#I might add more accessories later or just keep him plain like this

[vampstel]

Feels like I’ve only been posting WIPs lately but I gave Tommy his clothes (ᵕ—ᴗ—)

He’s no longer in naked limbo

[logan-fields-official]

HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII, can I request a poly sbg x fem gyaru reader who gets bullied by Barron and his friends? (Angst but a very fluffy ending) :3

Swear I remember reading something like this before to? ANYWAYS!!! I don’t know much about gyaru so bare with me here. Again might add stuff to this later!!! WARNINGS: bad grammar, bad spelling, cringe? Cussing

SBG x Gyaru Reader!!!

Under the glaring lights of the hallway, Y/N could feel the weight of a hundred eyes watching her. Her vibrant gyaru style, witch consist of layered skirts and bright pastel colors, usually brought her a sense of confidence. Today, however, it felt like one bright big target for Barron and his gang. “Look at this clown,” Barron sneered, his voice dripping with disdain as he leaned against the locker, arms crossed. “No wonder you don’t have any real friends. Who would want to hang out with a wannabe?” His goons snickered, and Y/N's cheeks flushed crimson as she tried to shrink into herself. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of Logan. His light brown hair making him blend into the crowd of students, but his blue eyes seemed to shine with concern. “Hey, maybe we should just go, Y/N,” he said timidly, adjusting his glasses as he stepped closer to her, his delicate frame trembling slightly. “They’re not worth it.” As if fueled by Logan’s worry, Y/N squared her shoulders, ready to try and confront Barron when suddenly Aiden bounded into the scene, his blonde hair wild and red lenses sparkling with mischief. “Yo, Barron! You do know that being a dick won’t make yours any bigger, right?” His words had a life of their own, echoing in the hallway. Barron’s jaw clenched, and for a moment, it seemed like the air was charged with tension. “I’m not afraid of you, red-eye,” Barron spat back, but it was Ashlyn who chimed in next, her voice ice-cold as she removed her headphones. “Look Barron to keep it plain and simple nobody wants to see your pathetic display of ‘masculinity’.” Her slate-green eyes glinted defiantly. The group had a special bond one that can’t be broken, every word a protective barrier around Y/N “Thanks, you guys,” Y/N murmured, feeling a warmth blossoming at the edges of her embarrassment. Suddenly, Tyler, Taylor, and Ben strolled over quietly. Ben, despite his usual preference for silence, had his journal tucked under his arm, ready to write about the incident later. “Don’t worry Y/N we’ve all got each other’s backs,” Taylor said, her voice filled with complete honesty. Tyler spoke up next his voice slightly gruff “I don’t know how you let him get away with that. I mean we deal with literal blood thirsty creatures and you can’t stand up to him?” With their combined strength, Barron’s bravado crumbled like a house of cards, and he turned his back on them, retreating to the darkness from which he came. As Y/N’s heart slowed, Aiden flashed a toothy grin. “See? You’ve got a whole gang of misfits ready to protect you! Plus, nobody rocks the gyaru look like you do!” Later that evening, seated beneath the soft glow of street lights, while sitting between trees outside the school, Y/N felt a sense of belonging blossom among her group. “It’s not about fitting in,” she said, glancing at each of them, “it’s about being accepted for who we are.” Logan smiled weakly, Tyler rolled his eyes but couldn’t suppress a slight smirk, while Aiden laughed, shaking his head. “With us, you’ll always be more than a label,” he said with a wink. Ashlyn chimes in, “And besides, who cares about what Barron thinks? His opinion doesn’t matter.” With their laughter ringing in the air, Y/N felt lighter. Barron might still be around, but she wouldn’t face another day alone. Everything felt right in this moment, a mess of love and power woven tightly together, and for the first time in a long time, she truly smiled.

Aiden: Aiden would honestly be the biggest hype man even if he thinks your styles funny as shit. He’ll help you buy things like accessories and makeup. He’ll help with small things like eyeliner but he can and will let you do his makeup and will wear it the whole day. If literally anyone says something mean about you Aiden is on them.

Ashlyn: Probably isn’t a huge fan of all the colors as we seen her mostly wearing not very colorful stuff, but she supports you even if she does think it’s a bit much. She won’t let you do her makeup, but she’ll let you style her hair as long as it’s nothing to crazy. If you get bullied for it she’ll give you some advice like ignore them or if it gets bad enough punch them.

Ben: You stand out a lot compared to him like a lot a lot. We’ve seen this boy he meanly if not always wears a grey shirt and jeans. So you’ll probably end up helping him find things that fit him and help him stand out more. Which he doesn’t want to stand out but he won’t stop you unless you go way to far. Can and will do your hair. You gave him a heart attack one time because he came home to you doing Lily’s makeup.

Logan: He’ll support you big time but holy crap all the attention y’all get overwhelms him so much. If y’all are alone he’ll maybe with some nice playfully forceful convincing let you do his makeup. He won’t wear it the whole day, but you 100% have some photos of him wearing makeup with his hair done.

Taylor: IS ALL FOR YOUR STYLE. I feel like Taylor is the kind of person to be very curious about different kinds of styles and wants to maybe try an outfit for each style. She’ll 100% help you with your makeup and hair and let you do hers. Y’all literally have mini dress up shows where y’all compete to see who can make the better gyaru look in 10 minutes You usually win.

