shakes his head, trying to telegraph ‘It’s nothing. Go back to your celebration.’

Dick is red-faced and his eyes brighter than usual when he gets to Tim; people been plying him with generous amounts of alcohol all day. “Hey, Timmy, what’s up?”

“I think I‘ll make my way out,” he replies. “Do a bit of patrolling and then turn in.”

“Tim…”

Dick’s expression becomes concerned, and Tim shifts in discomfort.

“Someone has to be on the streets while you guys are slacking,” he jokes. “You know it took an Act of Alfred to get Bruce to take the night off, right?”

(It was also pointed out that if any of big players had planned anything tonight, probability and precedent suggested they would try it at the Gordon-Grayson reception.)

“You don’t have to do that! I’ve already got one brother missing.”

“Consider this my wedding present. You get to stay and enjoy your party with the rest of the family.”

“You’re just trying to worm your way of giving us a real gift,” Dick accuses, but the words lack malice. With a surreptitious glance around to ensure they aren’t being overheard, he lowers his voice and asks, “Are things getting bad again? Do you need to talk? Because Babs won’t mind if I duck out for a bit.”

And he’s always doing this, checking in with Tim, even years after it’s been an issue.

There’s a distinct possibility Dick has noticed how uncomfortable the atmosphere is making him, despite him doing his utmost to hide it, to keep from casting a dark cloud over the festivities.

And Tim should be okay.

Bruce is back from having lost his memories, Damian’s stopped his determined attempts to sabotage or kill him, his relationship with Dick is almost normal again, he has his team and place with the Titans, and there hasn’t been a major crisis in Gotham for about a month which is a record.

Yet he still feels raw and exposed, ill at ease in his skin.

Bruce has been questioning him a lot more, criticizing the way he handles not only cases but projects at WE. Tim worries there’s less time for him to recover between being Tim Wayne, CEO, and Red Robin. And the Titans are getting to the age where many of them want to strike out on their own or pursue more civilian interests—jobs and schools and a normal life. He respects that, even if he doesn’t understand it.

He has never had a normal life, and never will.

But he does have more and more days now where he looks at himself in the mirror and wonders how he’s supposed to keep doing this forever. Can’t figure out how Bruce has managed it for so long. Tim suspects he’s becoming little more than his daytime public persona and his nighttime alter ego.

Who exactly is Tim Drake?

Instead of voicing any of this, though, he musters up a comforting smile for his brother and assures him, “There’s nothing to talk about. It’s like every day. Just one step at a time, right?”

Dick’s expression clears then, and he nods, relieved. “Okay. If you’re sure.”

“And Dick?”

“Yeah?”

“Congrats.”

“Aw, thanks, Timmy.”

A bone-crushing hug later, and Tim’s car peels out of the estate parking garage, still ignoring the growing pit in his stomach.

He returns to his apartment in the Theater District, shedding his suit and tie in a pile that Alfred would have a coronary over if he were there to see it. Jumping in the shower, he scrubs himself of any traces of his cologne or other identifying scents he might have picked up at the reception and tries to get himself back into a clearer headspace.

He pauses for a moment at the sink, trying to shake off the lingering, bone-deep exhaustion. Several prescription bottles line the mirror—various sleeping aids, most of which don’t help anymore (but the rebound insomnia of stopping them isn’t worth the trouble). These days it’s only the heavy-duty sleep narcotics that work when he needs to turn his brain off for a few hours.

Among the personal pharmacy are several combinations of anti-depressants he tried in the past few months. Most of the time he powers through it, the way he’s done his whole life, but in recent weeks Tim’s noticed things getting hard again. The helpful alerts he sets on his phone don’t always convince him to leave his bed and even video games lack the usual draw. He sometimes gets lost in his head for hours; on bad nights, he hesitates a second longer before shooting a grapple line or dodging a knife. In rare moments, he considers his sleeping pills a little too much consideration, at which point he calls Dick or Connor. Talks to someone so he isn’t so alone.

As he dries off, Tim stares down at his right wrist, examining the complicated knotwork design emblazoned there. Swirls of crimson and gold loop in and out of each other, before cutting off along his forearm.

Everyone has a soulmark, an arrangement of swirling shapes across their skin; each is distinctive to the individuals bonded by them. They first appear when a person is in the general vicinity of their soulmate, manifesting as a colorless pattern of darker and lighter shades of melanin. Those patterns fill with bright, rich colors upon physical touching one’s mate. When pressed together, they interlock in only one way and retreat when contact stops.

Soulmates who have reciprocated bonds sport their marks in full and everlasting display. The sight is both beautiful and frustrating to see, even on his family, as he’ll never experience that himself.

His mark might be a stunning amalgamation of scarlet and gold, twisted into a mandala upon his wrist, but it will never be permanent. While it’s been a while since Jason’s made any energetic attempts to kill him, Tim’s resigned himself to living without a completed bond; tolerance is about the only thing he can hope for from his predecessor.

Finding Steph when they were younger had been a joy and a relief. Her not having a mark meant they both had a chance for a fulfilling connection. Until Cass.

Tim forces himself to stop dwelling on it and shoves the bleak thoughts down behind the wall he puts everything uncomfortable and not cohesive to whatever task he’s given himself. Instead, he busies himself with covering up his mark using the spray-on cover that doesn’t fade with water or perspiration, only coming off when scrubbed with a special soap. One of Bruce’s earliest and more practical inventions, since Brucie Wayne and Batman couldn’t have a soulmark in common.

Bruce covers his pretty much all the time, but Tim’s only been covering his when he suits up. He lives his life in disguise, he doesn’t want to hide such an important part of himself when he’s off the clock.

He heads down to the lower levels of his Nest, gets dressed while having the computer scan for trouble. The program calculates probabilities for where violence will crop up, where he should begin his patrol. He hopes for a busy night, something to distract him from his convoluted thoughts.

As usual, he intends to start his rounds off in Tricorner, and then go through Chinatown—which is when he notices movement on a camera that concerns him.

A familiar gleaming scarlet helmet.

Red Hood.

He debates with himself for several minutes.

On the one hand, it’s his regular patrol territory; on the other, seeing the other vigilante tonight, while his mood is already so low, isn’t something he wishes to contend with.

He clenches his fist.

He knew of Jason Todd for a year before discovering the second Robin was his soulmate. By the time he wanted to do anything about it, the older boy was dead, and Tim consigned to grieving in secret.

Then Jason came back, but it was almost worse than him being gone because he hated him. Without having ever met him.

Even now that he’s mellowed out (sort of), Jason appears to reserve more dislike for his successor than anyone else in the family, not counting Bruce and Dick for obvious reasons. Red Hood and Red Robin have run into each other enough in and out of costume that there have been ample opportunities for Jason’s soulmark to make itself known. That Tim has seen nothing close to resembling it means one of two things: either the other man hasn’t developed his mark yet, which is possible albeit rare, or he has, and like Batman, always keeps it covered.

Which says more than enough about his sentiments on the matter.

Between Jason refusing to acknowledge their connection, or just not being aware of it, Tim prefers to believe the latter, if only to make himself feel better. There’s no point in bringing up the soulmate thing at this juncture. He decided years ago to respect the status quo, for the simple reason it’s less painful than the alternative.

All that being said, he doesn’t enjoy watching Jason get in trouble, even more so when the situation is avoidable and he’s near enough to help. At the moment the big idiot is courting a potential gang war.

Sometimes protecting someone means protecting them from themselves and their bad choices, I guess.

Static crackles through the comm in his ear, and then he hears Batman’s low growl. “What’s going on in Chinatown?”

“Why am I not surprised you’re still listening to the comms at your son’s wedding,” Tim sighs. “Nothing. I’m handling it.”

“Are you sure?”

“B, I’ll help A drug you every day for a week,” he threatens. “And you know we both can and will find new and interesting ways of doing it.”

There’s a huff on the other side of the line. “…Noted. Reach out if you need backup.”

“You’ll be the first.”

“You’re lying.”

“Wow, you must be a detective or something,” he deadpans. “Red Robin out.”

Jason is the last person he wants to run into right now, but Tim’s also been cultivating a few informants there and he can’t have that jeopardized.

Looks like I’m going to Chinatown. Hope Lynx is in a good mood…

He wonders if tonight he’ll end up getting beaten up, or just insulted. He’s not even sure which would hurt more.

⁂

Jason goes flying out of the upper story of the restaurant, followed closely by a very tiny woman wielding a very big sword. She reminds him of Cheshire, with a shade less lethality.

Actually, if it were Jade, he would end up critically injured when she lands on him, using him as a cushion against the pavement. He manages to turn his body to land in a way that won’t break his back—though his right side will be a giant bruise tomorrow—and scrambles to his feet.

This is one of the reasons I avoid Chinatown.

Things never go well for him here, especially not since that thing with the Su family. It’s just better to avoid the place. But before that, he and the Ghost Dragons at least used to get along—professional courtesy and all that, along with an unspoken agreement not to step on each other’s toes. 

That’s over, apparently.

All he’d wanted to do was ask some questions. One of his stool pigeons passed him some information on a human trafficking ring; according to him, it was based on Chinatown. It would seem sex slavers were luring young women over to the United States with the premise of work and accommodations.  Then, upon arrival, the girls were hauled into a life of sexual servitude.

Jason didn’t even go in guns blazing this time or wearing the helmet. Just a domino and a hankering for some barbecue pork bun.

So, either someone tipped them off what I was coming around for, or this kid in the mask has something to prove.

There’s a slow curl of heat moving up the back of his left wrist and up his arm, and his first thought is he’s been cut. Except while the sensation is familiar, it isn’t the liquid warmth of blood.

The woman moves fast, and a beat later her sword is swinging downward. Jason’s hands fly to his holsters, thinking he’s going to have to break out the guns after all when there’s a clang.

Suddenly there’s a bō staff in front of his face, catching the sword inches before it slams into Jason’s nose.

Ah. And there’s the other reason I avoid Chinatown.

Because in the past year or so, it’s been part of the patrol route for a certain Timothy Drake.

A.k.a. his replacement.

A.k.a. Red Robin.

A.k.a. his soulmate.

No wonder that warmth in his hand was familiar; the soulmark must have reacted to the younger man’s approach.

After a brief tussle, there’s the sound of a grapple line firing, and then Tim flies upward, ridiculous cape fluttering, still holding the struggling woman.

Her sword stays on the ground.

“Oh, hell no,” Jason growls, because this is his business, damn it!

When he reaches the roof where Tim’s carried off Jason’s would-be-murderer, he notes they are standing close together, conversing in rapid Cantonese. Jason’s rustier at that than he’d like, but he gets the gist when the woman stalks right up to him and begins yelling and gesturing.

Then she shoves him and pushes away; a smoke bomb goes off, and then she’s gone.

Tim makes no move to go after her.

Which, seriously?

Jason stalks over, looming over the shorter man and touching his hand to the still holstered gun in his belt in an implicit (and mostly baseless) threat. He’s always amused at just how much of a height difference there is between him and his replacement, and tonight he makes a point of lording it over him.

“You guys looked awfully cozy there, Timbers.” Which shouldn’t bother him, but he can’t fight a twinge of irritation. “Care to share with the class what your little tête-à-tête was about?”

The cowl covers Tim’s face, but Jason can imagine the judgemental stare.

“She said your poking around her territory will jeopardize her investigation into the sex traffickers.”

“Her investigation? She’s the damn head of the Ghost Dragons!”

“Yeah, and she’s also an undercover operative sent by Hong Kong PD, which I’m only telling you, so you don’t decide to go and kill her for apparent crimes.”

And that was not what he was expecting.

“How do you know this?”

“She told me. She’s one of my CIs.”

“And you believed her?”

“Cass looked into her for me. She’s legit, even if she’s a little…unorthodox.” Tim’s head tilts to one side, considering; with the cowl it makes him look like his avian namesake. “You’d think you’d appreciate that.”

“On the list of things I don’t appreciate, you showin’ up while I’m chasin’ a lead is one of them,” Jason growls. “Don’t you have a party to be at?”

“I ducked out early.”

“Well, that’s lame.”

“Not as lame as someone who ignores the fifteen invitations he was sent.”

Ah, and now they’re back on familiar ground.

“Pfft, I’ve seen enough Brucie to last me several lifetimes.”

“Yeah, but it was for Dick. All you had to do was show up—” his mouth twitches here; Jason can’t tell if it’s amusement or irritation, “—in jeans, even.”

“I’ve been dead once; I don’t need Alfie murderin’ me for that big a faux pas. And somehow I doubt Barbie would appreciate if her wedding photos included Dickiebird sporting a swollen eye.”

Tim sighs. “What are you fighting about this time?”

“Other than the usual stuff? We’re not. But I’m sure he’d put his foot in it at some point and need a nice bit of cognitive recalibration.”

“And you, the perfectly innocent party in all this, would happily provide that?”

“Call it a civic duty.”

Tim shakes his head, but Jason thinks it’s done in amusement this time, instead of exasperation.

“I don’t know how she can settle for that birdbrain,” he continues. “How does she stand bein’ around him so often without wantin’ to punch him in the face every time he opens his mouth?”

“Maybe not every time.”

“Point still stands.”

“Well, they’re soulmates,” Tim says vaguely, distant like he’s not paying attention to what he’s saying. He fiddles with his wrist computer, giving no indication that he is aware of anything else.

Jason’s pretty sure that’s not the case.

After all, he’s practiced in the art of pretending not to feel how his soulmark warms the closer he stands to Tim. There’s no question Tim’s learned to do the same.

It might be hypocritical of him, but that makes him angry somehow.

“As if that explains it all,” Jason sneers. “Come on, Replacement, I thought out of all of them, your whole logical-scientific-question-everything-Klingon-mind wouldn’t go for that hokey soulmate crap.”

“Vulcan.”

That brings him up short. “What?”

“It’s Vulcan culture that’s more focussed on logicality and empirical data-gathering. Klingons are more combat-oriented and tend toward more aggressive means of…” He trails off when he realizes Jason staring at him. “What?”

“You complete nerd,” Jason tells him. “No wonder you left the wedding early. I bet socializin’ with normal people probably stressed you right the fuck out, didn’t it?”

Tim gives a noncommittal shrug.

“Havin’ a soulmate doesn’t mean people should be together,” Jason goes on, filled with the sudden need to hammer home this point. “Look at all the examples from history—Cleopatra and Antony, Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, Bonnie and Clyde—” He ticks the couples off his finger. “They were all soulmates and they all either made each other miserable or got each other killed.”

“You can’t apply a few historical anomalies to every soulmate pair,” Tim counters. “Life circumstances skew the data.”

“Doesn’t change the fact that fate shouldn’t decide if people will magically work out!”

“That’s not…” Tim appears frustrated, at last, putting down his wrist computer and clenching his jaw. “It’s not supposed to work out magically. It’s about finding the person who completes you. You still need to work at it. It’s not all magically going to fall in place, and you’ll be happy forever right away. Even soulmates don’t get to live perfect lives.”

Ain’t that the truth, Jason muses, considering Tim.

“Sounds like you want a soulmate,” he points out, a little stiffly, and what the hell possessed him to say that?

He wonders what the kid is going to say now, or if this is the day their careful pretense, the lie of not knowing gets shattered.

Luckily, though, Tim avoids opening that can of worms.

He takes a step back from Jason, looks away and mutters, “It’s not relevant to the Mission.” Which is a total cop-out, but Jason will take it. “Anyway, if you’re done causing trouble here and riling up the gangs, I’ll take my leave.”

“Wish you would.”

Tim shoots him an unimpressed glare—or at least, that’s what it seems like to Jason. “Don’t make me come back here. And for god’s sake, at least call and congratulate the happy couple.”

He grapples away rather than allow a witty retort; Jason watches him go with a scowl. Once he’s sure the other vigilante is gone, he tugs the glove off his left hand, frowning at the whorls of crimson and yellow retreating down his forearm and back to his wrist.

His soulmark appeared one night a few evenings before the Garzonas incident. Jason vaguely remembers swinging through an alley to escape yet another argument with Bruce and knocking out a bunch of thugs threatening a kid. He’d been so buzzed on adrenaline and fury he hadn’t noticed the warmth in his wrist. He only caught sight of the mark itself when he returned to the Cave.

And then he spent the night wondering if one of the assholes he knocked around was his soulmate. It wasn’t a comforting idea, and he’d decided then and there to cover up the mark and forget about it. The disappointment about his potential soulmate had been a contributing factor in a long line of shit the universe decided to dump on him that sent him to Ethiopia. If he was linked to scum like that, he wanted to be as far as possible from Gotham.

It never even occurred to him to imagine the kid in the alley was his match. Hell, it didn’t even register when he discovered that Tim Drake had been following Batman and Robin around for years.

Only that day at the Tower, when Jason made his first move against Batman and attacked his replacement, did he finally make the connection.

His mark reacted the minute they were in the same room, spreading across his skin and swirling about seeking its partner. Jason had been so far gone with rage that the sight of it had made him angrier, made him hit harder—because if he didn’t meet Tim before, it meant their bond hadn’t been strong enough to keep him from making the biggest mistake of his life.

It meant he was supposed to meet him after being ripped apart and rebuilt as a weapon.

Luckily, or not, Tim was unconscious before the manifested completed, sneaking out from beneath the long green gauntlets of Jason’s fake Robin suit.

And if he did happen to notice before passing out, the kid hasn’t said anything about it.