Tyler: Your 100% his polar opposite. You stand out a bunch compared to him and though he’ll support you and stand up for you he sometimes thinks it’s weird as shit and will not hesitate to tell you, but he feels a little bad when you get mad at him. He’ll bring you something you like as an apology. You and Taylor 100% held him down one time and did his makeup and hair. He got so mad and quiet literally freaks out when you snap some photos.

[dreamties]

Slashers W/ a Soft Pastel S/O

A/n - So this one actually wasn’t requested, I just thought it would be super cute. And what I mean by “Soft Pastel”, I mean being into soft/pastel/kawaii fashion, I just didn’t know how to phrase it. Since there’s so many subcultures.

Trigger Warning: Slight Cursing (I say f*ck)

Also- these are gender neutral, but a few describe you in skirts/dresses, so if you’re not comfy with that, just skip that part or the whole thing?? :/

I might do more like this for other types of alternative fashion- like punk or something? Or a S/O who has a lot of body mods, I think it would be fun.

Characters: Billy/Stu, The Lost Boys, Helen Lyle, Daniel Robitaille/Candyman, Brahms Heelshire, and Amanda Young.

I didn’t add Michael Myers, but can do so if y’all want it. I just think he’d be very indifferent about it...didn’t think that would be very fun to read.

Billy Loomis + Stu Macher

Stu would be the most like into your outfits

Billy? Not so much. he just thinks you look cute in everything.

but if you did more guro-kawaii looks? they would both be all over that shit. 

it combines more of the grotesque in with the cute- which is just perfect for the boys. they get to see you dawned in all sorts of blood, guts/gore, bandage patterns/aesthetics.

and maybe even tying in different monster-ish elements. 

like wearing funky white or other unnatural colored contacts, really intense makeup(especially around the eyes), and fuck it, maybe you’re wearing faux demon horns.

I think they’d find it kinda hot. if we’re being perfectly honest here.

Now- would you able to get them into it as well?

Stu will ask you, with excitement reverberating throughout out his body and his voice. of course he want’s to at least try it!

so many clips in Stu’s hair. you haven’t even had that many in your hair before!

he may also wear rings sometimes. he thinks all the colors and designs are just so fun!

and on the other hand...

Billy, the guy that basically wore the same outfit for an entire movie? who’s closet only contains jeans and white t-shirts? trying out your style? i don’t think so lol

if you do- somehow- get him to try...

then you might have pressured him into it a bit? very jokingly, of course. 

“C’mon, humor me, babe. Stu’s already dressed and everything!” You try giving him puppy eyes to seal the deal.

“Fine!” Billy says, grabbing the garment and a few clips from your hands. He shuts the door too harshly behind him.

A short silence is shared, before you and Stu burst out laughing. “Do you think he’s mad at us?” You’re hardly able to get it out. Of course he was, but in his own odd way appreciated this adventure.

He comes back a moment later, his white t-shirt replaced with a pastel red one, an especially gory character printed on the front. and a red clip barely hanging on to one of the side pieces of hair in front of his face. You try to suppress a giggle at Billy’s messily put together look.

for the love of gosh- don’t actually laugh when he appears. he is very outside of his comfort zone, and he’s only doing this because he loves you and Stu, and just,, don’t add this to his list of reasons not to try new things.

whatever your reaction ends up being, you’re absolutely obligated to tell them how attractive they look in it(even Billy who looks hella dorky).

(my art)

The Lost Boys

the comparison between their dark, punk-ish style and then the sweet baby pinks and blues, and soft lavenders that adorned your form?? 

it’s just too sweet.

they are completely enamored by your style- even if certain vampires (and I’m not naming any names, but I definitely mean David) may not show his love for your look as openly

Marko- he’d get one cutesy patch for his jacket, so he has like a little piece of you everywhere he goes. also...he genuinely ended up really digging your style? but not enough to abandon his punk look completely. he is still totally dedicated to that.

the other boys will absolutely mess with him about the patch though

all in good fun!

David’s not letting you near his hair with any extra clips or accessories. 

Dwayne enjoys the quiet intimacy shared between the two of you. just sitting together, you might be styling his hair( super loose ponytail or braid- admit it, it would be so cute! and helpful so his hair isn’t always in his face!)...anyways, you’d use a colorful hair tie, and a few clips to help pin back his hair. 

he probably won’t go out with the clips in, but if it’s just the five of you at the cave? he’ll keep it in until it’s time to sleep. 

he loves seeing how happy and accomplished you look after finishing with his hair tho.

Paul is hands down the most likely to get into the whole look and go out in public with it on. 

makeup? hell yeah. it won’t be as intense as yours, and he probably only does the eyes and maybe some shine. sparkly vampire time

hair accessories? all of them

would try combining his look with yours, to have a perfect mess of it.

a light, light  blue mesh top, slightly darker blue jacket(with slight accents in pink, purple, white or black), and his usual sort of white jeans(?) would still look great with it. he’s absolutely rocking that look.

you are ecstatic to finally have someone else to share your passion with! (much harder to find similar folks when you’re a vampire,,)

Helen Lyle

she’s so used to the plain life around her, and she’d been living before you- you were such a breath of fresh air.

of course, you’re darling personality also drew her into you- but your fashion sense? it fascinated her.

she’s not trying it herself anytime soon, but she appreciates the fact that you enjoy it. 

the most she would ever try is a very natural makeup look. and a coat or two of a pastel color of her choice.

she would love watching you get ready. not so much help out though- she just likes seeing the way you approach things. how you choose to pair certain pieces with one another.

she’ll ask questions to better understand your interests! not that it’s weird or wrong that you’re into it, she’s just a very inquisitive person.

you’d wear a lot of blue though- because you know Helen likes that color.

imagine wearing coordinated looks for different events and such. so, when you go with Helen to help out with her Candyman thesis, you might wear candy-themed attire. (of course in this universe,, she wouldn’t die! so no worries of that! you get to keep you’re gf).

if you do gift her something, she keeps it on her bedside table(or dresser). so she can still admire it, and still serves a purpose. fun décor!

all around though- Helen would be very chill, but captivated, about you’re interests.

Daniel Robitaille - Candyman

 his life is so dark and gruesome, and he loves seeing you all dressed up. 

and while he’s dead- long dead- and isn’t really apart of the world in the same sense that you are- it gives him this happy sense of hope for the world.

because there’s this very small thing, that you hold close to your heart, that makes you smile.

Also!!

even if they’re apart of a super awful, traumatic, part of his past- the bees are just a part of the family now.  

so cute yellow/spring/bee themed outfits?? yes. ohh definitely, yes.

As for him dressing up? He’d feel hesitant.

he’s filled with immense joy around you, but is almost scared with someone altering part of his attire or self in any way(rooted back to, again, past stuff).

but part of loving is to take the person as a whole, bad parts, good parts- insecurities- the entire package. and trusting one another.

he has his whole faith in you not to do anything bad.

and so, it becomes a habit for the two of you to spend mornings together, chatting and getting ready. well, you’re getting ready, it’s more for the quality time together for him.

things are little different for Daniel. for many reasons. 

one, he has very short hair. so the clips don’t really work there..

two- he only has one hand, and he’s “working” a lot with the appendages he does have. rings won’t work out because they might fall off- and he’d hate to lose something of yours.

three- he’s not a big makeup fan. he’s happy enough watching you put it on.

and then for his actual attire- he needs the coat to cover his insides. it’s also, in a way, his uniform.

you’ve settled on two things.

making homemade necklaces that can easily hide under his big coat (either sweets or honey/bee themed).

and sewing little patterns on the inside of his coat. other’s wouldn’t be able to see it, but he would know it’s there.

Brahms Heelshire

imagine being super into sorta ‘sweet lolita’, pastel/soft colors, bows, the big skirts, all the sorta ruffles(?)

 and then especially if your shorter than Brahms(which is really,, not hard to do unless you’re insanely tall cause he’s,, 6 foot 3.)- and he thinks you look like such a doll? 

but like,, in a nice way. 

I think he’d get pretty excited if he got to help you set up your outfits!

especially if you praised him for picking out a good combo, or organizing correctly.

and some of Brahms movements are a bit awkward, he’s spent most of his life in the walls and the attic...but imagine turning on his music, and just dancing with him. having him twirl you in his arms a few times.

Brahms loves having your hands through his hair. and if hair accessories means he gets more of that love and attention? then yes,, yes he will wear them.

he just likes feeling taken care of, and along with your usual duties, you help him figure out the soft fashion styles, and how to make it more appealing and suitable for his own tastes.

because- as you insist- you want it to be something he enjoys just because he does, and not just for the closeness. though you can’t deny you love that aspect, too.

i can tell you one thing right here, though. you’re never getting makeup on him. he does not like taking off his mask, even if you’ve been in a relationship with him for a while, he still hides his face a lot.

you’d offered to do his makeup once, since he was staring so intently as you did yours. you’d made the mistake of reaching for his mask. you’d usually ask before doing so, but sometimes you’d slip up.

You apologize profusely, offering your arms out to him for a hug. “There, there, Brahms.” You smile, giving him a slight squeeze of affection. 

he does take your stuff sometimes. 

it’s a little annoying when you think you’ve lost your favorite accessory or dress or etc and then you just realize,, oh, it’s my favorite wall boy again. thank gosh you love him, so you’re not really upset or anything.

he just likes having little reminders of you, it gives him reassurance. upon other warm and fuzzy feelings.

if you’re able to find time in your day though, you’ll make cute little trinkets or bracelets for him. you’ll gift them or purposely leave them out for him-  so you’ll still have some of your stuff when it comes to getting ready the next day.

in short- he’d much rather look at you than partake on his own. 

Amanda Young

she’s never seen anything like this! :0

everyone she knows, herself included, tend to wear more dulled, plain clothes.

she’s immediately very intrigued by your attire...sort of want’s to try it, but is a bit self conscious and embarrassed to ask.