Probably hates me and doesn’t want to acknowledge the universe’s idea of a shit joke.

Jason doesn’t blame him. Soulmates are a crock of shit anyway, and Tim’s better off without being tethered to him, and vice versa. They should keep pretending.

Because Jason doesn’t get to be happy.

And Tim deserves better than him because Tim—as much as he’s a pain in the ass—is good.

“And on that note,” Jason murmurs to himself, putting his gauntlet back on, “time to play the villain.”

The tip he received put him in the Ghost Dragons’ crosshairs—which means someone on his payroll is making a move, either against him or against someone else.

Time to find out for sure.

And no more moping over this soulmate crap.

Johnny Lino is the head of an investment company that’s just a front for his money laundering. He’s been passing the Red Hood information about his clients for the better part of a year now, ever since Jason put the fear of Hood in him. Quite a feat, considering the man’s a few inches taller and broader.

Jason finds him in a condo off the Diamond District, watching the Knights game and stuffing his face with pretzels.

Ponzi schemes don’t buy manners, I guess.

“Johnny,” he greets in a clear, would-be friendly manner that has the older man choking up his most recent handful. “Long time no see. Got a bone to pick with you.”

He expects there to be some mumbling and groveling, a few bald-faced lies that require the generous application of foot to face and the reassurance that everything in Jason’s sandbox is back to the way it should be.

So, it surprises him when Johnny scrambles for something that Jason notes too late is a panic button. All of a sudden, half a dozen masked men in combat gear and carrying assault rifles are busting through the door.

“That’s a bit of an overreaction to some conversation, don’t ya think?” Jason asks, throwing himself into action to deal with the interlopers. Bullets fly and knives slice toward him, but in five minutes he’s standing in the ruins of the room with six unconscious men.

And one dead one.

Johnny’s got a neat hole in the side of his head, from one of his hired muscle’s guns, Jason presumes.

“And doesn’t that say a lot about the quality of hired muscle in Gotham these days?” he grumbles, kicking at the body. “Can’t even trust your own people not to shoot you by accident.”

He can hear sirens, knows a neighbor or someone has called in the noise and heads for the fire exit before anyone can link him to the scene. That’s all he needs is the big Bat thinking he pulled the trigger in there.

And damn it, the giant bastard was one of my best sources. Now I’ve got to find someone else.

The encounter bothers him.

He’s had people on his payroll get shifty before, but it’s been his experience that there’s more of a prelude before the attempt to stab him in the back. They try to run or talk their way out of it; it seems Johnny went all out, trying to take out the Red Hood, all because of a bit of questionable information.

If he was so desperate to hire a kill squad rather than answer some well-deserved questions…

Maybe it’s not me that spooked him.

He thinks back to the shot that killed Johnny, remembers the angle it hit the head, and where the exit wound was. The opposite direction from where the thugs entered—from the window.

“There was another shooter,” he realizes.

A quick visit to the building opposite confirms his suspicion: the scrape where someone set up a tripod, bullet casing rolled to one side.

It wasn’t Johnny afraid to talk to the Red Hood—someone else feared he would.

Question is, were they worried he’d talk or worried he’d talk to me?

⁂⁂⁂ 

Next Chapter

This blog isn’t my primary, so my reblogs don’t show up very well. As such, please reblog the fic, otherwise not a lot of people are going to see it :)

<3 Violet

[merrybrides]

How to Incorporate Your Future Stepchildren Into Your Wedding

Since the fateful day your soul mate got down on one knee with a tiny box, you've become inundated with wedding planning decisions. But one detail you probably never dreamed would be part of the equation is: How do I include my future stepchildren into my wedding? Nowadays, though, blended families are quite common. (I myself gained a beautiful daughter, Bentley—who loves unicorns, preparing pancakes, and outrageous amounts of glitter—when I married my partner in crime back in July 2016.) The U.S. Census Bureau reveals that “1,300 new stepfamilies are forming every day,” and a 2015 Pew Research center study suggests that 16 percent of children are living in what the Census Bureau terms "blended families—a household with a stepparent, step-sibling or half-sibling.”

Parenthood doesn’t require DNA; all you need is love. And how do you ensure that the day is truly special for everyone involved ? Here are 10 affection-filled ways to make your blended-family ceremony unforgettable:

Give Them a Role

A classic way to include your future sons or daughters in your ceremony is giving them a role in the wedding. When they look back on the big day, they will love that they played a part by showering the aisle with flower petals, holding onto the rings for safekeeping or—for the older demographic— standing by your side as a bridesmaid or groomsman.

Go Twinsies

Want to take it up a notch? Have their attire match or complement yours in some way. If you’re wearing a cream-colored gown, put your future daughter in the same shade. Or have some fun with the little details that make all the difference—matching hair accessories, bouquets, or ribbon sashes. For the guys, have father and son don replica ties, boutonnieres or shoes. Wearing coordinating outfits shows that you’re on the same team.

Make a Vow of Everlasting Love

Let’s be honest—when your fiancé(e) has kids, you are saying "I do" to them as well. Prior to proclaiming your vows to your spouse at the altar, take a moment to promise to cherish, love, and protect your future stepchildren, too. It will mean the world to them, and show you're committed to them as well as their mom or dad.

Give a Gift

The bride has her engagement ring. Both bride and groom have wedding bands. Bridesmaids and groomsmen are even presented with gifts. Presenting something special to your soon-to-be child is a wonderful gesture to symbolize that he or she is an important part of this new family.

A great commemorative gift could be a piece of jewelry or a watch that is engraved with the wedding date, something with a birthstone, or even a family heirloom.

Incorporate a Family Blessing

The blessing will vary from family to family, but regardless of religion, customs, background, or the specific wording, the message will be the same: May your home be a place full of unconditional acceptance, love, and comfort. This can be read during the ceremony—right after your vows to your stepchild and just before the ones you’ll make to your spouse—or displayed on a sign at your reception.

Invite Them to Join the Unity Ceremony

Another great way to involve children in the ceremony is to come up with a kid-friendly unity ritual (meaning something less dangerous than candles, probably). Get creative! Have family members pick their favorite candy to pour out of individual mason jars into a massive “Us” jar. Remind them that each person adds a signature flavor to the mix and there's nothing sweeter than family. Another option is a family painting: Use painter’s tape to make the shape of a heart on a white canvas. During the ceremony have each person squirt his or her favorite color of paint to create a magical and meaningful piece of art to hang in your home.

Top Off the Cake

Who says that the bride and groom should be the only cake toppers? Add your stepchildren to the tiers, and let them keep the neat memento after the fact. You can even personalize toppers by age and hair color!

Rock Out on the Dance Floor

After the much-awaited first dance, invite the kids to come out and join you for a upbeat number, such as “Shut Up and Dance.” If you really want to get bonus points, you could choreograph a family flash mob. Slap on some sunglasses and a whole lot of swagger.

Serve a Signature Mocktail

Pick something cheerful like Shirley Temples with extra cherries, milkshakes topped with whipped cream, or virgin daiquiris full of fresh fruit. For the toasts, be sure to have milk “shots" that go best with a plate of cookies or brownies. These options will be so much cooler than water with ice. When it comes to special occasions, a sugar rush is necessary!

Special Table

Make the kids' table the party table. At each place setting have a mini Beanie Baby, crayons, and coloring paper. Ditch the fancy glassware for plastic (nonbreakable) plates and cups in bright neon colors. You could even have a bin of Legos be the centerpiece to keep them content throughout the whole evening.

[abigailtan]

Henry weds Vivian

It started so early in the morning... ... I was up till 2am? Getting my script right and other what-nots. 

And then I was up at 6.30am on Sunday morning, showered and apparently spent an hour on my make-up and was late to the bride’s house. Had only made it just in time to prepare... ... (phew!)

The first thing I did when I got there was to prepare the platter that was meant for the gatecrash challenge. 

酸。甜。苦。辣。Sour -- Sweet -- Bitter -- Spicy

Sour; sour sweets with lemon juice with pulp. (only because the bride said that the groom is able to tolerate sourness)

Sweet; honey

Bitter; crushed bittergourd (I am perfectly evil)

Spicy; beehoon fried in the Korean spicy noodle sauce with chilli padi

Vivian’s family was warm and welcoming when I walked in, as they usually are.

The bride on her big day. I cannot stress enough about how stressful and tiring Sunday was... 

The time soon came for the groom to arrive with his entourage. His amazingly shy entourage. In their defence, it was their first gate crash and it’s quite differently done in Singapore compared to our Neighbours. 

A little backstory; Nang (Vivian) & myself and much later Henry. 

So Nang and I met in poly roughly 8 years ago. Let me show you what this means in human terms. 

This is her 8-year-old nephew. He is our age representative!

We have been friends for the last 8 years and she is my first Burmese friend. And I am incredibly happy to have been part of her joy. 

It’s amazing; really how we’ve kept in touch through the adulthood, the jobs and the further studies. And now hopefully through marriage. Because you know, a lot more time will be spent on building their family. 

Henry... 

I officially met Henry during Christmas of 2016. After he had proposed and we were properly introduced to each other. 

Couldn’t be happier for them. ~

Back to Sunday Morning. 

The groom arrives with his entourage. 

Let me walk you through the gatecrash. 

The groom comes up with his buddies (groomsman) and they would have to fetch the bride from her place and if they’re leaning towards superstition they would have to reach the bride’s place at the auspicious hour. 

When they arrive, the bridesmaids who are there would make them jump through hoops, sometimes literally. So we had the groom eat a series of food. (Refer to the first photo)

So they have their meaning. And I’ll try my best to explain. 

Sour; sour sweets with lemon juice with pulp. .[explanation; none that I can think of... ...]

Sweet; honey [explanation; to always be sweet to one another]

Bitter; crushed bittergourd (I am perfectly evil) [explanation; to go through the bitter times together]

Spicy; beehoon fried in the Korean spicy noodle sauce with chilli padi [explanation; ummm, in my opinion; hot and heavy _ _ _, you know [maintain PG-advicement] 

And other foods like glutinous rice balls for family togetherness, a union of 2 souls. 

All right, gatecrash (this is going to be a looooooong post) 

Henry and his groomsmen came and they handed over the first red-packet... 

“not good enough... ...” (takes the first cup in that sequence)

We essentially rejected every red packet that came our way. So this proceeded until the last cup was gone and even though he had passed my obstacle there was more to come. Also, his groomsmen stood at least a feet away from him. (hahahahhaha)

But through it all that we threw at him, he endured and the moment came when he cast his eyes upon his bride; was so sweet.

And it was time for the bride and groom to go over to the groom’s side of the family. But before that, a short photo-taking. 

With the bride’s parents’. 

The newlyweds with the bride’s family. 3 Generations together. 

This is what I like about small scaled celebrations; friends and family together as one. Personally, it’s heartwarming to me. But to each their own. 

And now it’s time to go... ... And at the other side... ... 

Tea ceremony! The acknowledgement of family members; mum, dad, brothers, sisters, aunties, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews. 

Eating of glutinous rice balls filled with peanuts or red bean paste to signify the union of 2 souls. 

They soon returned and it was time for family acknowledgement of the bride’s family.

Mum and dad

Elder brother

Second brother and sister-in-law. 

Dear little things were not happy with serving tea. 

LUNCH!

Nathan~~~!!! He’s so cute!

This was probably the only time they had to themselves until after the dinner. 

It’s truly truly amazing how they’ve so genuinely welcomed Henry into their family and I saw how Henry’s family welcomed Nang. This is not ideal, I’m sorry, this is how it’s meant to be. And now how people pry about how the in-laws can’t get along and how “my daughter married the wrong man” or “my son married the wrong women.” That’s not how a family is... ... 

I love how embracing each family was; everyone came together as one. 

And I cannot emphasize enough how they’ve made me feel like I was one of them too. About 2 months before the wedding there was food tasting held by the hotel and they invited me to join them. And I felt so welcomed. Beyond words can say. 

MOVING ON!

After lunch the bride and her family went to the hotel and I went home to collect my gown and other whatnots and left immediately. 

[had never taken grab so many times in a single day in my life! and oh the conversations were so interesting! Well, on the account that I was wearing a pretty dress and carrying a gown - who wouldn’t have questions?]

So I got to the hotel and immediately settled into hair and makeup! WOW!

I did mine myself. Pretty proud of the end product. I am still super in love with my lipstick from kat von d...

Yes, that’s the gown... 

Presenting the bride!!

The groom. 

It was really really rushed despite the fact that I was there early. And because Irina could only be there after work so it was even more rushed for her. 

Let's see... bride and groom finished their hair and makeup. Got ready and we were supposed to have a de-briefing about 30 minutes prior to the solemnisation. And we were nowhere near ready 10 minutes prior.  

The only good thing I got out of being there early was having some private time with both the bride and the groom for me to present my little gift. A drawing of 2 rings bound together and a hand-written card with words of love, would hardly call them words of wisdom. 

This picture is too sweet... ... I’m glad I got some time alone with them before dinner. 

Mum and dad putting on the veil. 

Solemnisation!

It was a beautiful ceremony!

More photo-taking as the guests adjourned to the cocktail reception on level 5. 

I don’t even know where to begin on the pre-dinner cocktail reception. Let’s see if I can still get this right; the cocktail reception is at the roof garden on level 5 and dinner will be held in the straits room on level 4. 

RIGHT. 

7pm came and we moved the reception table to the 4th floor. 

It’s time!

“GOOD EVENING YOU LOVELY PEOPLE!” 

Being an emcee (host) was an amazing experience! It was exhilarating and altogether exciting!

So ladies and gentlemen let’s rise to welcome, for the first time Mr and Mrs Ye Linn Thu!

The entire night was caught between “putting out fires” and getting the guest entertained. 

“Ladies and gentlemen please rise again and let’s welcome the newlyweds back!”

They gave their speeches and I got mine ready for them. 

Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. Never seen a love so pure and so true. 

No words can describe the emotions in my chest. The dictionary is finally put to the test. 

So I suppose this is what I want to say. I wish you both a lifetime of happiness and bliss. I wish it through the good, the bad and the ugly days. And that this day will let you one day fondly reminisce.

The night flew by like the wind. 

More photos were taken with family and friends. 

Henry’s family. 

Nang’s family

Friends

AFTER PARTY!!~~ WHOO WHOO~

Pupils dilated. Cheeks flushed. Body burning up. Inhibitions lowered. 

And the night ends here. 

It was unbelievably incredible to have been a part of this BIG day. 

To Henry and Vivian!

To Nang and Henry, if you’re reading this “I couldn’t be happier about the union of the both of you. Your wedding still seems so surreal to me but then again it makes so much sense that it has happened. Thank you for having me for your joyous occasion! Love you both.”

[queenforanight]

Jessica Over The Years

This blog is coming up to 8 years old in February (I think?) next year. It’s not exactly a significant milestone and I only spent about 4 years actually working hard on my pictures and content, but I wanted to take a quick look back at Jessica during the past 8+ years.

As I’m sure some of you are aware, I started crossdressing long before I started the blog (another 8 years extra I think), however I didn’t start doing makeup or using wigs until shortly before the blog went live. I guess you could say I had a bit of experience, but mostly I was still a newbie to all things feminine.

2010: In The Beginning

Did I really wear that dress with those boots? AND RIPPED TIGHTS?! Eurgh...

Meet Jessica long before she even knew she was Jessica. This picture was taken a few months before I started the blog and long before I developed any kind of fashion sense or skill with makeup. I don’t think I even bothered putting foundation on...

I guess this is how a lot of us start out though. We’ll throw on a dress (that was borrowed), some feminine shoes (also borrowed), maybe some jewellery (definitely borrowed), try our hand at makeup (guess what? Borrowed) and finish it all of with a wig (NOT BORROWED! It’s actually my natural hair at the time). Some of us might get lucky and look good first time...

Or you could be like me where you look a total mess and don’t realise it until you look back 8 years on.

So what’s so important about this picture? It’s something I always look back on to remind myself of how far I’ve come.

To this day I’m still riddled with doubt and voices telling me “you’re shit at this” that I can do better. I can definitely do better, but it’s good to know that I’ve improved over the last 8 years. I’ve also put on a bit of weight but OH WELL.

2010-2012: Finding My Balance (in heels)

Who needs a dodgy wig when you’re own hair looks shit enough as it is?

Yep, still no wig. I always convinced myself that my hair was long enough to not need one (ignore the fact that it took several hours and a the heat of a volcano to get straight....), but eventually I decided that I was never going to look feminine with my own hair. Not because it doesn’t actually look feminine, but because I’m so used to seeing my hair like that anyway.

At least here I can say that everything I’m wearing in this picture is 100% mine (maybe not the hairclips...). I still wouldn’t say this is the height of fashion (please don’t look at the heels, I was poor and needed something pretty), but it’s good to see that within just a year or so I had already developed some kind of fashion conscience.

This was also when I started becoming more confident about people knowing about Jess (she still wasn’t called Jess though...). I had already told my housemates, my partner, and a few others, but I was getting more comfortable about telling complete strangers or close friends who had no real reason to know.

2012 - 2014: Gurl You Dead Or Something?

I joke, but in reality Jess was nearly dead...

This was a really hard time for me for so many reasons. I finished university in 2012 and moved back home to my parents. Pretty much everyone who knew about Jess lived nowhere near me and I no longer had the freedom to dress up whenever I wanted.