So!! you start out with small things, and fairly early on you both realize that she loves when you decorate her hair with accessories. 

gifting Amanda a pair of little pig clips!!

or little stud earrings- those would be fricking adorable on her!

and she’s just so happy,, wtf

you dress mostly for yourself, but the more you’re in a relationship with your gf- the more you want to dress for her as well. 

you can see this little sparkle in her eye when she sees you, and you want to keep seeing that look for as long as you can.

you slowly get her into it. your relationship and Amanda’s interest in your style just gives her so much light in an otherwise dim world.

if she did get into it, I think she’d do more creepy/cute. as a way to sort of cope with past trauma. that this sort of “bad” thing (the creepy) can still coexist with the good (the cute). she admires that quality.

just very sweet partners, who happen to love similar types of fashion 

[revchainsaw]

Demon Wind (1990)

Demon Wind (1990)

Greetings and blessings upon you my flock! Welcome to the Cult of Cult. I am your pastor and priest of pop culture, ordained minister of genre films, the good reverend Chainsaw McGraw. You may just call me Reverend Chainsaw. Come and accept our sacrament upon the altar of online internet reviews. Our first holy offering is an absolute treasure, 1990′s Demon Wind. An offering ripped from the blood inked pages of the Evil Dead’s Necronomicon Ex Mortis, Demon Wind is not quite an unofficial entry into the world of Ash and the Deadites, but if you have exhausted the Catalogue of Sam Raimi Horror flicks (and let’s be honest, if you’re reading a Tumblr review of Demon Wind, you probably have), then Demon Wind will scratch that itch for sure.

The Message

Our anointed offering opens upon a boarded up farm house owned by simple country occultists George and Regina Carter. There’s a Mean Girls reference to be made here. George and Regina are defending their homestead from an unseen force (A Demon Wind some might say) through a Christian/Witchcraft combination of gospel music, a set of holy daggers, and a diary full of Regina’s spells. Unfortunately it’s not very effective, and George is possessed. George kills Regina, drops a snow globe, and for some inexplicable reason the farmhouse explodes bringing the films epilogue to a close. 

With that we are brought to the year 1990 where our rag tag group of heroes converge upon the supernaturally supercharged Carter farm with one mission in mind, helping a homie sort out his shit. What a great group of friends; I can barely get the crew together for a game night but our protagonist Cory has a group of friends so tight they are willing to drop everything and drive untold miles to nowhere in particular just because he had a bad dream. Speaking of “tight” friends, of our doomed party, no friends are so tight as Chuck and Stacey, but we’ll get to that, in short order. Let us meet the fellowship of ding dongs who will battle the blustery bogeys of Demon Wind.

Cory is the star of the show. A fairly blasé everyman who’s so caught up in his chosen one journey that he can’t even bother to be slightly interesting. He is the grandchild of the oh so fetch (see I got to it) Regina/George pairing from earlier in the film. Cory is haunted by mysterious dreams, and a tragic reunion with his demented father, which draw him to the Carter farm. There is however more to meets the eye, you see Cory is from the planet Namek. Watch the movie, you’ll catch my drift. 

Elaine is Cory's girlfriend and wants nothing more than to pull her pants down in public to bring a smile to his face. 

Dell is Cory’s friend? Bully? Enemy? it’s not entirely clear. It seems Dells role in this story is to be an unabashed asshole and chauvinist to every character that interacts with him. He is also perhaps Elaine’s brother, or someone's brother. Listen, you’d have to pay wayyyy more attention than this movie warrants to parse out all the relationship dynamics in this flick. Let’s just say, Dell is here, and despite how he acts, the other characters seem to be ok with that fact.

Terri is Dell’s girlfriend and a good friend of Elaine. Despite being on the arm of a typical 80s teen flick bad guy, Terri seems to be the most eligible bachelorette on the Carter farm. Or so it may seem, but as I’ll explain later I think there is a truer love than can be expressed that really keeps Terri from leaving Dell.

Jack is a Big Ol’ Nerd. He speaks like the writers were convinced using a thesaurus was enough to convince us that the guy is existentially unfuckable. The guy is basically just Billy from Power Rangers, but instead of piloting a badass Triceratops Zord he just kids very mildly bummed when the love of his life is transformed into a very judgmental spontaneously combusting doll.

Speaking of spontaneously combusting dolls, the victim of that very unfair end is Bonnie. Bonnie clearly had way more confidence in the love of her bookish beaux than she should have. The betrayal is immense, not that Jack couldn’t save her, but just in the fact that when she meets her demise (despite the fact that he promised he’d protect her) he is not at all distraught. Poor Bonnie, she is by far the most human feeling of the cardboard cut out female protagonists in this film and she deserved better. Let’s be honest, Jack was looking for an out, and Bonnie was just too real for this movie.

And Now, without further ado, I’d like to introduce the greatest power couple in the history of B Movie Horror Cinema: Chuck and Stacy. If you think my introduction is a bit much, I promise that the film goes much further. Demon Wind begins it’s love affair with this bromance in delightfully extravagant style. There’s magic, explosions, opera, karate, beer and bunnies and a big ol middle finger to fucking Dell. Chuck had at once been romantically involved with Terri, but things went south somehow and he claims that he still holds a flame for her. Despite this continued insistence I think it’s plain to see that Chuck found comfort, magic, and a ride or die hunk in the arms of Stacey. Stacey is a suave, sharp, smooth talking guy, whose only desire in life seems to be whatever keeps Chuck around, and that seems to mean a lot of stage magic and martial arts! I could write about Chuck and Stacey all day, so I’ll move on from here.