All my dresses and makeup were thrown into a box and hidden away; I rarely updated the blog because I had no new content, and for a long time I wondered whether or not I would ever see Jess again.

And that’s when Moon came along.

I actually met Moon in 2009. She was on the same course as me at uni and she was also my housemates girlfriend, and she also knew about my crossdressing hobby. After uni we still kept in touch, however after her and my previous housemate split up we drifted apart a bit.

I don’t remember whether I messaged her or vice versa, but we decided to have another dress up night. Something where we could reconnect, dress up like old times and just be bitches in general.

This is also why it’s so important to have a gal pal when it comes to dressing up. If Moon hadn’t re-entered my life, I honestly don’t know whether Jess would still be a thing. Moon not only gave me the confidence to keep the blog going, but she was also a constant source of inspiration and made me want to improve my makeup and fashion skills further and further.

This part does have a happy ending too. After just one night of dresses, wine, and the usual stupid shit we always ended up doing (there’s a video of me somewhere wearing an Alice in Wonderland outfit while singing ‘I’m a Little Teapot’. It will never reach the light of day...), we reconnected and have been great friends to this day. In two years time, I’m happy to say she’s going to be a Groom’s Maid at my wedding!

2015: Jess Is Finally Jess!

I gained a sense in fashion as well as a few stone in weight. AND MY HAIR STILL LOOKS SHIT!

Fast forward one year and I finally decide to give myself a name! I wanted to pick a name that I liked, but also wasn’t shared by any of my close friends. Eventually I narrowed my choices down to Jessica and Blaise, and decided to go with both!

It felt like a really insignificant detail at the time, but by giving myself a name I had actually committed to treating to crossdressing as more than just a hobby, it was a lifestyle.

By the end of this year I had reached over 1,000 followers on the blog, created an Instagram account and had come out to all my friends. Considering the year before I was thinking about packing it all in, this felt like a huge step.

This was also when I started to come into my own. After 5 years of trying so many different dresses and outfits, I had finally found a style that I enjoyed and could work with. All I needed now was time to practice and a bit of money to actually buy the clothes/wigs I wanted (the wig I’m wearing in that picture was binned after that night... I don’t think I need to explain why).

2016: Time To Make It Big

NEW WIG! NICE HAIR! FINALLY! Only took me 6 bloody years.

2016 was an extremely strange year for me. I think I had about 3 different jobs within the year, brought a house with my (now) fiance, and had my close friends asking about Jess. All this meant that I didn’t have too much time to spend on being Jess, but at least the option was still there for me.

However, there were 2 odd things that stood out more than anything else to me.

First of all, I somehow hit 10,000 followers at the end of the year. The year before I was gobsmacked when I hit 1,000, and I genuinely thought it would take another few years before I even reaching 2K. 

Reaching 10,000 followers made it feel like everything was worth working on, regardless of how much effort I had to put into it. It also felt like I had stopped being a learner and started being a teacher of crossdressing. I found myself asking less questions from others while answering more to people who were just like me 6 years prior.

The second weird thing was making a deal with JustFab. I already used their services for clothes and heels, however one day after tagging them in a post I was approached with a minor advertising deal.

I doubt I can legally go into what the deal was, and to be honest it wasn’t as good as it sounds, but it was such a shock to realise that I was being asked by large brands to help advertise their wares into a new market. I would never consider myself a model, but if I’ve ever felt like one, it was during that moment.

2017: Jess Goes Public

OK this specific picture was taken in my back garden, but you get the idea...

My friends had known about Jess for just over a year at this point; most of them had met her at private parties and a common questions I was asked was ‘Are we going to see Jess soon?’ I was finally in a position where I could be Jess freely without worrying about restrictions on privacy or judgement.

I could have just left it at that and stayed in my comfort zone, but I didn’t come this far by playing it safe and I wasn’t going to stop there. I decided that Jess needed to experience the world outside of her house.

The first experience was Kinky Boots, and later on in the year DragWorld UK. I’ve already written about both these experiences (and you’ve already probably read them) so I won’t bore you with the details. Suffice it to say that Jessica was met with great reception and I now wonder why I hadn’t done it sooner.

I’ve spoken to hundreds of people while out as Jess, and so far I’ve still only met one who disagreed with what I was doing. I even bumped into people who follow my blog and recognised me! Goes to show that you don’t know you’re famous(ish) until you know you’re famous(ish).

On top of that, a long term project that I had always dreamed about finally became a reality: Gender Mag. 

The magazine is still running after 3 months, which I’m taking as a good sign. It doesn’t have any near as many subscribers as I was hoping for, but we’re stable for the time being. Hopefully with a bit more hard-work, some more placement advertising, and a better platform to work off of, it might become the success I dreamed it would be for the past few years.

You Can Shut Up Now Jess

I know I know, I have a habit of making extremely long posts detailing every little thing, but I only do it to show the changes and improvements you wouldn’t normally see. A picture tells 1,000 words but 1,000 words tells a story.

I won’t go into the usual ‘why this is so important here are some bullet points blah blah blah’; you’re all smart enough to figure it out for yourselves (I’ve not exactly been subtle about it anyway...).

However, I will say one thing. I get a lot of messages from gurls saying that regardless of how much they work on their makeup they still think they look the same. 

When scrolling through this post did you notice a difference in skill from one picture to the next? Probably not. But if you look at just the first picture from 2010 and the most recent from 2017, you’ll notice a huge difference (I’m gonna put this below so you don’t have go all the way back to the top).

This kind of work doesn’t happen over night. Some people might be able to manage it months but I’ve found that it usually takes years, and even after those years you’ll always find something you could improve on. You may not notice it because the differences are so gradual, but if you looked back 8 years into the past, you’re bound to see a big change.

I’m actually going to shut up now...

- Jessica Blaise x x

[kaythejay]

Wedding Day

Here is fic number 4, like normal, if you haven’t read the others first, I suggest you do that. 

Neither Dan or Phil could sleep the night before their big day. It had been just about seven years since they’d slept separately (their friends had insisted that they be apart, just like with any traditional wedding) the night before. They were both so used to sharing the bed that they just couldn’t get comfortable without the other person being there.

Their alarms had been set to go off at exactly the same time, six am. This was so that they could bother each other until they both got up. Phil was the first to reach for his phone and text Dan. They normally weren’t morning people, but this was the most exciting day of their lives. The day they would officially have their soulmate tied to them, in sickness and in health, for the rest of their lives.

It had been a long and stressful last few months of arguing over the smallest things that, in the end would not matter. It was the most that they had ever fought in such a short time that wasn’t joking banter. They were both glad that it was over. Well, very nearly. Dan was still afraid that Phil would abandon him at the altar, despite being reassured many, many times through the last few months that if Phil wanted to leave, he would have left a long time ago. He wouldn’t have said yes to the proposal in the first place.

Neither Dan or Phil ate very much that morning, due to pure excitement of finally being married. This date had been on their calendar since the day they met. Actually, since before the day they met. Neither one of them could imagine getting married on a day other than October nineteenth. The anniversary of the day they met in person for the first time. However, they had somehow kept the secret of the date from their fans this entire time. No one on the internet knew they were going to be married that day until they both would tweet something later that night, after the ceremony had taken place.

That had been the plan since they’d started planning the wedding.

Once they both had gotten to a point where they figured it would be safe to put their suits on (of course they’d decided to wear their obnoxious ones they’d gotten for the BONCAS back in 2016, ironically of course). This meant that they were both in their suits just five minutes before they had to leave because they didn’t want to get anything at all on the suits. The didn’t want to ruin the big day by explaining the big stain on the front of it. Sure, they had chosen to have a very small wedding, only the closest friends and family that would know and understand the stains before they even knew the story. Small enough that they were saving money by having the reception back at their own apartment. A big party full of drunk relatives didn’t sound all that appealing anyway.

Even though they’d both obviously seen each other in their suits, Phil’s mum insisted on keeping the two separate until they were walking to the altar. She insisted that the reaction of seeing each other for the first time in nearly twenty-four hours was exactly what this wedding needed. Of course, Kath is always right, so Dan and Phil both listened to her.

An hour passed and it was time for their wedding to begin.

It started with Phil standing by the altar under the arch that had been put up (with permission) just for their wedding. They’d decided that Dil and Tabitha’s wedding was so perfect that they wanted one similar, no matter how cheesy it was. Of course, no one knew that was the reason Dan and Phil decided to get married in the park. They could never admit to their family and friends that they only wanted this wedding because of their virtual son on The Sims.

They’d decided to skip the tradition of having a flower girl throwing flower petals everywhere. It just didn’t feel right to them. They also didn’t have any groomsmen besides their brothers. They didn’t want to have an argument, not only with each other, but with their friends as well, as to who was who’s groomsman. The only person in the world that they couldn’t really argue over, their brothers, whom their parents had conveniently given them.

Then it was Dan’s turn to walk down the aisle. Phil choked down a giggle. He looked like the most ridiculous “bride” he had ever seen, but he was also the best looking bride he had ever seen. Phil probably only saw his “bride” as stunning because he was Phil’s. If he’d gone to anyone else’s wedding and they showed up looking like buffoons like they did, well he would probably be laughing. He didn’t see how their family was holding it together.

Phil had a hard time not saying anything to Dan. This was a formal event. It didn’t feel right for it to be so formal, but Dan’s mum had insisted. Of course they listened to her as well. Mum knows best, as the saying goes.

Their ‘pastor’ that they had chosen wasn’t even actually a pastor. He wasn’t even a christian. They both knew that he would probably lighten it and make it less formal. He said some long speech about love and commitment and things. Lies about caring about Dan and Phil so much (as they’d literally picked him less than a month before the wedding). When he finally said that it was time for wedding vows, he turned to Dan first. Dan pulled out three whole pages full of his words.

Dan looked out to their family and friends who were sitting down before beginning his vows.

“Y’all know I’m a terrible procrastinator. And I’m bad about . . . um. . . losing important papers.” Dan looked at Phil. “This is so important to me that I have been working on them since before I even proposed to you. Just little things here and there. When you wouldn’t be able to see. I didn’t want to propose until after I had them done because I wanted a lot of time to be able to look them over. I did not lose or misplace this stack of papers,” he waved them a bit too close to Phil’s face and Phil backed up a little bit, “at all. Not even once. I always knew exactly where it was.” Dan paused for a second, looked at the paper, folded them, and put them back in his pocket. “I worked so hard at them that I memorized everything that I wanted to say. I kind of did that on purpose though because I wanted to be lookin into your eyes as I say them.” Dan took a deep breath. “I love you Phil. I have pretty much since the day I started watching your videos. Of course, back in those days, I said love even though it wasn’t really actually love. I was your biggest fan. I still am. If this,” he motioned around at the wedding decorations, “doesn’t prove that I’m Phil trash number one, I don’t know what will.”

Phil felt himself starting to tear up. He didn’t want to say anything though, didn’t want to ruin Dan’s concentration or his beautiful speech.

“Phil, I promise that I will forever be your biggest fan. I promise that I will forever be with you, and you alone. I promise that I will pick up your stupid socks when you don’t put them away.” With that, Phil got a glare. “And I will start letting go of the fact that you eat my cereal.” Another glare. “Or that you leave your contact lense pot on the tap.” He turned back to their friends and family, “This guy.” Dan laughed. Apparently Phil didn’t need to ruin Dan’s speech, he did it himself. Phil still remained quiet. “I love you in spite, no, not in spite, because of all of these little things that you do. Of course there are a million, less annoying, reasons that I love you. I discover a new reason every single day that I’ve known you and I hope to discover even more new ones until the day that I die.” Dan smiled that smile that was the reason Phil first fell for the eighteen-year-old boy that Dan was when they’d met. “I love you Phil, and I’ll continue loving you forever. Thank you for agreeing to marry me.” The officiant looked to Phil and nodded.

“How am I supposed to follow that!” He exclaimed as he began trying to find where he’d put his own vows. After a few moments of searching, a sinking feeling came over him. He’d left them at home. Just when he was going to give up and tell everyone that he’d left them (of course, they all probably knew it anyway), Martyn handed him a slip of paper that had “My vows” written across the top. Phil sighed in relief and silently thanked his older brother, making a mental note to properly thank him later. Phil looked over his paper. The vows on it weren’t nearly as good as Dan’s, but he knew he couldn’t just pocket them and come up with some on the spot. “Dan, I promise to be yours and only yours forever,” Phil read, not daring to look up at Dan. “I promise to love you forever and take care of you when you need it.” He felt his face heating up because his vows were completely lame. “And I promise that I’ll stop doing all of the annoying things that you tell me are annoying.”

“No you won’t,” Dan replied. Phil rolled his eyes. Dan looked at him fondly, as if the vows he’d just read out loud, in front of everyone close to them, were just as perfect as the ones Dan had said. With that, Dan pulled Phil’s ring out of his pocket, and Phil did the same. Their officiant first looked at Dan.

“Ok, take Phil’s left hand,” Phil held out his right hand.

“Phil,” was all Dan said, and Phil switched hands.

“Now, repeat after me,” the officiant said. Dan nodded.

“With this ring, I promise to be your number one forever.” Dan repeated until the officiant told Dan to put the ring on Phil’s finger. Then it was Phil’s turn, who didn’t actually manage to mess up. “I now pronounce you husband and husband, you may kiss your groom.” With that, Dan passionately kissed Phil, and Phil kissed him back. “I am proud to introduce you all to Mr. and Mr. Howlester,” the officiant said once they pulled apart. They walked down the aisle, followed by their brothers, ready for whatever comes next.

[deliverydefresas]

darling just dive right in, and follow my lead

I’m gonna say it right here, right now; it’s a mess, sorry.

not proofread bc i am me. 

“My best friend is getting married to your best friend and we have to walk down the aisle together, I remember never really liking you but you look so good in this, wow”

“Ugh, I hate weddings.”

“No one’s going to marry you so don’t worry, boo; you’re in the clear.”    

“Fuck you, Balsano.”

“You’ve been there and done that, Smith.”

He knows she’s seconds away of slapping him, but annoying his blonde friend had always been too much fun to pass out. He hasn’t seen her in almost seven years, but teasing her is still as fun as it had been in high school, and he likes it. It’s a sense of familiarity in a place surrounded by strangers.

Leaving Argentina after his junior year of high school was to be expected. His parents moved around a lot and staying more than a couple of years in one place had been basically impossible in his childhood, so he tried his best to not get attached to people he knew he was probably never going to see again the next year. Of course, leave it to Gastón to not allow that.

Even after leaving, his best friend made sure to keep in touch, refusing to be just another face he acquainted through the years. So, he e-mailed, texted, called, even visited him once or twice on their senior year; ultimately leading to both enrolling in Oxford and rooming together through all semesters.

Matteo had seen Gastón go through many phases on his life, and he was there when he broke it off for a couple of months with his girlfriend when he left for England, saw how difficult the distance had been on him; but he also saw Gastón pick himself up and fight for the love of who, by tomorrow evening, would be his wife. He was proud, and more than happy to see his best friend marry someone who made him happy, too.

He did resent the fact that he barely knew anyone in the wedding, though. He was stuck with Queen Ámbar and Her Royal Bitch attitude.

“No wonder you and Gastón are friends, you both are dicks.” She huffs, and if it weren’t because her hair’s up, he’s sure she’d flip it like she used to in high school.

He snorts. “And you need to get laid.”

By now, Ámbar’s patience is gone. She flips him off and turns away, ignoring him. Matteo’s about to joke his way out of her anger when his best friend approaches them, his grin so wide it takes half his face. He’s holding two glasses of whiskey, and hands him one.  

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t the Blake’s power couple of our generation! The flashbacks are real, and so are the déjà vus… that glare and that smirk… so 2016.” Ámbar flips him off, too, and walks away, cursing them lowly. Gastón shouts before she’s out of hearing range, “Nina’s looking for you, by the way! Bridesmaids meeting!”  

This takes Matteo off guard, “Ámbar is a bridesmaid?! Didn’t she hate Nina in high school?”

His friend snorts, “they still can’t stand each other, but one of Nina’s friends from college ditched the bridesmaid position because she had a job interview out of the city. We had to fill her place.”

“And you thought of Ámbar?!”

“Not really,” Gastón admits, “we asked Delfi first, but then she got pregnant and said she wouldn’t walk the isle 36 weeks pregnant.”

Matteo interrupted him, “dude, you asked your ex-girlfriend to be one of your fiancée’s bridesmaids?”  

His answer is a shrug, “Nina and she are friendly, and her husband is one of my groomsmen. It’s chill.” Then he continues, “anyway, after that we asked Jazmín, but she said there was no way in hell she was wearing a yellow bridesmaid dress.”

“So Ámbar was your last option?” Gastón nods, sipping his drink again, “how did you even got her to agree? I can’t see her saying yes, much less after you asked both her best friends first.”

“I have no idea how Luna did it, and frankly, I’m scared of the answer.”

“Luna? Who’s Luna?”

The name didn’t ring a bell. Not like many in this party did, but Gastón said most of the guests were from high school, and he didn’t remember any Luna’s back in the Blake.

“Nina’s best friend, and Maid of Honor. Y’know, the girl you were supposed to help plan this wedding and walk down the isle with?” Gastón is teasing him, and he knows it, but he can’t help but panic a little.

“I was supposed to help plan this? What the fuck, dude?”

“Bro, I’m messing with you. Between my mom, Ana, Nina and the girls handled everything. I was lucky they even let me choose part of the menu and cakes.” The idiot is laughing at his expense, so he joins him once his moment of panic goes away. He might be a jerk, but he was a nice jerk. He knew weddings could be stressful, and that usually everyone had to help so in the wedding the bride and groom could relax and enjoy their party, his mom had warned him about it. However, Gastón had only asked him to plan his bachelor party and that was it. So, that’s the only thing he did besides showing up to suit appointments and, well, show up to the celebration.

“Okay, but how come I’ve never met this Luna girl, then? The wedding is tomorrow.”

Gastón looks at him confused, “you haven’t seen her? She’s followed Nina around the whole night. Besides, she went to the Blake with us, she’s been Nina’s best friend since Junior Year.”

Matteo digs on his memories of his last year on Argentina before leaving for England, trying to picture the girl Gastón was referring to. He remembers Nina hanging out mostly with a red head and a blonde, Jim and Yam, who were her other two bridesmaids, and then he remembers a girl got transferred from México and Nina and her getting attached to the hip.

He can picture her now. She was super short, like 13-year-old short, had long brown hair and pretty eyes, always laughing and daydreaming. They had barely talked back then, since Matteo left Gastón alone so he could talk to Nina when they met in the hallways, running to catch Ámbar before their next class started. He also remembers him flirting with her once or twice and she quickly turning him down and calling him a snob.

“Oh. They’re still close?”

“Super close. Like you and I, they went to college together. Nina loves her a lot, she’s the sister she always wanted, encourages her to try new things, doesn’t push her.”

“You seem to like her a lot, too.” He comments, finishing what was left of his whiskey. Gastón’s smile is a genuine one, nodding to his question.

“She’s the main reason Nina gave us another shot. And she’s genuinely one of the nicest people you’ll ever met; difficult not to like her.”

“So, without her there would be no wedding tomorrow?” Gastón nods again.

“Basically.”            

“Well, I should thank her, then. For making you and your bride happy.” His best friend laughs, and starts walking to the bar, gesturing for him to follow. “I must ask, is she as short as I remember her?”

“She grew a little on senior year and a little more when I saw her on a visit to Nina in college, but she’s still tiny. Why?”

He shrugs, “curious, I guess.”

Gastón asks for two glasses of water when they reach the bar, and fails to notice his fiancée walking to them. Nina smiles at him as hello, and he smiles back. The girl was shy, and barely talked to him most of the time, but he never took offense on that. She was shy, sometimes overly so, but she loved his best friend like he loved her.

“Boys,” she calls once she’s close enough for them to hear her. Gastón’s smile turns into a happy grin when he sees her, “our parents want a picture of us before the wedding, can I steal your boyfriend time for a moment?”

Gastón nods immediately, asking her to take them to their parents. Matteo grabs the glasses of water before following behind; he still hasn’t said his greetings to Gastón’s parents, or Nina’s, or anyone who isn’t Ámbar and Gastón, so he takes it as the opportunity to.  

They’re almost near their parents when he hears Ámbar’s snarky tone, “look, Fratman and Robin are here, now. And Neurotic Bride too, yay.” He turns his head to her voice, and is surprised when a brunette elbow her on the arm, asking her to be nice. He doesn’t think Nina or Gastón heard her, or if they did they ignored her, because they don’t look back their way, they go straight ahead where there’s a photographer waiting with their parents.  

“I knew you were missing me already, darling.” He teases as he approaches them, Ámbar rolling her eyes while the girl, Luna if his memory is correct, looks at him curiously.

“I didn’t know Ámbar had brought a date to the wedding.” She says, and Matteo smiles when he notices her voice has changed a little. He can’t tell if she’s taller, since she’s wearing heels, but she’s grown, alright. Her chest and hips are a little rounder, her face a little slimmer. Her hair is still long and wavy, her eyes a pretty shade green. She’s a beauty.

“She wishes.”

“He wishes.” Both answer at the same time, and Ámbar speaks again, “he’s Gastón’s idiot of a best friend and his best man. Matteo Balsano.”

Luna’s pretty eyes shine in recognition, and he’s proud she seems to know who he is. “It’s nice to see you again, Matteo.”

“Likewise, Luna. I’ve heard you’re the responsible this wedding is even happening at all.” She’s blushing, and he grins because she looks lovely, her dress is a pretty shade of pink and suits the blush perfectly.

“Oh?”

“Gastón told me you helped them get back together.”

“Oooh. That was all them, honestly. I only told her to follow her heart, I’m glad it worked out this way.”

“Me too. If not, we wouldn’t be here, and I would have missed seeing you tonight. You look very pretty.”

Her blush only intensifies with the compliment.

“Lunita,” Ámbar calls for her attention, glaring right at him, “I think Nina wants a picture with you and Simón.” The blonde basically spits the guy’s name, but it’s enough for Luna to look back where Nina and a guy around their age are waving to gain her attention. She excuses herself, smiling apologetically at him, he doesn’t know if it’s because she doesn’t want to leave, or because she doesn’t want to leave him with Ámbar. She still leaves. “What are you doing, Balsano?”

“What? I’m the best man, I should be friends with the maid of honor.”

“You didn’t even acknowledge her in high school.”

“Neither did you, what’s your point.” His tone comes off defensive, and Ámbar smirks when she sees him squirm a little, “since when are you friendly with people, anyway?”

“Shit happens. Pigs fly. Life changes.” She’s vague about it, which means she doesn’t want (and won’t) talk about it.

So, he changes the topic. “Who’s Simón?”

Her smirk turns into a scowl, “the guitarist is Luna’s friend from México, and one of the groomsmen. Remember the Nico and Pedro from the roller?” he nods, “well, they’re a band. Ironically, and pathetically, they’re called the Rollerband. Maybe you’ve heard of them.”  

He had heard of them. They weren’t quite as popular in Europe, but some of their songs played enough back there. Now he understood why Gastón liked them so much.

“I’m guessing he’s not of your approval?”

“He’s even a bigger idiot than you are.”

Again, she doesn’t specify what she means by that, and he doesn’t push. After that, night falls into a quick pace. He doesn’t talk or hangs out with Luna that much after that, busy catching up with his best man duties and trying to talk to everyone he can, thanking them for being there for Gastón and Nina.

He does notice, however, that every time he looks at Luna, she’s looking right back at him.

The next morning is a frenzy. Everyone seems to be in a hurry, and his best friend is a mess of nerves. He’s almost sure Gastón has stopped himself from throwing up at least twice.

By noon, he’s ready to get this over with.

The wedding is supposed to start at 13PM and by 12:40 he’s called to stand with the rest of the groomsmen and bridesmaids in a little room inside the chapel, so he leaves Gastón with his parents. He tells them all hello, not surprised to see Jim and Yam together, but curious about the other two groomsmen who he hadn’t seen before. One of them introduces himself as Ramiro, Yam’s fiancé and one of Nina’s college friends. The other one seems more familiar, and is surprised to find out he’s Pedro.

“Wait, you’re Delfi’s husband?” Out of all the couples, he didn’t see that coming. Pedro had been shy and chill, while Delfina was, well, intense.

Pedro’s smile was a proud one, and even he could tell he was head over heels for his wife, “of three years.”

“Soon to be father of her son.”  A voice he doesn’t recognize says, and he tilts his head towards it, to the wall Simón is leaning on.

“Nobody asked for you comment, guitarist.” Ámbar scowls from her seat near the window, flipping her hair away from her face. It’s just now that he notices all bridesmaids have their hair down, a small braid and a pin being the only “do”. He also notices Luna isn’t there yet, most likely still with Nina in a different room.

“And nobody asked for your whine, little gem.” Simón’s tone is playful, and something more, but he can’t exactly pinpoint it. The guy must love teasing her, or provoking her, because he’s not one bit bothered when she starts name calling him, and responds to each with glee.

He also notices it must be a normal occurrence, since everyone looks more amused than anything.

They don’t stop their bickering until Luna comes into the room, announcing that it’s show time. His eyes scan her appearance from head to toe, smiling when she looks at him, realizes he’s checking her out and blushes a little. He’s not ashamed to admit his breath hitched a little when he saw her.

Everyone starts emptying the room, laughing when Ramiro almost trips on the door. He offers her his arm, which she gladly accepts before they leave the room, closing the door and following the rest to the entrance of the chapel.

He leans until his lips are above her ear, and whispers, “you look beautiful, Luna.”

And she does, very much. Yellow suits her a lot more than it suits the other girls, so Nina must have had her in mind when she picked the color. The fit of the dress is perfect on her, too, and accentuates her figure nicely. She, unlike the other girls, has half her hair pinned in a pretty bun, and her pin is a little bigger. Matteo guesses it’s to state she’s not a bridesmaid, but the maid of honor.

“Thank you, Matteo. You look very handsome, too.” He grins at the compliment.

Jim and Pedro go in first, followed by Yam and Ramiro. Luna has to remind Ámbar to smile when it’s her and Simón’s turn. Finally, it’s their time.

“Don’t let me fall,” she whispers, squeezing his arm slightly.

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” Luna offers him a small smile as thanks, standing straighter before turning to the crowd and widening her smile. It only takes them a minute to reach the end of the aisle, and he can’t help himself from kissing the back of her hand before she releases his arm to stand next to the girls.

He winks at her before he, too, takes his place next to Gastón and the rest of groomsmen.

The wedding is beautiful.

Matteo’s pretty sure everyone got teared up, because even he did at one point. Nina’s parents are a sea of tears even after the ceremony ends, crying at everything and at nothing. He’s almost sure the poor girl is lowkey embarrassed. His best friend hasn’t stopped smiling, and Matteo’s happy he’s happy, and in love.

The actual party hasn’t started yet, everyone is busy enjoying the dinner before they announce the first dance and they’re asked to join. The couple has done their speeches, as have Luna and Matteo, and the proud parents.

Matteo’s happy he’s sharing Luna’s table, too. All the bridesmaids and groomsmen plus their dates are seated in one big table next to the bridal one, where Gastón is feeding Nina mushroom soup.

The table doesn’t grow in quantity that much, since Yam and Ramiro are each other’s dates, and Ámbar, Simón, Jim, Luna and he are dateless. So, it’s only Pedro who brings someone. Delfi looks different than how he remembers; he doesn’t know if it’s the fact that she’s pretty much in her last weeks of pregnancy and is glowing from it, but she looks happy and in love.  

“So, what’s the laundry story?” Luna asks him once their plates of soup are done, sipping water from her glass cup. He copies her movement, taking a sip of his own glass.

“It was in the Nina-less era of college. Gastón went out one night, and came back to our apartment really, really wasted. I sent him to his room to sleep it off, but he said he wanted to pee first. I didn’t really realize how wasted he truly was, so I thought he could be alone and not cause damage, y’know?” She nods, barely turning to look at the waiter to thank him for changing her soup plate for the main course, “when he took more than five minutes, and I didn’t hear the flush I went to check up on him, thinking he had fallen asleep in the bathroom.”

“He didn’t?”

Matteo snorts, “I wish he did. The fucker peed on our laundry basket thinking it was the toilet, and started crying once he realized it wasn’t. And then cried harder because “he was a mess” without Nina.”  

“No!” she gasps, and then laughs out loud. He had hated his best friend that night. His favorite shirt was there, and they had to throw away at least half of those clothes. There was no way, even deep cleaning them, that he’d wear clothes peed by Gastón.

“What are you laughing about?” Ámbar wonders from Luna’s other side, catching the attention of the others. Matteo tells them the story, and they too burst a laugh. The topic is changed to drunk stories and memories of their younger years.

He feels somewhat left out, because he wasn’t there when most of the stories happened, but he doesn’t let it bother him. At one point, Simón makes a comment about one of Ámbar’s skinny dipping adventures that gains him a slap and makes the blonde leave the table. He excuses himself to go after her, sighing when he sees Luna’s reproachable eyes.

“What’s their deal?” he asks to no one, but it’s Delfi who answers.

“Ámbar’s tired of waiting for him to finally man up and ask her out.”  

“Wait, she likes him?”

Luna looks amused at his confusion, “you haven’t noticed? I say it’s pretty obvious, even I have and I’m clueless in this stuff.”

“He more than likes her. I mean, they both have been screwing for months.” Pedro snorts, subtly pushing more vegetables to Delfi’s plate when she’s looking away.

“They screwed last night, and I’m pretty sure they did again this morning. Ámbar didn’t make it to her room until 9AM, I checked.”

Matteo finds that he is, in fact, not really surprised. No wonder she got all pissy about the guy.  

Even after the topic’s moved to the wedding, and Ricardo’s crying speech, Luna seems distracted, and he catches her looking frequently to where Simón and Ámbar disappeared to.

“They’re probably making out right now, don’t worry.” He tells her quietly, trying to ease her worry. She smiles.

“I know, I just can’t help it. He’s my best friend and she’s my cousin, I just want them to be happy.” She sighs, “plus, Nina and Gastón are going to dance soon, then their parents and then it’s our turn. They need to come back soon.”

“Your cousin?” He’s shocked, and he sounds like it, too.

“Yeah, you didn’t know?”

“But she didn’t even talk to you in high school?”

“Oh, that’s right! You weren’t here in senior year!” That leaves him even more confused, so she explains, “I don’t know if you know this, but I’m adopted. I’m originally from here, but when my biological parents died, they couldn’t find me any other relatives, so, I was put up for adoption. Mónica and Miguel – those are my adoptive parents- adopted me and we moved to México when I was still a toddler. On my sophomore year I decided I wanted to find who my parents were, and if I had any family left, so we came back. The truth came out on my junior year – and Ámbar’s senior- and I found that I had family left. My aunt had adopted Ámbar, thinking she was me. That wasn’t the case, obviously, but I learnt to see Ámbar as my cousin and gained an aunt and a grandpa, I can’t complain.”

“That’s… very mature of you.” She laughs at this.

Cake gets them momentarily distracted, and they both ask for a double piece, not really caring if any other person is left without cake. Not that it was possible, since Gastón asked for two five level cakes to begin with.

Conversation flows easily between them. He doesn’t feel pressure to appear cool, or funny, or interesting, because Luna on her own makes him feel that way. He has to agree wholeheartedly with Gastón’s description of her; Luna’s the nicest girl he’s ever met, and she has a natural charm that just makes you like her. If he hadn’t had a crush before, he surely has one now.

The guitarist and his little gem get back to the table just as Nina and Gastón’s first dance as a married couple is announced, looking all flushed and lips swollen.

“Did you two had fun christening the bathroom?”

His comment earns him Ámbar’s middle finger and a nervous laugh from Simón, plus Luna’s bony elbow against his ribs.

They all watch in silence how their friends sway on the dance floor, biggest grins and stolen pecks every now and then, enjoying themselves and the moment.

“I want that one day.” Luna’s whisper is so low, he’s almost sure it was meant just for her to hear.  But he can’t help to question.

“A wedding?”

Luna’s soft eyes flicker to him, and shakes her head lightly, but doesn’t answer him out loud. By now, the bride and groom are dancing with their parents, laughing while they sway. They know they’ll be called to the dance floor soon, so Luna suggests for all to stand up and get there already. Delfi declines dancing, her belly too heavy for her to even sway comfortably, but urges her husband to take Jim.

She’s right about being called soon, because as soon as they’re near the dance floor, the host asks for them to join their friends and their parents. Matteo doesn’t hesitate to take her hand and lead her to the center of the floor, swirling her a little before pulling her to him and sway to Michael Bublé’s voice.

She sighs contently, and leans her head on his chest. He welcomes the gesture, his grip on her waist tightening a little. He doesn’t know if it’s too soon, or if he comes too strong, but he gets it now. He wasted the chance when they were younger, now he’s decided to try.

“Luna?” she looks up, her eyes waiting for what he’s going to say, and he knows what she means now. She looks confused for three seconds, before his words dawns on her. “I want that one day, too. Hopefully with you.”

[salty-apples]

Ahoy there and welcome aboard the ship!

The blog is a lot of fun these days and I am always excited to put up new content. Today is a movie review day and what better movie could be here than the record-breaking wedding flick, The Wedding Party!

Name: The Wedding Party

Year of Release: 2016

Studio: EbonyLife

Cast: Adesuwa Etomi, Bankole Wellington, Sola Sobowale, Ireti Doyle, Richard Mofe Damijo, Alibaba Akpobome, Somkele Iyamah, Eyinna Nwigwe, Daniella Down, Ikechukwu Onunaka, Beverly Naya

Director: Kemi Adetiba

Synopsis: As their big day arrives, a couple’s lavish wedding plans turn into a nightmare that includes exes, fighting parents and uninvited guests.

[insert spoilers ahead logo]

If you don’t know The Wedding Party, I suggest that you open your Netflix account and watch it ASAP. This is one movie that actually shows how a typical Nigerian wedding runs and I for one, was amazed at how much I could relate to some of the events which unfolded over the course of nearly two hours.

A BIT OF CONTEXT:

In Nigeria, weddings are huge, all-inclusive family affairs. No matter your social standing, when you’re getting hitched, expect to be throwing a carnival-like bash for your family, friends, church members, long lost relatives and the assorted ‘mogbomoyas’ (gate crashers). Weddings here are typically lavish and everyone is expected to pitch in any way to support the couple. Regular weddings are like one-day festivals but upper-class weddings can span days and involve several parties happening simultaneously. Everyone is expected to be uniform in the native ‘Aso-ebi’ (family cloth) and appear as a strong unit. Both families usually choose two different and sometimes complementary colors to mark the occasion. As Nigerians incorporate ethnic customs in their weddings, different aso-ebis are often allotted for different parts of the wedding ceremonies. We like to dance and sing and make merry a lot and our weddings always reflect that.