The cast of this film is wild and honestly even the weak ones are fun to watch. There is no character on the roster who is easy to mistake for another. That is why it is so fun to watch them meet their demise and even more fun to see them return under the possession of the demon wind as oopy goopy caricatures of their human selves. And this does go on for quite awhile. Unfortunately even Chuck and Stacey are not enough to protect the surreal landscape in which they find themselves. At one point in the film a second set of friends drop by to add 2 more bodies to the massacre. Willy and Reena, a gangly set of clothing accessories who are given legs, but hey Ear Ring and Beret, I mean Willy and Reena are still fun to see torn to shreds.

The movie ultimately reveals that the madness was sparked by the fact that a cult worshipping a Demon God named Delos had actually built the homestead and the cursed ground they stand upon is the stage for the cult leader, a preacher named Anders to finally become the host of said Demon God. As interesting as that lore may sound on paper, it’s not particularly well executed, and Cory’s role to play in all of this is even more vague. All in all the 3rd act of this film feels a bit anti-climatic even if it does feature a demon superhero fight. 

All that said I’d like to move on to the next phase of our sacred liturgy. The sacred and profane, the highs and lows of this movie.

Benediction

Best Feature: What the What?

The best feature of Demon Wind has to be how bizarre it is. It throws everything it can think of at the audience. Burning Skeletons leap from Crosses, eggs that hatch into piles of worms, EXPLODING BABY DOLLS, Cow skulls with long sticky tongues made of human intestines! They certainly sacrificed logic in order to insure they provided the audience with something they haven’t seen before.

Best Kill/ effect: A Cowmen Album Cover!

The best effect in Demon Wind is also it’s best kill. while investigating a barn on the Carter property, which is full of occult symbols, animal remains, and fun Texas Chainsaw Massacre style crafts. One of the crafts catches the eye of Beret, I mean Reena. You know by her hat that she knows a thing or to about fine art. This particular piece of barn décor is a human skeleton with a cow’s skull. As she is inspecting this “beautiful” piece, what appears to be a human intestine, flies from the mouth of the cow skull and wraps around Reena like a chameleons tongue. The intestine begins to retreat into the jaw of the skull bringing Reena’s head along with it. The skull chomps down into Reena, we get a satisfyingly bloody show, and Reena’s body winds up hanging limp from its mouth. 

Second place belongs to Bonnie, but we’ve already spoken to that bizarre spectacle.

Best Scene: I Now Pronounce you Chuck and Stacey!

Chuck and Stacey enter the scene. I know I’m inconsistent in how I spell Stacey/Stacy. This scene was mentioned above and you just have to see it. Watch until Cory intervenes.

Best Character(s): Stacey Cassidy and the Sundance Chuck

Stacey is the best character in this film, but as I’m sure he wouldn’t accept this honor alone I have to make it a tie. Chuck and Stacey are just so good. Every moment they are on screen is a treasure. The introduction of these two just received the honor of best scene, but they shine as Demons and in an even longer sequence leading to their demise. They take the watch at the Carter home and from the fog emerges a t!ddy ghost, my congregants will be familiar with this sort of creature, who attempts to lure them outside. Stacey puffs up Chucks confidence calling him “John Wayne”, Chuck proposes they go on a Tahitian vacation, but Stacey wisely wary of voodoo suggests Vegas. And there you have it, these two pure good boys are surviving this flick and they are getting married in Vegas. Unfortunately, they decide to speed things up a bit, and decide that although they are not tempted by the t!ddy ghost, that they can use their karate magic to defeat the demonic hordes. They march out into the woods, but we can add the power of love to the list of things that are no use against the Demon Wind. Our best boys meet their fates together like two old west heroes, guns blazing! Oh, oh, but they come back as demons and they eat Dell, so thank God for that. 

Worst feature: I ordered these Deadites from Wish

 The villains are not particularly interesting. It’s boring, goopy, bad mouth piece demons that have appeared in hundreds of demon flicks already by this point, and it really makes you want to go back to the unexplained paranormal happenings from earlier in the movie rather than fighting these dollar store Deadites. The fact that the film leans into this in it’s third act really makes the film feel incredibly front loaded. 

Worst scene: Cory in the House

Pretty much any scene that focuses on Cory is a bit weak. He’s just not fun. He gets to transform into an anime character in the end of the film and he’s still melodramatic and boring. This is often a problem with main characters in films, the writers don’t want them to be unlikeable or too quirky so the fun parts are always the supporting cast. 

Worst Character: Dude, you’re NOT getting a Dell!

 Don’t get me wrong, I hate Dell. But Dell is a big dumb goon who is just so fun to watch suffer and act like an utter meathead, and being hateable is not the worst thing a character can be. For this reason I have to give the worst character award to Cory; for many of the reasons I spoke about above.

Summary:

How fitting that a B movie gets a B. But that’s really a great place for this movie to be. So many big Hollywood productions don’t deserve that spot. Though Demon Wind may drag in the middle, and the characters and effects may be quite corny, it is certainly not boring. Demon Wind is eye candy even though it looks so ugly. It has some of the most loveable murder lambs in the genre and one of my favorite bromances in all of cinema, If you are a fan of Gonzo Horror then Demon Wind is a must see. If you are not all that into that sort of thing I promise you’ll have a good time. I highly recommend it. 

Overall Grade: B

[that-is-where-they-wait]

That is Where They Wait Ch 14: The Letter

previous / next all chapters AO3 FFN

[so funny story I actually posted this on FFN and ao3 forever ago but not here. oops. but posting here is a hassle, in my defense. hope everyone is doing okay? also check the notes for some Haha Funny Jokes because I don't want to add them to the. actual post.]