Now, back to the review…

The Wedding Party is a Nigerian designer’s couture dream and I’m not surprised about that as a top designer was hooked for the characters’ costumes. Mai Atafo, a celebrated bridal designer, was behind the amazing looks of the entire wedding party and to be honest, it was something. Bride Dunni’s wedding outfit was a work of art and so were those of the bridesmaids. Maid of Honor Yemisi was stunning in her fuchsia pink gown.

The Wedding Party is not just a story about a couple making it official- it’s a larger conversation about what occurs when two people from different ethnic groups in Nigeria decide to get married. It explores what happens when two different cultures attempt to merge and the friction resulting from the collision. The ethnic groups represented, The Yoruba and the Igbo, are two of the largest ethnic groups within Nigeria’s borders and historically, have not been the best of neighbors. But the film had a larger message, one which resonated with people within inter-ethnic unions- it was possible to achieve synergy. Inasmuch as the bride and groom, Dunni and Dozie were the focus of the movie, it was through their mothers, Lady Onwuka and Mrs. Coker that the story of inter-tribal differences was told. It’s a pretty story with real world consequences written into it.

Story aside, let’s look at the costumes!

  Igbo

Yoruba

The first thing to note is the difference between what the families of the bride and groom wear. The bride’s family is Yoruba and the groom’s Igbo (in real life, the actress who plays the bride is Edo and the actor who plays the groom is Yoruba. Also, they are an actual married couple. So you see, life does imitate art sometimes!). This had to be accurately represented in what they wore. Socially, the Yoruba are known as a merry and flamboyant group and though their iros (wrappers), bubas (blouses), geles (head ties) and agbadas (large embroidered overshirts) were not as bright as what I usually see every weekend, the designer still tried to convey the family’s wealth as well as their culture clearly and it was very well done. For the Onwukas, the same appearance of wealth had to still be relayed to the audience. Being an Igbo family, thick embroidered wrappers and heavy beaded blouses as well as statement jewelry had to be the go-to for the mother of the groom and her friends. Although equally as merry and flamboyant as their Yorubas counterparts, the Onwuka family received the toning down treatment as Lady Onwuka’s character showed a clear distaste for extravagant shows of wealth as opposed to proclaiming her family’s riches through snide remarks. Nevertheless, both families were beautifully attired for the movie.

Now, for the bridal party, I’m going to split this up into three groups: the bride and her bridesmaids, the groom and groomsmen, and the exes.

For the bride, Mai Atafo had the wedding gown come as a detachable set consisting of an off the shoulder cape with a cathedral length train and a sleeveless column gown with a bejeweled belt and 3-D appliqué. It was a most daring style, leading the way in changing the way Nigerian brides approached bridal styling. Light, easy and sort of breezy, the gown accentuated its wearer’s slim build, bringing out her form and enhancing it as she moved down the aisle. It was a work of art, the same way the Maid of Honor’s dress was. That fuchsia gown is the ultimate dinner party inspiration, what with its cascading off the shoulder lapel and white diamond-like appliqué. The rest of the bridesmaids had dresses just as good, in fuchsia of course and appliquéd with tiny multicolored flowers.

For the grooms, Mai Atafo did not disappoint. Originally a menswear designer, he put his signature touch in the suits worn by the groom’s side of the bridal party. Unlike in a lot of wedding pictures I’ve seen, the groom and his boys had clear distinctions- black for Dozie and blue for Sola and the rest of the gang. The suits were wonderfully made, adding to the air of refinement these upper-class men already possessed (except Sola. He was a basket case).

Now for the exes. In this area, we need to split it into two parts: Rosie (Dozie’s ex-girlfriend) and Small Chops (Chief Onwuka’s mistress). Both of them gatecrashed the wedding and they made sure they were dressed to send clear messages to the people they came for. Rosie’s reception outfit was a lesson in Modern Bride 101. Daring back cut, layered flounces and an off the shoulder neckline (Mai Atafo must really like off the shoulder wedding gear, phew!) were given to a character who came to upstage the bride on her wedding day. The message of ‘Dozie, you don’t know what you are missing’ was clear and having the dress in white gave it the extra slap it needed when Dunni and Rosie eventually clashed. In that scene, the differences between both women was clear just from looking at how they were dressed: Dunni- sweet, girlish and innocent and Rosie- daring, provocative and evil. That was a fantastic visual contrast and one of the best I’ve ever seen in white. Small Chops on the other hand, came with the intention of disrupting Chief and Lady Onwuka’s peace of mind and she dressed the part.

Small Chops (real name unknown as Chief Onwuka had the original idea of disguising her as finger food) arrived in a goddess-like style.  Haltered cowl, empire waistline and a back whose movements would make a wedding veil jealous, Small Chops did what she came to do in style. Unfortunately, her triumph was short-lived and she was pushed out of the gathering before any more punches were pulled. So long, Small Chops- we may not have known your name, but your dress was a front to back hit all the way. Shout out to your fascinator too.

And there we have it, folks- my review of the wedding party and its style moments. In general, much of the story was playing a fast and loose game but it made for an easy, enjoyable and relatable viewing. This is just one Nigerian’s point of view anyway so go watch and tell me what you think about it.

Until next time,

Ciao!

Movie Review: The Wedding Party Ahoy there and welcome aboard the ship! The blog is a lot of fun these days and I am always excited to put up new content.

[spicypandacreations]

April and Joe’s Wedding Story

Here is a play-by-play for those who were unable to attend the wedding. 

Being a gigantic comic book fanatic, Joe proposed to April at the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo on March 19, 2016. During the convention, their friends and family all wore costumes and held up signs that said “APRIL WILL YOU MARRY ME?”

Prior to that date, Joe continuously worked with a jeweler Adam to custom design April’s engagement ring with the theme of “two lives becoming one.” The idea was to have two bands becoming one band as well as having the two ends encircle the diamond. Unintentional in design, the top view of the ring ended up showing a heart.

As all great stories go, she said “Yes!”

For those who wanted to see the proposal, here is a video of its entirety at the comic con. Please click on this LINK

Fast Forward to 2017 Wedding Planning!

One day, April and Joe were visiting a local comic book store and found a giant box of give-away comic books. In speaking with the manager, he agreed to give them the entire box of unsold comics, in addition to giving them more free boxes of comic books in later months.  All these comic books would later be turned into various comic book decorations.

Comic Book Hearts

Their friends cut strips of poster board and modge podged them with comic book paper. The strips were then bent into heart shapes and clear fishing wire was attached to each so the hearts could be hung from the chandeliers in the room. 

Comic Book Signs

April’s mom used her handy dandy Cricut machine to cut out hundreds of comic signs in various colors and sizes. April’s dad and friends took black paint marker and outlined each sign to accentuate them. Signs had various action words written on them as well. 

Signs were then glued onto sticks and poked into circular foam “coasters” that were modge podged with comic books.  

The smaller signs were used as seating charts. 

“Mr & Mrs” Sign

During the prior months before the wedding, Joe’s parents were replacing their kitchen so he took the drawers and April’s dad dismantled them. 

Joe drew the “Mr & Mrs” shapes on the boards and April’s dad meticulously sawed each of the words out and made holders for them.

April and her mom then took comic books and modge podged each of wood pieces.

Flower Girl Basket

April’s mom created basket for April’s niece- the  flower girl. 

Flowers

Lilies

Joe taught his mother, April, and several friends how to fold the comic books into origami lilies of varying sizes. 

Each comic lily was hand glued by Joe’s mother onto tree branches that were cut by April’s father from their home in central Illinois. Green paper leaves were cut out and also glued onto the branches for accent. 

The branches were then wired together and placed in 6 vases with colored ribbon.

Comic Book Rose Wedding Favors

From the plethora of free comic books, Joe’s mother spent countless nights searching, cutting out, gluing, and shaping each petal in order to create over 230 comic book rose wedding favors. Joe’s friends Stephen and Tori graciously helped him cut out leaves and write the names and wedding date.  

Bamboo Flowers

Joe’s mother repeated the same process and glued the petals to curved bamboo skewers in order to create 100+ bamboo comic book roses. 

These flowers were then used for making various wedding decorations: cans, cake flowers, and decorations for ceremony chairs & gazebo.

Gazebo flowers

Joe’s mother also created flower arrangements from giant origami kusudama flowers, comic lilies, and comic roses that would attach to the pillars of the gazebo. Long floral vines attached to them and then met at the center of the gazebo where April’s dad had created a custom designed wooden cross for them. 

Cross

Joe and April had made a special request that April’s father create a cross for the ceremony to be hung above them. This beautiful piece of work was created from hard maple and walnut. 

Wishing Well

Joe’s mother made the wishing well out of three boxes and decorated it with some wedding paper, ribbon, some reused flowers from another friends’ wedding, and previously mentioned comic flowers. 

                                    Bridal Party

For their wedding, Joe and April chose 5 groomsmen and 5 bridesmaids. Each bridal pair was assigned a specific color: Purple for the bride and groom, and then  Blue, Orange, Light Blue, Green, and Red for the others.  The bridesmaids wore jewelry, shoes, make up, nail polish, and a parasol in their designated color. The groomsmen were given a tie, pocket square, cufflinks, and converse Chuck Taylors (Joe’s favorite shoe) in their designated color to wear during the reception.

Boutonnieres

Joe’s mother searched through the mountain of free comic books to find the appropriate colors to handmake each boutonnière for his groomsmen and him. She also made comic book boutonnieres and corsages for herself and Joe’s father, April’s parents, April’s grandfather, and Joe’s childhood friends who would give speeches at the reception.

Bridal Bouquets

For the bridesmaids, they created paper bouquets in each of their designated color. The two tones of color per bouquet were origami Kusudama flowers, in addition to white origami Kusudama flowers. A little clear bead was also glued into the center of each kusudama and green floral tape was wrapped around each bamboo stem. Small comic origami lilies, designated color roses, and green paper leaves were inserted to fill in the gaps. A 7th bouquet was created using all the colors for the bouquet toss at the wedding reception. 

April’s purple bouquet was a cascading style arrangement that used purple tones and shiny white paper to create origami kusudama flowers. Clear beads were glued to the center and long vines were attached to give the bouquet a cascading look. 

Tall comic cylindrical containers with a complementary colored ribbon were also created to house each bouquet. During the wedding reception, the cylinders and the bouquets were placed around the sweet heart table.

Cake Topper

Joe finished the wedding topper around 12:30am the night before the wedding. The deal between April and Joe was that if he was not allowed to see April in her dress prior to the wedding, she was not allowed to see the wedding cake topper he would create for them. 

These cake toppers were modeled after outfits that the two typically wear. April’s father created the wooden platform while Joe sculpted these figurines from two wooden dolls and clay. 

The delicious 3-tiered vanilla flavored cake was wrapped with strips of comic book paper and then decorated with several of the flowers that Joe’s mother had hand-made for the wedding. 

                            Table Centerpieces

Joe handmade 20 comic book themed centerpieces for the wedding with the help of his childhood friend Matt. Each centerpiece had a brief explanation on the opposite side of the table number. Each centerpiece was also able to light up with the use of an electric candle or electric tea light. Comic book confetti in the shape of hearts was sprinkled around each centerpiece. 

Table #1 - DAILY PLANET

Daily Planet reporter Clark Kent becomes Superman, The Man of Steel, when evil threatens Metropolis.

Cast: Superman, Cyborg Superman, Bizarro, & Powergirl

 Table #2  - SAVAGE LAND

 A pre-historic tropical region tucked deep within Antarctica, the dangerous Savage Land is home to dinosaurs, active volcanoes, and tribal natives.

Cast: Banshee, X-23, Gambit, & Sabertooth

Table #3 - THE DAILY BUGLE

 Daily Bugle photographer, Peter Parker, swings into action as the amazing Spider-man when New York is threatened.

 Cast: Spider-man, Black Cat, Vulture, Hobgoblin, Lizard, & Electro

 Table #4 - THEMYSCIRA

 The hidden all-female island of Themyscira is home to Wonder Woman and the mighty Amazons.

 Cast: Wonder Woman, Black Adam, & Killer Frost

 Table #5 - HALL OF JUSTICE

 The Hall of Justice serves as headquarters to the all-star team of heroes known as The Justice League.

 Cast: Dr. Fate, Hawkman, Firestorm, Zatanna, Captain Cold, & Atom Smasher

 Table #6 - ATLANTIS

(In the hoopla of the day, no one remembered to release the fish from the bag prior to the pictures being taken. Joe noticed it mid reception, ran over, rolled up his sleeve and let those guys free stating “I didn’t come here for 99%!!!!.)

 The underwater kingdom of Atlantis is hidden well below the destructive hands of surface dwellers.

 Cast: Namor & Aquaman

Table #7 - THE BATCAVE

 Hidden beneath Bruce Wayne’s manor, the Batcave serves as home to the world’s greatest detective - Batman.

 Cast: Robin, Batwoman, Riddler, & Two-Face

 Table #8 - THE DANGER ROOM

 Located within the Xavier Institute, the mutant team known as the X-Men hone their battle skills through the virtual reality simulations of the Danger Room.

 Cast: Professor X, Storm, Havok, Blob, Pyro, & Mystique

 Table #9 - BAXTER BUILDING

 The Baxter Building is the headquarters of the Fantastic Four, a 4-person superhero team that often defends Earth from Galactus - The Devourer of Worlds.

 Cast: Invisible Woman, Human Torch, Dr. Doom, & Galactus

 Table #10 - STARK INDUSTRIES

 After surviving a near fatal injury to the heart, Tony Stark of Stark Industries dons his Iron Man armored suit to protect the world.

 Cast: Iron Man, Mandarin, & Fin Fang Foom

 Table #11 - APOCALYPSE PYRAMID

 Believing in the survival of the fittest, the villainous mutant known as Apocalypse was born thousands of years ago in ancient Egypt.

 Cast: Apocalypse, Angel, Bishop, & Cable

 Table #12 - ARKHAM ASYLUM

Arkham Asylum is a psychiatric facility that houses the criminally insane of Gotham City.

 Cast: Green Arrow, Black Canary, Scarecrow, & Deadshot

 Table # 13 - OA

 Chosen for their tremendous amount of willpower, the members of the intergalactic space patrol known as the Green Lantern Corp are bestowed their powers from the ancient Guardians of planet Oa.

 Cast: Hal Jordan, Jon Stewart, & Manhunter

 Table # 14 - ASGARD

 The Rainbow Bridge serves as the passage into the mystical realm of Asgard, home of the Norse Gods and the God of thunder-Thor.

 Cast: Thor, Beta Ray Bill, Ronin, & Hulk

 Table #15 - AVENGERS TOWER

 Avengers Tower is the headquarters of the Avengers – Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.

 Cast: Quicksilver, Giant Man, Ant Man, She-Hulk, Dr. Strange, & Wonder Man

 Table #16 - WAKANDA

 The Black Panther protects his hidden kingdom of Wakanda from those who would threaten to take its precious resource Vibranium.

 Cast: Black Panther, Hawkeye,& Ultron

 Table #17 - SENTINEL BASE

 Out of mass hysteria, the government has created giant mutant-hunting robots to control, imprison, and destroy mutant kind.

 Cast: Shadowcat, Jubilee, Iceman, & Beast

 Table #18 - HYDRA BASE

 Having amassed a plethora of weapons, soldiers, and resources over the past decades, Hydra has become a worldwide subversive organization dedicated to global domination.

 Cast: Captain America, Falcon, Nick Fury, Red Skull, & Hydra Agent

 Table #19 - HELL’S KITCHEN

 Hell’s Kitchen, the gritty, low-income neighborhood on the west side of midtown Manhattan, is protected by Daredevil – The Man Without Fear.

 Cast: Daredevil, King Pin, Bullseye, Elektra, & Iron Fist

 Table #20 - XAVIER MANSION

The Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters is the institute dedicated to training young mutants in controlling their powers and fostering coexistence with humans.

Cast: Cyclops, Juggernaut, Rogue, & Psylocke

[toldnews-blog]

New Post has been published on https://toldnews.com/technology/entertainment/vows-the-writer-anne-lamott-gets-to-the-happily-ever-after-part/

Vows: The Writer Anne Lamott Gets to the Happily-Ever-After Part

The writer Anne Lamott recently sat in the living room of her Fairfax, Calif., house, wearing her signature dreadlocks, a loose cotton shirt and baggy jeans (skinny jeans are definitely not her style). At 65, she was about to get married for the first time.

When asked why she stayed single so long, she replied that she was shy and introverted and hated leaving the house, particularly for parties.

“If I go to a party, I become a Roz Chast character with my arms hanging at my sides and I feel like I’m developing a tic,” said Ms. Lamott, who has published 18 memoirs and novels, many about being a recovering alcoholic, single mother, incessant worrier and late-in-life churchgoer.

Yet in recent years, she found herself admitting to friends and fans (otherwise known as “Annieholics”) that a good marriage was the one thing she wanted but had not achieved. So she joined OurTime, a matchmaking site for people over 50, and forced herself to go on dates and make small talk. “Then, I saw this really handsome, soulful guy on OurTime and he was like me,” she said. “He was hard-core left wing, an intellectual, spiritual seeker.”

His name was Neal Allen, and she contacted him in August 2016. He promptly wrote back: “You rejected me already!”

He reminded her that they had exchanged messages on the site a few months earlier, but she had stopped communicating with him after learning he was allergic to cats (she sleeps with hers, which could also explain why she hadn’t found a partner sooner). Mr. Allen, 63, had left his job as a vice president for marketing at the McKesson Corporation in San Francisco to become a writer. He lived alone in a house in the woods in Lagunitas, Calif., and he had a wide range of interests that included Plato, bluegrass music, the New Testament and Vipassana meditation. He sounded much cooler than she remembered. “I said, ‘Take me back! Take me back!’” she said.

On Aug. 30, 2016, they met for coffee at the Two Bird Cafe in San Geronimo, halfway between their homes. “My first impression was that he was so handsome and I loved his nose,” she said.” We were just jamming. Life, God, books, movies. Life, God, books, movies.”

Mr. Allen, who was divorced twice and has four children, loved her “casual prettiness, “trippy dreads,” “kissable lips” and willingness to tell him everything, absolutely everything, about herself. “That kind of openness, it was like being sucked into a spider web,” he said.

The coffee date was followed, she said, by a “period of not only being in love but being sickeningly in love, it being like a mental illness.”

They spent every day together. They had long, heart-to-heart talks on her secondhand couch about things like how to approach death more mindfully or mistakes they’d made in the past as parents and as lovers. They took daily walks, either on the many trails that cover Mount Tamalpais, or up and down the aisles of Good Earth, a health food emporium in Fairfax, where they invariably bought too much chocolate. He said the only downside of falling in love with Ms. Lamott was that he gained 17 pounds in the first six months.

In some ways, they are opposites. She is afraid of almost everything, whereas he’s afraid of almost nothing. “It never occurs to me that anything will go wrong,” he said. Whenever she got overly anxious about a deadline, or climate change, or whether that shaking sensation was an earthquake, Mr. Allen made a cheese omelet for her. “Neal cooks, he cleans and yet he’s still a man’s man,” said Annette Lopez-Lamott, Ms. Lamott’s sister-in-law. “He respects women and that was very important to Annie who’s very power to the people, women’s rights.”

Crucially, Mr. Neal said, they got each other’s jokes “95 to 98 percent” of the time. “I have never, ever spent time with somebody as funny, as brilliantly funny,” he said. “Living with Annie is like being in a comedy sketch.”

Seven months after their first date, they bought a dilapidated house on a narrow, hidden lane in Fairfax. Now renovated, the house is airy and uncluttered inside, like a sentence with all the extra words removed. Ms. Lamott has her first new couch (all the others have been hand-me-downs) where she and Mr. Allen spend their evenings watching the news on television, dissecting the news, eating dinner and bingeing on dark Scandinavian movies, which they both love. “The level of brown bear-like comfort we find in each other is just amazing,” she said.

There’s also a renovated barn behind the house where her son, Sam Lamott, 29, and grandson, Jax Lamott, 9, live part time. When asked if everyone gets along, Ms. Lamott said, “It’s kind of like a wedding where there are all these disparate elements and you just hope there’s enough love and compromise that everything will work out fine, and most of the time it does.”

On Aug. 30, 2018, exactly two years after their first date, Mr. Allen pressed the pause button while they watching the United States Open and proposed.

They were married April 13 at Deer Park Villa, an events space near their house, in a redwood grove with Christmas lights swooping between the trees. The 150 guests were asked to “dress happily” and the Grateful Dead song, “Ripple,” played through speakers as the wedding party, ranging in ages from 9 to 80-plus, entered the grove in no particular order and at no particular pace. There was the sense that anybody could have joined them if they wanted to.

The tall bridegroom towered over everyone, looking somewhat like a basketball player in a black suit, while the bride wore a calf-length white dress she bought on eBay, Mary Jane shoes and a furry white cardigan.

The ceremony reflected the couple’s idiosyncratic patchwork of spiritual and political interests. The officiant, the Rev. William Rankin, an Episcopal minister and a founder of the Global AIDS Interfaith Alliance, read a passage from the benediction at Barack Obama’s 2009 inauguration, pushing for racial equality, global peace and turning tractors into tanks. Jack Kornfield, a Buddhist meditation teacher, presented the couple with his version of a “ring,” a Tibetan singing bowl and a wooden mallet. He suggested they tap the bowl and listen to its ring whenever they had a “How did I get into this feeling?” mood as husband and wife.

The Rev. Tom Weston, a Jesuit priest, also stood with the couple. He didn’t speak much, but he did exude a kind of fatherly benevolence, as he does in some of the bride’s memoirs.

Sam Lamott, the man of honor, read an E.E. Cummings poem; and Marina Allen, a daughter of the groom, sang “Let Me,” a sweet, quirky love song she wrote for the couple.

The bride and bridegroom each took out a piece of paper, and their reading glasses, and recited the vows they had written. Hers were neither writerly nor weighty. She just made a few simple observations like, “Your love has given me permission to be softer, wilder and more real.” His were also spare, mere brush strokes of promises and intentions. “I’d very much like to continue our exploration of love indefinitely,” he said politely, as if he were asking her to dance. The couple have a light touch with everything, especially each other. Out in public, friends said, she’ll just barely hold on to his belt loop, or his sleeve.

They left the grove to the Van Morrison song, “Into the Mystic.” Meg Lundstrom, a longtime friend of the bridegroom, said afterward, “I’ve been telling my friends that the smartest person I know is marrying the kindest person I know but I don’t know which is which.”

Everyone gathered inside the “villa,” a rustic house next to the grove, for dinner at long tables that were decorated with pink paper runners and colorful leis. It looked like a child’s birthday party.

Laura Neely catered the dinner, along with her staff of mostly middle-age women who called themselves “the old gangster catering crew.” Ms. Neely said she particularly admired Ms. Lamott for not leaping into marriage, until now. “Getting married now is the best thing ever because that’s for sure going to be your toe-tag husband,” she said.

Now that Ms. Lamott has found her lifelong partner, does she have any advice for those who might still be looking? “If you’re paying attention and making your own life as beautiful and rich and fun as it can be, you might just attract someone who’s doing the same thing,” she said. “You can give up on tracking someone down with your butterfly net.”

A natural cheerleader, especially for underdogs, she also posted this on her Facebook page: “Never give up, no matter how things look or how long they take. Don’t quit before the miracle.”

[wp-yahoo-style-1042-yahoopa-blog]

How One Bride Upcycled 8 Relatives’ Wedding Gowns for Her Own Wedding

It can be truly meaningful and lovely when a bride wears a wedding gown passed down to her from a mother or grandmother. It’s also pretty cool when she’s able to transform it into something better suited to today’s style. One bride in Corpus Christi, Texas, managed to take things one step further by incorporating the dresses of eight women in her family into her own wedding gown and accessories for her bridal party in June.

Tammy Rakowitz incorporated the dresses of eight women in her family into her own wedding gown and accessories for her bridal party. (Photo: Tiffani Jurach.)

It can be truly meaningful and lovely when a bride wears a wedding gown passed down to her from a mother or grandmother. It’s also pretty cool when she’s able to transform it into something better suited to today’s style. One bride in Corpus Christi, Texas, managed to take things one step further by incorporating the dresses of eight women in her family into her own wedding gown and accessories for her bridal party in June.

“It was so nice,” Tammy Hench Rakowitz told the Corpus Christi Caller-Times of her wedding gown mashup. “It made that day that much more sentimental for me.”

Rakowitz’s mother, Jan Hench, and aunt, Rosemary Miller, helped her sew the dress, patterned after the gown that Hench wore to her 1972 wedding.

“I’ve always liked the train that she had on her dress, and, of course the style of her dress wasn’t what I liked that much, so we had talked about using the train and making a new dress,” Rakowitz explained to Yahoo Style. “As we got talking about it and she was pulling out her dress, she had my grandmother’s dress and my great-great-grandmother’s dress. It kind of evolved from there.”

Rakowitz’s new dress used some of the lace from Hench’s gown — which Hench, a professional seamstress in the ’60s, had made herself — and she wore her mother’s train and headpiece. But that was just the beginning of this massive recycling project.

Lace from her grandmother’s 1940 gown, her mother-in-law’s 1967 gown, and her great-great-grandmother’s 1860 gown (which was black, per the custom of the era) made up Rakowitz’s garter. Lace from her godmother’s headpiece accented her bouquet.

(Photo: Crystal Williams.)

Then came the bridal party: Miller’s wedding dress and Rakowitz’s mother-in-law’s gown both happened to use identical lace, so that was ideal to use for all the bridesmaids’ shawls, which were also adorned with bows taken from the gown of another of Rakowitz’s aunts.

The littlest member of the party, the bride and groom’s 5-month-old daughter Katie, wore her great-grandmother’s 1914 baptismal gown to the wedding, which also served as her baptism. She is one of more than 30 family members to wear that particular heirloom.

(Photo: Crystal Williams.)

The Albert Lea Tribune, the newspaper from Hench’s Minnesota hometown, reported that Rakowitz’s niece was a junior bridesmaid and wore a jacket repurposed from the lace bodice of her great-grandmother’s wedding gown. The flower girls’ dresses used materials from Rakowitz’s mother, aunt, and mother-in-law as well.

“I didn’t get to see any of the finished products until a week and a half before the wedding,” she told Yahoo, explaining that her aunt and mother live in Minnesota. “It was interesting to have to do everything from afar.”

The wedding program explaining the dresses’ origins. (Photo: Courtesy Tammy Rakowitz.)

Surprisingly, no one seemed to regret seeing their dress taken apart for the project, Rakowitz said.

“Everyone seemed very willing to help and wanted to donate,” the bride told Yahoo. “My mom thought it would be harder to tear hers apart, but she said it didn’t bother her [because] it was going on to make something new. Now we can save it for my daughter, and then she can choose if she wants to use it again someday.”

It’s pretty remarkable that all of these gowns had been preserved well enough to be reused like this. Carissa Suter, who remakes old gowns at her store, the Gilded Thimble, in Bedford, Va., told Yahoo Style in 2016 that dry rot can make the material of vintage gowns impossible to work with.

“If the fabric is so old that if there’s any pressure put on the seams, the thread or the fabric rips, then it’s a no-go,” Suter said of evaluating old gowns for updating. But if the gown is carefully preserved, this kind of redesign is a beautiful way to honor the generations that came before you while still making it your own.

Rakowitz knew her process was something special, and she gave her wedding guests a booklet that described all the dresses and their reincarnations.

“We got married on June 17, which was my parents’ wedding anniversary,” she said. “We had all this history with my family involved in it, and then the day that we got married, our parents got married 45 years to that day. That was kind of special. It was sentimental to have all of that.”

Read more from Yahoo Beauty + Style:

Bride Poses in 5 Family Wedding Dresses — One Is Over 100 Years Old

Here’s One Way to Deal With an Airline Losing Your Wedding Suit

Gay Newlyweds Reveal They’ve Been Threatened Following Muslim Wedding

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. For Twitter updates, follow @YahooStyle and @YahooBeauty.

[sexyweddingdresses8]

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[newagesispage]

                                                                        JULY              2020

PAGE RIB

Tammy Duckworth or Stacey Abrams for VP PLEASE!!!!! Thus is one of the most important Vice Presidential picks ever. Since Biden was not the first choice for a lot of people, I think many want to see if at least he will make good choices for the slots he must fill around him.** Shut up Klobuchar, nobody was going to make you VP, why do U need more spotlight?

*****

Hooray for the LBGTQ community! The Supreme Court has ruled that a human can’t be fired because of sexual orientation or gender identity.** On the down side, the Trump administration overturned protections for transgender people against sex discrimination in health care. It now defines gender as a person’s biological sex.**Also, Single sex homeless shelters can turn away our trans friends. ** The Supreme Court also ruled that Trump is blocked from ending Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival.** Another court ruling struck down the Louisiana law that had never really went into effect.  The rule was to make Dr.’s register with hospitals. Next up: The Court is taking on the issue of Trump’s tax returns.

*****

You have to check out Kubrick.life. It is fab!!

*****

The reason there’s never been a Rolling Stones musical is that it’s so hard to find a casting director without sin. –Gary Delaney

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Native Americans are set to protest Trump’s visit to Mt. Rushmore for the 4th.

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AP Bio is moving to Peacock.

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Great to see Search Party back for season 3 now on HBO max.

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The Brockmire jacket is on display now at the Baseball Hall of Fame.

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Hooray for Pete Davidson and his basement living. Times have changed and families are living together again, often because financially, they have no choice. ** Pete and Colin Jost will star in worst man.** Jost also has a memoir, A very Punchable Face, on the way. He will also star in a live action/animated Tom and Jerry.

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Days alert: I think Brady is beyond redemption. ** I am always so glad when Lucas or Wilhelm come back!!!!!** Jack and Jen need a story! **I hope Sarah gets over her shit and runs to Xander before he starts acting like a thug again.** Marci Miller is on the way back. ** The Daytime Emmy’s were held on June 26. There were wins for Ellen, The View, Heather Tom and Sesame Street.  Days did not fare too well this year but did honor Olivia Rose Keegan. ** So glad to some returns for Eli’s wedding!!!

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Can’t wait for the film, Never too late. The Michael Lembeck directed project stars Ellen Burstyn, James Caan, Ann-Margret, Jane Curtin, Loretta Devine, Christopher Lloyd and French Stewart.

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Other Countries are starting to ban us from travel in theirs because of our rampant covid-19.** The WH wants to end Federal funding for testing and research in parts of the country.** 1.4 billion in taxpayer $ went to aid dead people since the Government did not check death records.** Kid Rock’s bar had their liquor license revoked for covid-19 violations.** There are so many spoiled rotten Americans who seem to care nothing for the safety of others and only their own “rights.” People are dying, how long do we ignore the crazy people?? Can we stop harassing law abiding minorities and protestors and start arresting those that refuse to wear a mask? Thank you to the Governors, like JB Pritzker who have been level headed and kept us safe

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I am so looking forward to I’ll be gone in the dark. We miss you Michelle McNamara..

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Ozark will come back for a 4th and final season!!!!!

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“Shaming doesn’t lead to learning.” –Willow Smith

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I wanna see a buddy movie with Amy Sedaris and Amber Ruffin!!! Wouldn’t that be delightful?? They could be besties running a shop or estranged sisters or long lost cousins. I just think they would have great chemistry.** At least we can look forward to the Amber Ruffin show which has been in the works for a year, coming to Peacock!

*****

The RNC had not updated its platform since 2016. Their site said “the current administration has abandoned American friends and rewarded its enemies.”** The much touted Oklahoma rally was a complete dud. Word is that campaign manager Brad Parscale and Jared are getting most of the blame. They and the secret service are reportedly in quarantine now. Next, Mr. Brilliant was off to the equally intelligent Dream City Church in Arizona. The mega church said that they had installed an air filtration system that kills 99,9 % of the Corona virus in 10 minutes.  Their FB page soon took that statement down. **  “Still the most believable thing that’s ever been said in a mega church.” –Stephen Colbert. The administration uses the lag time between exposure and test results. By the time these crowds of people may start to test positive, Trump will have moved on and take no blame. ** It seems all that has been accomplished since Scary Clown 45 took office is angst. From reporters to Doctors to politicians to the public there have been disagreements and turmoil. Behind the scenes, however, the agendas being pushed thru are trampling all over our rights.

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The Government has purged 174 thousand fake accounts that originated in China.

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Studies show that cop shows make us believe that police are mostly good and mostly break the rules only for really bad perps. 21% of the public interact with police on a regular basis. Can we not separate fact from fiction?

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Paul McCartney is pretty pissed at the Italian government after they gave no refunds to fans for a cancelled concert. ** A story that turned out to be a non-story is Penny Lane. Someone wrote ‘racist’ above the famous Penny Lane sign because they thought the street was named for slave trader James Penny. It turns out that this had been researched before and this is not a true story .  The street was originally Pennies street and had no connection.

*****

Jimmy Kimmel is taking a couple of months off.  Guest hosts will pop up in July. He has had some backlash from old blackface controversy and some questionable interviews.

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What we’ve seen now is how fragile a democracy is. –Sherilyn Ifill

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70% of companies have cancelled internships. The rich have gotten a lot richer.

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Hooray for the young! Many are volunteering for the Corona virus trials in which they will have to be given the virus.** What a wonderful world it would be if we could all get along and play fair and help each other. Why do some so hate that idea?

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Army for Trump.com???? Did he get this idea from Gene Simmons????** People are starving, there is unrest in the streets, protesters beaten, racial inequality, over 110thousand dead to a virus and Trump wants a military parade for the 4th of July??? WTF?? The people of Washington are not too happy as they ponder the weight of tanks ruining their streets.

*****

Why does Trump talk of his love of Police and yet in Dallas he did not have the Police Chief, the Sheriff or the DA at his event?