Perhaps the way to answer the present is with the past.

The metal of the hinge was cool under his finger, intricate design branching onto the actual door. It should've been smooth, but instead it was rough and red.

Rust.

Kai frowned. Rusty metal was usually brittle — but the door hadn't come down, even when he and Karlof rammed into it repeatedly. That plan of ripping at its hinges and hoping it came down was starting to look flimsy.

Ech. Well, they had to keep trying and hope for the best. It wasn't like they could stay in the small, dark room much longer. Kai had cobbled together a makeshift flame with pieces of rope and cloth from his gi, but it would definitely not last much longer.

Plus, he was getting really antsy, and it'd be just plain stupid to be so isolated when they weren't safe. When he'd asked about Lloyd and found out he was, in fact, both inside the mansion and unaccounted for, he had been about ready to knock Karlof's helmet off of his head.

… In hindsight, maybe he'd been a little forceful.

But hey, in return, he'd informed Karlof about everything they knew on the mansion and the spirit so far. So he didn't feel too bad about it.

"Psst." He went over to where he'd left Karlof and poked. "We gotta go."

No response.

Ohhhh, perfect. The guy had to go and fall asleep on him. They'd already spent so much time staying put! He was itching to get moving again, and Lloyd and Skylor were still out there, who knew where! Not to mention, if the others woke up and noticed him missing … (It occurred to him, a little belatedly, that they might blame Jay for that. Another twinge of guilt. But he could apologize for that when they went back.)

But it had been an exhausting trek just to get here. Karlof had endured that, and no sleep to recharge afterwards …

Kai sighed, seating himself next to him. Yeah, they weren't going anywhere until Karlof finished his beauty sleep. But then there came the issue of having nothing to distract himself with. Already he could just feel himself tiredly debating whether to indulge the pessimistic trains of thought forming in his head in all their bleak glory.

Abruptly, something slammed against him. Okay, so it didn't slam into him, but it definitely felt that way, because oof! It was heavy. Kai squirmed briefly, but a moment later, he realized he shouldn't even bother. Instead, he hissed an irritated puff of air through his teeth and tried to pull an overly-cuddly Karlof off of him. Why in the name of the First Spinjitzu Master was he—

An exposed part of his bandaged arm made contact with Karlof's for a second, before Kai drew it away and grimaced at how cold it was.

… Oh.

The way Karlof's arm was draped on him, Kai couldn't reach his face with his hand. He settled for a drawn-out groan instead. Just because he was the human toaster … and now he couldn't move!

Oh well. If nothing else, he could totally hold it over Karlof's head later. Blackmail material or something. But what was he supposed to do now?

A bleary yawn escaped his mouth.

There was one idea.

Nope, he thought to himself immediately. No way, José, someone had to stay awake, and he'd already bailed out on that once. But the door was locked, and the whole day and the effects of staying up so long were finally catching up to him …

Kai tried to debate the point a little longer, but as it turned out, he was pretty tired. Too tired to properly argue with himself, and before he could, he'd already fallen asleep.

The tiny flame winked out and left the room engulfed in black.

Lloyd wrapped up a summary of the search he'd just gotten back from.

Considering that depressingly little had changed since the last time they'd looked, it didn't take very long. The ever-encroaching cocktail of panic and despair clawed at his guts and his chest, made his throat tight, and he could feel it radiating off of Jay and Cole near him, optimistic as they tried to remain. At least Skylor had gotten some work in on fixing her bow while they'd been gone, although she hopefully wouldn't be needing it anytime soon.

The light trickling from the windows had become thin, silvery moonlight and long, fragmented shadows streaking across the floor and cutting into each other. Cole glanced at everyone in the room and declared that it was probably about time they slept; both searches had taken quite a while, even with how much of the mansion was still closed off to them. It didn't seem likely that much more would happen that day.

Zane took in everything they said solemnly, then pulled something out from beside him.

"It's disheartening to know that the two of them are still missing. But perhaps I can offer something else to think about before we rest for tonight?"

On closer inspection, it appeared to be a faded eggplant-colored satchel.

"I found this on the mantle while you were investigating in the tunnels. I didn't want to look through it without you …"

"Can I?" Lloyd reached out, opening the bag and peering into it for a moment. Then, as the rest of them watched, he stuck his hand in and, one by one, set its contents onto the floor for better examination.

On the carpet, there currently sat a small black inkwell, a quill stand, a bound book, a faded set of folded purple clothes, an assortment of large and small weapons, and a few loose pieces of parchment with writing on them. Maybe it all belonged to the person that owned the place, ages ago?

Evidently, they were all wondering a similar thing.

Lloyd set aside the empty bag and stared at the various items he'd placed down. "Hm. They were carrying weapons …"

"Whose stuff is all this?" Skylor finally voiced the question.

"It likely dates back to the Serpentine war," Zane said. "The antiquity of all the items would fit."

"Well, then, we should find out, shouldn't we?" Jay grabbed the book, slowly teasing open the binding and riffling through the pages. Lloyd caught a glimpse of inky letters over paper lightly yellowed with time; all things considered, it was pretty well-preserved.