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The Senate armed services committee has adopted an amendment to remove the names of confederate General from military assets within 3 years. ** Traitors statues are being removed. Will the faces of slave owners on currency be next???** Princeton is taking Woodrow Wilson’s name off of the school. ** Why do we even have to take flags, statues and imagery from Naval ships and the halls of our Government buildings?? They should have been removed long ago.** We do not live in a country to which Braxton Bragg, Henry L. Benning or Robert E. Lee can serve as an inspiration. –Gen. David Patraeus**Perhaps Scary Clown could just be President of the Confederacy since they seem to want it miss it. Is it time to secede and this time, just let them go??** Free speech is very important in this country and those who want confederate flags on personal property should be able to. It is good to know who the traitors are. Things do not change, from parading the possible communists to Japanese internment to Native Americans to the Irish, the Jewish, to Black lives matter. The uninformed, the bully’s and the haters just seem to need someone to blame for their problems.

*****

Dolly Parton and Nina West will sell products which declare, “Kindness is Queen.”  The sales will fund Imagination Library and Nina West foundation.

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This month in “alleged” creep news : Actor Danny Masterson has been charged with 3 counts of rape.** Chris D’Elia is accused of sexual harassment and grooming under aged women. **Justin Beiber is accused of sexual assault from 2014.** Ron Jeremy has been charged with the rape of 3 women and sexually assaulting another. His bail is 6.6 mil.** Mythbuster’s host Adam Savage has had a lawsuit filed against him by his sister, Miranda Pacchiana for sexual abuse.** The Weinstein global settlement is 46.7 mil.

*****

There is word that they may replace Tennessee’s statue of Nathan Bedford Forrest with Dolly Parton. That is pretty good thinking!!

*****

Don’t worry about those confederate statues being torn down. They’re getting what they always wanted: Out of America.** I think the statues of the white European they claim is Jesus should also come down.  They are a form of white supremacy. –Shaun King

*****

Slavery is still legal by way of the industrial prison complex and privatized prison systems. –Wolfe the Chef

*****

Trump has a half billion in loans coming due. –Mother Jones

*****

Perhaps Trump thinks between, the protests, the Covid and the cop killings, many of those against him will just die off. Moscow Mitch and the boys are right there with him. Bill Maher would call it the red wall of silence. Next up to kill us off: the draft?

*****

The Senate armed services committee has adopted an amendment to remove the names of Confederate Generals from military assets within 3 years.

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Trump signs executive order renaming the Pearl Harbor memorial, ‘Fort Yamamto.’ –Danny Zuker

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Asst. Secretary of State for legislative affairs, Mary Elizabeth Taylor is out.

*****

Let us never forget the name Darnella Frasier, the 17 year old girl who took video of George Floyd’s murder.

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Hollywood never told us that 1 in 3 cowboys back in the day were black. Legend has it that the Lone Ranger was based on one of those very cowboys by the name of Bass Reeves.

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Nascar has banned the confederate flag from events thanks to Bubba Wallace, the first black driver in 50 years to win one of the top 3 National touring series.  He has introduced his new #43 Chevy which  states Black Lives Matter with  black and white fists clasped with the caption, “Compassion, love and understanding.” Fans were asked in 2015 to stop with the flag but many ignored the request. Driver Ray Ciccarelli says that he will leave at the end of the season.  Kyle Larson was suspended from Nascar and fired by his team for a racial slur during a streaming event. Kyle Weatherman unveiled a blue lives matter flag car with the slogan “Back the Blue.”** Why was taking a knee so bad? The NFL says they made a mistake. This country is so slow to change which is why we must keep the pressure on.  To focus on punishment after and not prevention of these crimes is a huge mistake.** The June 21 race was delayed for rain but it will be remembered for the plane that flew overhead with a confederate flag that declared ‘Defund Nascar’ and a noose that was found in the garage stall of Bubba Wallace. The next day at the postponed race, the other drivers walked Wallace to the front. It was something to see.  Mike Skinner’s son, Dustin wrote, “My hat is off to who put the noose at his car. I wish they would of tied it to him and drug him around the pits.” **The next day the FBI declared that the noose was just a garage pull that had been there for months. WTF???? The right has gone crazy with clever turns of phrase like, ‘fake noose.’ Was it an honest mistake?  I suppose these things can happen when everybody gets jumpy . The crew member that found it asked others what they thought so it wasn’t lie they jumped to conclusions. It was Talladega that should have known. Mike Skinner’s son,

*****

Trump began his term promising to build a wall to protect America from the world. He ends it building a wall to protect himself from Americans. – Nick Confessore

*****

The Dems are happy to let Biden stay safe at home. Journalist Jonathon Lemore mentioned that with all the polls, mishandlings and faux pas from Trump, he may want to change the nickname he has given from sleepy Joe to President –elect Joe. Not so fast, we know the die-hards will not give up even in this ‘Trump fatigue’ slide, but voting is happening in record numbers.

*****

A judge has ruled that children must be released from the detention centers after 20 days.

*****

It has been reported that Scary Clown found out in March that Russia offered Afgan militants bounties to kill US troops. Once a traitor, always a traitor. Of course he supports confederate traitors.

*****

The Georgia Secretary of State spent $400thousand on a commercial. He wanted to pat himself on the back for buying new voting machines.**The Republican party is reportedly spending $20 million to hire people to intimidate voters that they call ‘pollwatchers.’

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Blue Apron will close facilities on Election day and give employees a paid day off. Anybody else wanna step up?

*****

Raven Symone married Miranda Maday.

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Michelle Williams and hubby Thomas Kail had a baby.

*****

There are no good cops as long as there are bad cops.** With all the insanity, Marianne Williamson sounds pretty good right now.

*****

If you have not seen this Trump coloring book that sells for $20, it is something to see. He looks like a super hero which seems like just one more step to dictator.

*****

AG Barr told the US attorney for the Southern District of NY, Richard Berman that he was stepping down but he refused.  Barr then said that Trump was removing him. Trump says he has nothing to do with it. Have we ever heard of a bigger coward?

*****

I suppose it is too much to ask but I hope the people who still don’t get what is going on in this country will pay attention and at least try to understand. There are such intelligent points being made and we need to listen. I will share many of those with you. U may have seen a lot of these for yourself but I wanted to highlight some wonderful words.  Slavery, minimum wage, payday loans, can you blame the few looters? Some may be protesters but most are profiteers . Corporate America does not keep a lot of their promises so many feel they have no deal with these people. Most of the protests are peaceful so leave them alone. When the police go after innocent people who assemble, they prove the point that the force is out of control.  It is time to demilitarize and defund the police. Changing policy is nice and all but there are still many cases and those officers remain on the job. ** The protests are about a lot more than George Floyd.** Is this true that some police are covering their badge numbers and names?? Why wouldn’t a person want to serve and protect instead of being so covert? They are proving the point of the protests.

*****

It’s Boogaloo, not Antifa.

*****

James Bodenstedt, CEO of Muy who has stake in many Wendy’s, Taco Bell and Pizza Huts has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Trump campaign. ** Defund Tucker Carlson, let’s keep an eye on all who advertise on FOX and boycott those. Disney and T mobile have pulled out. I cannot believe Disney was showing ads on there anyway but they claim that it was some 3rd party ad buyer and they did not know. In return, Tucker is telling his listeners about the nasty companies that support Black Lives Matter. ** Why have so many of the Fox employees and their frequent guests been arrested?** I suppose many republicans are quite happy that the Federal government is doing next to nothing to help its citizens. They often scream that they do not want the government involved and we should all be on our own.

*****

Oh Joy, to wake up and see that The Politician S2 was up! Woo Hoo!! I saw a review in the Reporter that stated , ”Nor does it have anything vaguely insightful to say.”  Well I enjoyed it , mostly due to the wonderful Bette Midler, Judith Light, Joe Morton and the fashion!! Not everything needs a message. There is some outright preaching and a few clever lessons here though.  The last episode could have been better but the line about the older generation and game theory really hit home. Not only do older generations think different, we were taught different. Computers can confound them, gaming can confuse them. Of course, this does not include everyone. But it does seem that the logic we use is just different.  As far as season 2 though, sometimes you just want to watch something delicious and ornery FUN!!

*****

Givers beware: Many have been finding out that when they donate to the Black Lives Matter Foundation, it is not the Black Lives Matter movement. Do your research!

*****

I saw a point from a talking head that answered the question of why do blacks keep killing each other? She wondered if people have seen the ID channel which is whites killing each other every day. There seems much plotting and hiding on these shows and somehow they get away with it for so long. I myself have seen much violence in my own family.

*****

North Carolina would not let the RNC hold its big night there because of restrictions. West Virginia Gov. Justice welcomed Trump to have it the convention there and in fact invited any President there but not Obama. Scary Clown went with Florida.** A white hate group opened a FB page to pose as ANTIFA.

*****

Scary clown 45 can’t legally employ army against citizens. He declared a dictatorship. –John Cusack** Never forget: Posse Camatatis: The President can’t use the military as his own posse. The insurrection act is the exception if there is an ongoing problem and the Governor has to invite them in.** It is confusing in D.C. for there are secret service, local and Federal all vying for jurisdiction. There is also the ‘correctional police force.’ The AG is combining multiple forces like the DEA, military police, prison and National Guard. Huh? It is time to make D.C. a state. ** After his big show of force for his Bible day, he sent most military leaders back to their home bases.** General Milley has apologized for being a part of the photo op.

*****

Intel reports show that Russia is so happy with their plan to destroy us from within. It has worked like a charm!** Many in China are saying that Trump is a godsend because he is ruining the rep of the U.S.** It is quite sad to hear leaders and journalists from around the world reporting that America’s time has passed and is no longer a super power.

*****

He desecrates the Bible. He desecrates a Christian church and he desecrates the Presidency. Shame. –James J. Zogby** The Episcopal Bishop of DC who oversees the DC church that the President stopped at to hold up his book, was outraged. Neither she nor the rector was asked or told that they would be clearing peaceful protesters with force and smoke bombs or that one of their churches would be used as a prop. ** A truly sacrilegious use of the Bible to bless a brutal stunt. –Michael Gerson, GW Bush speechwriter

*****

Trump has asked CNN to apologize for a poll that claimed that Biden was winning. Fox had a similar poll so WTF?

*****

Oh no, I see that Loews gave 25 mil to help minority owned business’s while Home Depot gave 7 mil to Trump. I have my own issues with service at Loews in the past and good things to say about the Depot. Thus does make one think.

*****

White supremacists and racist terrorists pose a greater risk of violence. –FBI

*****

Judge Jed S. Rakoff has declared ICE’s policy of courthouse arrests to be illegal.

*****

He who is reluctant to recognize me opposes me. –Frantz Fanon

*****

ABC senior executive Barbara Fedida is on administrative leave after allegations of racial remarks and insensitive comments.

*****

Kristen Wiig and Ari Rothman had twins.

*****

The Hollywood walk of fame is adding Kelly Clarkson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Dom McLean, Zac Efron, Shia LaBeouf, Missy Elliott, Luciano Pavarotti and August Wilson.

*****

Holland Taylor and PBS have brought us Ann. The Tony nominated play is about Governor Ann Richards.

*****

North Korea has recently added enough material for 20 more nukes. While we are distracted, Kim Yo-Jung, Un’s sister had come front and center. She has said, it’s time “to break ties with South Korea.”

*****

Employees had told me that Costco samples were a thing of the past but it looks like they are coming back.

*****

A new book about Melania, which she calls fiction is here. There are many stories inside like how Ivanka calls her step mother, The portrait because she never smiles. ** A Trump niece, Mary L. Trump has also written a tell all. The courts have it held up at the moment. ** A judge denied an injunction to block Bolton’s book. Did he think he would be a savior because he says he is telling the truth NOW?

*****

A judge had to order Mnuchin to give $679 mil in emergency covid-19 relief funds to Native tribes.** Be aware- Covid tests are free but they sometimes test for flus first and they are not always covered. This happened to Katie Porter.

*****

“There isn’t a coronavirus second wave.”- Mike Pence. This is also a man who once wrote ,”smoking doesn’t kill.”

*****

Save the Merit System Protection Bureau!!  The backlog gets bigger and bigger and will cost the taxpayers more and more.

*****

The U.S. now faces allegations of human rights abuse because of treatment of protesters.** Private jet companies got $300 million in bailout $. What about small business?** Bullfighters in Spain have asked for Government help since they can’t kill their bulls.

*****

It is such a shame that George P. Bush (who I once thought could steer the Republican Party back) is solidly in the Trump camp. Yikes!!

*****

Doug Mills won the WH correspondents Association photo of the year for the Pelosi clap pic from the State of the Union.

*****

The ACLU has filed suit against Minnesota police for ‘targeting’ journalists.

*****

How can the black community dismantle a problem they did not create? – James Corden

*****

Mississippi voted to remove the confederate emblem from the state flag.

*****

I swear if I ever hear Stephen Colbert talk about his hair again, I will scream!! The rest of us need haircuts too.  I wish he would stop whining about it before he turns to the “dark times” of the day. But hugs for Colbert though for his Bolton interview. It is pretty sad when a comic minded talk show host digs deeper in an interview than the news pundits. The jack ass needs to be called out cuz his arguments are ridiculous.  ** Oh no, Since I wrote this, Seth Meyers has now bitched twice about his hair.** They are teaching the thoughts of Trevor Noah in classes now. And BTW when will we have more diverse late night hosts?

*****

Hooray for John Cusack, Elizabeth Warren, Madonna, Tammy Duckworth, Dick Durbin,  J.B. Pritzker and Mitt Romney for coming out to march. More of that!!

*****

There is word that an old sketch from David Cross and Bob Odenkirk is being pulled. I am not sure that what they were doing was understood. There are many shows taking out the blackface scenes such as Scrubs and 30 Rock.

*****

I just keep seeing the scene in my head from The Wall: “UP against the wall.”** It is simple, I always think, half of this country just has a completely different idea of what America is or should be than the other half.** And what kind of number did Trump’s parents and Roy Cohn do on him? He really has this thing about weakness.** Why was Trump allowed to visit a swab production plant without a mask? They had to throw away the days production. President does not mean ruler.** Trumpism is that state of having insane racist moron candidates running for offices that they’re completely unqualified for is alive and well. – Molly Jong-Fast

*****

Hurry up Fall so we can see The Trial of the Chicago 7 with Eddie Redmayne, Sasha Baron Cohen, Joseph Gordon- Levitt, Frank Langella, Jeremy Strong, John Carroll Lynch, Yahya Abdul- Mateen II, Mark Rylance and Michael Keaton.

*****

HBO Max has pulled Gone with the Wind and sales skyrocketed. Hattie McDaniel won an Oscar but was seated separately at the event. It is now back with a discussion.

*****

How many broken or new machines or outlets that don’t work do we have to put up with before we strictly go to PAPER ballots?? I get so tired of writing this. I am all for states running their elections but this is ridiculous. In the elections that I have worked, the only real problems were with machines!!!!!!!!!!

*****

Planet of the Humans was banned for a time it now it is back. Don’t they get that it only makes people want to see it more?

*****

The DOJ filed a civil action against Bolton to stop his book but it did not work,  It is chock full of info that would have come in handy months ago.** This whole administration is one big reality show, move in, move on and make $ out of it. They have no shame!

*****

No one is ever a victim, although your conquerors would have you believe in your own victimhood. How else could they conquer you? –Barbara Marciniak

*****

R.I.P. more Covid victims, Bonnie Pointer, Christo, Joanne Lara, Robert Fuller, Michael Daly, Rayshard Brooks, Victoria Sims, Oluwatoyin Salau, Sirlan Holm, Jean Kennedy Smith, Dame Vera Lynn,  Keith Blocker, Mary J. Wilson, Joel Schumacher, Steve Bing, Mexico city earthquake victims,  covid victims, Stuart Cornfeld, Lucius J. Barker and Carl Reiner.

[makeuptips10-blog]

How Meghan Markle’s Beauty Has Changed Since Becoming a Royal

New Post has been published on https://www.claritymakeupartistry.com/how-meghan-markles-beauty-has-changed-since-becoming-a-royal/

How Meghan Markle’s Beauty Has Changed Since Becoming a Royal

The Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle (born Rachel Meghan Markle) did not have a predictable or classic rise to British royalty—and the world (including us) is obsessed with knowing everything about her. Over the past year, UK Google searches for the duchess were more than double the amount of those for her sister-in-law Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge. However intriguing and atypical as her life is, the Duchess of Sussex has kept it fairly consistent with her beauty evolution. She has favored a bold eye with a nude or pale pink lip and blushing cheeks.

Her longtime makeup artist, Daniel Martin, Dior brand ambassador and Honest Beauty creative color consultant, has been working with the new royal since her Suits days and did her famously natural beauty look for the royal wedding, for which Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex thanked Martin repeatedly.

Martin shares with StyleCaster that the makeup process on the morning of the wedding was pretty easy and one of his favorite looks of hers that he’s done.”[There were] no restrictions! I knew what she wanted from the start, so our time together that morning was seamless,” says Martin.

Both the Duchess’s and Martin’s lives have grown tremendously and simultaneously in the past couple of years. And so has their professional relationship, which has quickly turned into a friendship. Though glamming a Duchess is cool, Martin’s favorite part of doing Markle’s makeup is the “laughing, catching up on mutual friends and talking about cooking.” “She has great recipes to share!” he says.

After living in Los Angeles as an actress for most of her career, Markle was used to attending events and knew when and where to play with her beauty looks. “There’s a time and place to wear a lot of makeup, and she understood that, but in her real life, she keeps it simple,” Martin says.