"Careful, Jay, that looks heavy. Wouldn't wanna pull a muscle lifting that thing." Cole's mouth twitched up in a smirk, Jay briefly peering over the book with narrow eyes.

"… I mishandle an empty packing crate one time."

"Yeah, well," Lloyd huffed. "You nearly dropped it right on my foot. I still get splinters from that crate when I'm not watching my step."

"Thanks, Lloyd!" Jay looked supremely offended. "I didn't ask!" Still a little sullen from the disappointing results of the day, Lloyd didn't bother sassing him back. He scoffed when he noticed Jay looking helplessly at Zane — they all knew full well that never worked, so when the nindroid minutely shook his head there was hardly any surprise.

"Silly zaptrap," Cole shook his head and tsked. "Once is all it takes on this team. You of all people should know better."

Jay hmphed and nearly went back to skimming the book he'd picked up, but his head popped up curiously when Skylor spoke.

"Isn't it kind of late? If we're going to look at anything, maybe we should read one of the loose sheets instead. I feel like trying to get into something that long when we need to sleep isn't the best idea. I want to stay in-the-know, but I'm not sure how much longer I can pay attention to anything right now …" She shrugged, looking a little self-conscious. "Sorry."

Oh, right. It was usually Lloyd's job to be one of the voices of reason.

Looking around, he was certain that last sentence didn't pertain to just Skylor, though. The banter was being tossed rather lazily and there was a sluggishness to everyone's movements, even Zane's. As for himself, the temptation to just plonk onto the next piece of bedding he picked up while cleaning up the aftermath of the pillow-and-assorted-accessories fight and sleep on it right there had been overwhelming.

"It's quite alright," Zane reassured her. "You have a point, at that. Perhaps something like this would suffice for tonight?" He held up a messily rolled piece of paper, and pulled it open. Lloyd eyed it and nodded; seemed interesting enough. Most likely, they could learn a thing or two, discuss, and then go to bed without too much further ado.

"Looks good to me," Cole said. "Let's see about this person, then."

Zane's eyes fell to the paper for a few seconds before freezing, glowing ever so faintly brighter, and doing a funny skip between Lloyd and the paper before settling back on the paper. Lloyd frowned, unsure he liked the new furrow in Zane's brow.

"What is it, buddy?"

Zane coughed awkwardly. Amazing how even nindroids did that when they were nervous.

"This appears to be a letter addressed to Garmadon."

Lloyd's eyes widened, breath hitching. Abruptly his heart felt less like it was beating and more like it was trying to break itself out of his chest.

Dad.

It had been, safe to say, a little while since he'd thought about his father. The same father he'd gone through hell and back to finally have by his side, only to banish and then drown for good.

He'd kept himself good and busy, helping the team move base to the abandoned Temple of Airjitzu. Warded off the lingering pain from remembering, during the Day of the Departed, pretty well with dusting and heavy lifting and organizing what needed to be packed.

Lloyd had always done his best to draw strength from his father's memory. Like he'd told his mother during Day of the Departed: "Sometimes it feels like he's still with me."

It sure didn't feel like he was with Lloyd now.

"Lloyd?"

He blinked.

"Lloyd, you good?"

He looked over. Cole and the others were all watching him with concern, trying to gauge his reaction.

Quietly, he took a deep breath. He was supposed to have gotten past this. It wasn't supposed to still sting so much when he'd moved onto something healthier, more bittersweet than the more raw, consuming pain he'd known for a while.

Maybe the mansion's atmosphere was digging deeper than he'd thought, ripping open old wounds on top of slashing new ones.

"Yeah." Then, to ensure they couldn't press him about it, "Are you sure, Zane? Lemme see." Zane obliged, handing him the letter. Lloyd took it and held it up to the firelight, careful not to wrinkle the aged parchment, and skimmed it silently, feeling everyone's eyes still on him.

Having caught his reaction to Garmadon's name, they were probably a little surprised when he chuckled.

"What is it?" Skylor tilted her head. "What did they say?"

"It's just the first paragraph. Listen to this!" Clearing his throat, all too glad to focus on the letter, he read it, the ninja going from attentive listening to confused snickering as he did.

"My dearest friend, Garmadon, it seems fitting to start with the most important subject here—thanks a lot for letting me blunder into that whole mess, you absolute withered honeysuckle. I was delayed two whole days trying to firstly explain how I accidentally deposed a chieftess, and then restore some semblance of normalcy to the village. I don't," Lloyd had to catch his breath, barely managing to stop snickering long enough to finish the sentence, "I don't even know why we're still friends." "What in the world is this talking about?" Cole wheezed.

"Absolute withered honeysuckle," Jay mimicked, cracking up himself.

"Well. They were friends, we've learned that much," Skylor stated, desperately trying to regain a straight face.

"Absolute chums, from the sound of it. Just the best of buddies. Like you and me, huh, Cole?"

"If this whole 'accidentally deposed a chieftess' stuff is anything to go by," Cole said, still laughing, "they were even better."

"I wonder what they got up to if this was forty years ago." Zane set about tidying up the remaining letters and the bound book earlier held by Jay, probably figuring he might as well get it over with while they were all distracted. "Or who this was, to be so evidently close to Garmadon."

"Uh, am I the only one wondering what a honeysuckle is?"

Metaphorical crickets, much to Jay's chagrin.

"Just me? Okay."

A sigh. "They're flowers, Jay."