As the adopter of a fairly simple and sophisticated beauty archive, Markle has also become more and more comfortable with doing her own makeup, according to Martin. And though she mainly stays with her natural and neutral tones, Markle has become more experimental with her makeup—even daring to wear a dark lip, a bold color Martin previously told People that she would never do. “She’s gotten darker on the eyes and played around with a deeper lip too,” Martin says.

As we continue to shine a spotlight on the royal mom-to-be, we’re sure the world will follow closely, wondering what products she uses (Martin isn’t allowed to reveal those coveted secrets) and how to re-create her hair in a loose bun or soft curls.

Click through to see a beauty evolution of the duchess, from before Suits to her official international tours as a member of the royal family.

November 2006: George Lopez/Great Chefs of L.A. Event

While attending the George Lopez/Great Chefs of L.A. event for the National Kidney Foundation, Markle (pre-Suits) appeared a tad sunburnt (the sign of a great vacation—we hope) and wore dark eye makeup paired with a glossed lip.

Photo: Rebecca Sapp/WireImage for Ink PR Group.

September 2011: The Launch of the Alexa Chung for Madewell Fall 2011 Collection

Photo: Charley Gallay/WireImage.

November 2012: GQ Men of the Year Party

In Los Angeles at the GQ Men of the Year Party, Markle wore bold curls in her hair and sported a bronze smokey eye, which she rarely wore publicly after this event.

Photo: Steve Granitz/WireImage.

September 2013: New York Fashion Week

Photo: Gary Gershoff/WireImage

November 2013: London Global Gift Gala

While in London (pre-Harry) for a gala, Markle wore her hair in an Old Hollywood style with a dramatic side part and big curls. Her makeup was more daring than what she sports today in the UK. Her smokey eye and blushed cheeks made the perfect formal beauty look.

Photo: Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty Images.

January 2014: NFL Characters Unite

At the third NFL Characters Unite event, Markle wore her hair straight with a middle part. She kept her makeup fairly classic with a shimmery eye, mascara-dipped lashes and a subtle pink on her lips.

Photo: Laura Cavanaugh/FilmMagic.

October 2014: Elton John AIDS Foundation Benefit

On the carpet for the Elton John AIDS Foundation’s 13th Annual an Enduring Vision Benefit, Markle had a similar look to her now day-to-day duchess style.  With a loose updo, groomed brows, glamorous eyes and a soft, pink lip, she looked absolutely regal.

Photo: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images.

March 2015: Step It Up for Gender Equality Event

In New York City at a Step It Up for Gender Equality celebration, Markle wore her hair in an updo, with lightly filled-in brows, fluttering lashes and a pink lip.

Photo: J. Countess/WireImage.

May 2015: NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment Upfront

At the New York City event, Markle parted her hair subtly on the left and opted for a shimmery eye, rouged cheeks and a rosy lip.

Photo: D Dipasupil/FilmMagic.

November 2015: CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund Awards

At the CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund Awards dinner in New York City, Markle opted for a nude lip, bold lashes and a deep side part in her hair.

Photo: Andrew Toth/Getty Images.

January 2016 “Suits” Season 5 Premiere

At the Los Angeles premiere of the fifth season of her show Suits, Markle wore her hair in a messy bun with a subtle side part. She also kept her brows pretty natural at this event.

Photo: Michael Tullberg/Getty Images.

March 2016: “Suits” Press at AOL

While discussing her show Suits during AOL Build, Markle rocked a deep side part with soft, big curls. For makeup, she went with copper eyeshadow, which differs from the light eyeshadow and top-liner look she usually wears today. This was also the last big public event she wore a red lip to.

Photo: Desiree Navarro/WireImage.

May 2016: P.S. Arts Party

On the carpet for P.S. Arts’ The pARTy, Markle sported thicker brows and a shiny, deep-pink lip.

Photo: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images.

September 2017: Invictus Games Toronto

At the opening ceremony of the Invictus Games in Canada, Markle had a light smokey eye and a hint of blush on her cheeks.

Photo: ,Samir Hussein/WireImage.

November 2017: Engagement Announcement

To announce her engagement to Prince Harry, she wore her wavy hair in a middle part and kept her makeup neat. Look at that smile, though! Getting engaged to a prince looks great on her.

Photo: Karwai Tang/WireImage.

February 2018: Edinburgh Visit

While arriving at Edinburgh Castle on an official visit to Scotland, Markle had middle part in her lightly curled hair. She kept her makeup simple and had a warm nude tone on her lips.

Photo: Chris Jackson/Chris Jackson/Getty Images.

April 2018: Anzac Day

While attending an Anzac Day service, pre-duchess Markle sported face-framing layers in her hair. For her makeup, she opted out of eyeliner on her bottom lash line and went with a deep pink lip.

Photo: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images.

May 2018: The Royal Wedding

Photo: Karwai Tang/WireImage.

June 2018: Trooping the Color

At the parade marking the birthday of the Sovereign, the duchess wore a Philip Treacy hat and had curled tresses. She kept her makeup classic and lightly filled in her brows.

Photo: Karwai Tang/WireImage.

July 2018: Ireland Visit

To meet Irish President Michael Higgins, the Duchess of Sussex wore her hair in a neat, low bun. For her makeup look, she traced her water line with black liner and had full lashes.

Photo: Pool/Samir Hussein/WireImage.

August 2018: Wedding of Charlie van Straubenzee and Daisy Jenks

While attending the wedding of one of Harry’s school friends, Charlie van Straubenzee, the Duchess of Sussex wore a Philip Treacy hat and sported soft waves. The nuptials also happened to fall on the duchess’s birthday.

Photo: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images.

October 2018: Invictus Games Sydney

While watching the wheelchair basketball final at the Invictus Games in Australia, the duchess wore her hair half-up-half-down and had blushing rosy cheeks.

Photo: Samir Hussein/Samir Hussein/WireImage.

October 2018: New Zealand Tour

During the New Zealand leg of her 16-day official tour, the Duchess of Sussex wore her hair in a whispy bun to visit the National Kiwi Hatchery. She kept her makeup minimal and natural with a glossed lip and bronze eyeshadow.

Photo: Pool/Samir Hussein/WireImage.

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Gorgeous Sleepwear That’ll Make You Look (and Feel) Like a Princess

Source: https://stylecaster.com/meghan-markle-beauty-evolution/

[reedsresort]

Lucky I’m In Love With My Best Friend: Dawn & Erich Lichtner

Their Story: Dawn & Erich can attest that every so often, true love happens the second time around, under the most unexpected circumstances. Meeting for the first time at a softball game- their respective daughters played for the same team- it wasn’t exactly love at first sight. Dawn recalls, “as our friendship grew and our relationship began, I became a believer in soulmates and that I had found mine!”

The Proposal:  Keen on surprising his love, Erich is notorious for keeping Dawn guessing- he won’t even buy her a gift that she’s suggested because it would spoil the fun. In November 2016, Erich booked a hot air balloon ride over the Napa Valley at sunrise for Dawn’s 50th birthday. “Surely this is the moment,” Dawn thought…nope, “too obvious” for Erich’s liking. Around Christmas that same year, Dawn reminded herself, “nope…too obvious” as the couple celebrated the season with dinner before heading home to cozy up by the fire to watch a Christmas movie. When the clock struck midnight, a shimmer appeared in Erich’s eye as he suggested that they open just one “small gift.” The confusion that struck as Dawn unwrapped the latest edition of Bride’s magazine quickly dissipated as Erich pointed to the tree and urged her to look for her ring, which hung sparkling like an ornament. Champagne was sipped out of Mr & Mrs. Claus flutes as “Forever’s Gonna Start Tonight” played softly and the rest, as they say, is history.

Details of the Day: “We really put our personalities and vision into the details. Getting married a second time, and later in life, allows you to do it your way!”

The Reeds: “There were so many reasons why we chose The Reeds. The hotel is gorgeous, but it was so much more than that. From the front desk to the event coordinators to the wait & bar staff, everyone was so client focused and provided the best service to our guests and us. The food was delicious, and there were so many unique choices!”

Dress: “My dress was a bit interesting- it was actually two pieces that looked as if they were one. VanCleve was very helpful in listening to what I wanted and got creative when the dresses weren’t completely fitting my wish list. The final pieces were a satin, gathered skirt with a train and a beautiful bustier.” The best part? Dawn can now wear the top portion of her gown for special occasions & anniversaries as the two reflect on their love story!

Accents:  From enhancing their beach themed wedding with lanterns, coral, driftwood, and flowers to the beautiful handmade sign listing the names of their new blended family which read, “seven hearts, one love,” Dawn & Erich poured their love into even the smallest details for their big day. A few of their favorites? Flip-flops for guests to wear on the beach or the dance-floor labeled “Dawn & Erich, sole mates;” large D&E marquee letters at the sweetheart table which are now incorporated in their home bar; and custom hot pink socks for Dawn’s son, Connor, and Erich which honored their pups, one of which had recently passed- “It was so special to have them ‘with us’ on our special day.”

First Dance: Making Memories of Us – Keith Urban

Favorite Moment: While they loved every detail of their day, the moment that stands out most vividly in their minds from their wedding day was the exchanging of vows between Dawn & Erich. “We had decided to write our own vows, and this was one of our best decisions.  There wasn’t a dry eye in the house, and his words captured the essence of our love and partnership.  They were emotional, funny and heartwarming.  We have ‘vowed’ to read them to each other on every anniversary.”

Advice for Other Couples:

“Enjoy the engagement, have fun, and make it your own.  There are so many ways to weave yourselves and your vision into the day.  And then, once the big day comes, at various points during the day (prep, ceremony, reception) stop - take a deep breath - and take it all in.”

Florist: A Garden Party

Photographer: Kaitlin Noel Photography

Cake: The Reeds Pastry Team

Hair & Makeup: Say I Do Hair and Make-up

Invitations: Shutterfly

Dress: Van Cleve, Paoli, PA

Groom’s Attire: Perry Ellis suits

Entertainment: Animal House

[alamante]

GUA MUSTANG, Malaysia — Norazila and Ayu were best friends and they shared everything that girls do: sleepovers, selfies, musings about cute boys.

But their friendship, which had blossomed in their placid hamlet in northern Malaysia, was destroyed late last month when Norazila, 14, discovered that Ayu, 11, had secretly become her father’s third wife.

“My best friend is my stepmother now,” said Norazila, whose family name is Che Abdul Karim, as she scrolled through her Facebook page filled with posts of the girls posing with adolescent pouts and fingers forming peace signs. “It doesn’t make any sense.”

Ayu’s marriage to Che Abdul Karim Che Abdul Hamid, a 41-year-old rubber trader with a prominent role at his mosque and a fleet of fancy cars, has reignited debate in Malaysia about the persistence of conservative Islamic traditions in this modern, multiethnic democracy.

In its election manifesto, the opposition coalition that won power in May promised to outlaw child marriage.

“This is a practice from many centuries ago and at this stage in Malaysia’s growth and development, child marriage is not acceptable,” said Charles Santiago, a lawmaker with the governing coalition.

But ever since outrage over Ayu’s case erupted on social media in Malaysia — after Mr. Che Abdul Karim’s second wife posted pictures on Facebook of the marriage ceremony with a sarcastic “happy wedding” message to him — critics say the new government, under the guise of religious freedom, has done too little to protect minors.

Malaysia’s deputy prime minister, who also serves as minister of women, family and community development, called the marriage an “alleged incident.” The minister, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, said last week: “It would be unjust to lynch someone on social media because of how we feel about the issue.”

Ms. Wan Azizah, who has previously expressed opposition to child marriage, declined to discuss Ayu’s case because it involved continuing investigations by several government agencies, including for the crime of sexual grooming.

Last year, Malaysia criminalized sexual grooming, in which an adult creates an emotional bond with a child for the purpose of sexual exploitation.

“The girl is a victim, no doubt about it,” said Latheefa Koya, a prominent human rights lawyer. “Why are we dillydallying in protecting a child? The lack of serious urgency about this case is disturbing,” she added.

“As a Muslim, I am offended by the idea that we should not protect a child because of an assumption that this has something to do with Islam,” Ms. Latheefa said.

Ayu was taken to a hospital for a virginity test this month, but later the same day was reunited with her husband and has been with him often since, family members said.

“I love her,” Mr. Che Abdul Karim said by phone, stressing he would not “touch” his new wife until she was 16 years old.

For her part, Ayu said in a text message that she loved her husband, who has six children with his two other wives. She used a heart emoticon to describe him.

Constitutionally, Malaysia’s legal system is bifurcated. Non-Muslim Malaysians, mostly from the nation’s ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities, are bound by civil law. Under the law, unless special consent is given by a high-ranking state minister, Malaysia’s non-Muslims cannot get married until they are 18.

The country’s ethnic Malay Muslim majority, however, must hew to Islamic law. A Shariah court must grant permission for minors below the age of 16 to marry. If a Muslim receives approval from Shariah authorities, there is no minimum age for marriage.

“In Islamic procedure, as long as a bride agrees, her parents agree and the girl has had her menstrual period, then a marriage is O.K.,” said Sayed Noordin, the imam at the Kuala Betis mosque that Mr. Che Abdul Karim attends.

“Che Karim is a good Muslim,” Mr. Sayed added. “He always comes for prayer, and he is a responsible man.”

But Mr. Che Abdul Karim did get in minor trouble for not following all the requirements for a child marriage. The Shariah Court in Kelantan this month fined him $450 for the infraction of marrying Ayu in neighboring Thailand without the court’s prior permission.

Malaysian child rights activists said that about 15,000 girls under 15 were in child marriages in 2010. Globally, Unicef estimates that there are about 650 million girls and women of various faiths who were wed before they turned 18.

But an effort to outlaw underage unions for all Malaysians amid the toughening of child sex crime legislation failed in Parliament. Arguing against the ban, Shabudin Yahaya, a legislator from what was then the governing party, said that a girl as young as 9 could be ready for marriage if she had gone through puberty.

“Their body is already akin to them being 18 years old,” Mr. Shabudin, a former Shariah court judge, said in a parliamentary session. “So physically and spiritually, it is not a barrier for the girl to marry.”

Many child marriages in Malaysia are informal pairings that are not legally recognized by any court. But couples who do try to register their marriages find little resistance. A study by the Malaysia office of Unicef found that of 2,143 child marriage applications made to Shariah courts in seven Malaysian states from 2012 to 2016, 10 were refused.

In some instances, girls have ended up married to men charged with raping them. In 2015, a man from the eastern Malaysian state of Sarawak was charged with the statutory rape of a 14-year-old girl. But the case was dropped after he married her with permission from a Shariah court. Marital rape is not a crime in Malaysia.

Sometimes, Shariah courts accept underage unions to legitimize out-of-wedlock pregnancies, the Unicef report said. Other child marriages are driven by the poverty of the bride’s family.

In the case of Ayu, which is a shortened version of her full name to protect her identity, the income discrepancy was clear. Ayu is a Thai citizen whose father moved the family over the border to Gua Musang in Kelantan State to work as a rubber tapper. She grew up in a shabby, stilted wooden house with no running water.

Mr. Che Abdul Karim, by contrast, lives in a modern villa, his prized Mazda RX-8 parked in front. His first wife, Nuraini Che Nawi, runs a restaurant and grocery next door.

One of her employees was Ayu’s mother, Aminah Hitam. Because Ayu did not go to school, she often accompanied her mother to work.

Kelantan is one of Malaysia’s poorest and most conservative states. An Islamic political party has governed the state for decades, urging Muslim women to wear head scarves in public and ordering Arabic to be displayed on signs.

Mohamad Amar Nik Abdullah, Kelantan’s deputy chief minister and vice president of the Malaysian Islamic Party, stressed that child marriage was legal in Islam and said the country had more pressing social issues to address.

He said the existence of homosexuals and single parents in Malaysia “should be a concern for our government and society.”

Liberal Malays have questioned whether child marriage is truly an Islamic tradition or simply an outdated cultural practice. They have challenged the notion that the Prophet Muhammad married one of his wives when she was 6, saying that she was, in fact, much older.

“We cannot use a historical error about the Prophet Muhammad to condone child marriage,” said Ms. Latheefa, the human rights lawyer. “That’s sickening.”

Muslim-majority countries like Morocco and Egypt have outlawed child marriage, although underage unions remain common there.

This month, Malaysia’s Islamic affairs minister, Mujahid Yusof Rawa, said that his ministry had begun efforts to prohibit child marriage for Muslims, even as he cautioned that putting such a ban into effect would take time.

Meanwhile, Mr. Che Abdul Karim’s first two wives have banded together.

“We have said to him, it is us or that girl,” said Siti Noor Azila, Mr. Che Abdul Karim’s second wife. “We said, you choose. You cannot have all three of us.”

Malaysia follows general Islamic custom by allowing Muslim men up to four wives.

Ms. Siti Noor said her husband never gave her enough money to care for their four children, including one with spina bifida. She works as a baker to pay her bills.

“He is so stingy with us, but he has enough money to get married to Ayu and take her on holiday,” Ms. Siti Noor said, referring to a trip to a hill retreat that Mr. Che Abdul Karim posted about on social media. Ayu, she said, was the only one of the wives allowed to ride in their husband’s Mazda sports car.

As Ms. Siti Noor spoke, two toddlers screamed for space in her lap. She looked exhausted.

“Their father never takes care of them,” she said. “He doesn’t even like children.”

Ms. Siti Noor corrected herself. “Except one,” she said. “That Ayu.”

Sharon Tan contributed reporting from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

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