As the room got quiet enough to hear the crackling fireplace again, Lloyd went back to skimming the letter. The little smile that had lingered on his face fell flat again as he took in the words.

"What's the holdup?" Jay complained after a moment.

"Honestly, with the way this is written, if I read it verbatim you'd probably fall asleep," Lloyd muttered over the page. "Shut up and let me summarize."

"I … okay."

Lloyd squinted at the words. "This is an awful lot to take in. What's a … Shhh … Shuuuuravansha?"

"A what?" A confused chorus met his ears; evidently the rest of the room only knew about as much as he did.

"Maybe the word comes from the local language," Cole suggested. "I did hear a lot of the villagers speaking something I didn't recognize."

"Probably. Zane, you wouldn't happen to have that language in your databases or anything, would you?" Jay asked.

"I'm afraid not," Zane said apologetically. "What is the rest of the sentence, Lloyd? Perhaps the proper context will make it easier to guess."

"'I spoke with the Shuravansha and revised the contingency plans based on the information I got from them, as well as reports from you and our spies on the Serpentine's movement.' How do you even say that?"

"I guess the jury stays out on that one," Cole replied. "But I don't think that's a person. It says 'the Shuravansha'. I don't call Jay 'the Jay'; it'd be weird."

"So a group of some sort?" Jay suggested. "The word 'the' implies more than one."

"But it could be a title," Skylor pointed out. "Like 'the chief' or 'the sensei'."

"Either way, it reveals little about the nature of this Shuravansha," Zane said. "All that sentence gave us is that they had information about the Serpentine relevant to the author of this letter."

"Whatever it is, it's probably important," Lloyd muttered, rubbing his eyes and going back to the letter. "But maybe we'll find more clues about them later."

"Then we should remember it," Skylor muttered. "How do you spell that?"

He spelled it out and kept reading. The room went back to quiet anticipation, until Lloyd sputtered, squinted at something on the page, then looked up at them.

"What the heck, Cole?"

"Huh?" All eyes were now on a flabbergasted Cole. "Wh-what'd I do?!"

"I, it's not you, it's just — since when was the last master of earth a traitor?"

"Whoa whoa whoa, what?" Jay piped up. "That's kinda a heavy accusation to just bandy around!"

"What is this coming from, Lloyd?" Zane asked.

"It literally says right there, 'Earth went traitor on us'! There's only one way to read that!"

Skylor was scribbling like mad.

"Wha—well, don't look at me!" Cole said. "I don't know anything about this!"

"Maybe that's not all there is to it." It was difficult to see Skylor's eyes behind the shades. "My father turned the Anacondrai and the other tribes against humans to start the whole war in the first place. Then he turned the elemental masters against themselves."

"Maybe that was the case here too. Is there anything else about the master of earth, Lloyd?" Zane spoke up.

"Full sentence is 'The Constrictai among them can burrow, and ever since Earth, the weasel, went traitor on us, we lost our best protection against that tactic.' So they're really still talking about the Serpentine."

"Hmm."

"Mmmaybe we should go back to the rest of the letter?" Jay said tentatively.

"I dunno. I kinda wanna hear about this." Cole curiously poked his head closer, wanting to get a look at the letter. Lloyd drew back and immediately felt bad when Cole regarded him a moment before scooting back, hiding a yawn behind his hand.

Right. It was late.

"I mean, there isn't anything else in the letter about them … just the one sentence."

"Fine. What's the rest of it say, then? We really don't have the rest of the night here."

He had a point. Lloyd was pretty ready to be done with the letter and get some rest, by now.

"Wait a sec," Jay said. "'Went traitor on us.' Who's 'us'?"

"Oh." Cole's eyes widened. "Oh my god, you actually have a point. Yeah, that sounds an awful lot like … they called him 'Earth', not his name."

"How do you know that's not his name? Maybe his mom had a weird taste in names."

"... I'm pretty sure that wasn't his name, Jay."

"The word 'us' does seem to suggest camaraderie," Zane mused. "Given that and their knowledge of elemental power, perhaps they were acquainted with the elemental masters, or worked alongside them in some manner."

"That makes sense," Lloyd agreed, not looking up from the paper he held. "Or maybe they even were a master!"

"There's nothing to confirm it yet …" Skylor pointed out. "I'll just write down that they probably knew about the elemental masters. I think that's a safe conclusion."

"Fair enough," Zane said. "I think we should hear the rest of the letter now, before it gets much later. Lloyd?"

"Okay, so. Basically, my dad sent this person, whoever they are, info about Serpentine movement in the area. There were more loose gangs causing trouble than anything, they were just harder to predict because they weren't associated with the Anacondrai commanders. But according to them, the Southern Woodlands were in too strategic a location to risk—"

"Southern Woodlands?" Jay interrupted.

"That's probably what this forest is called. The villagers called it that on our way here."

"Yeah, I think I remember hearing that from someone," Cole said.

"Anyway. Like I was saying." Lloyd coughed pointedly and continued. "The Woodlands were too risky to leave unprotected because the thick plant life would give the Serpentine a naturally-sheltered base to recover and hide in. And they didn't have a lot of time left because … wait." The loopy handwriting in thick black ink cut off abruptly near the middle of the page, the last sentence never to be finished. "It just cuts off mid-sentence."

"Why did I ever think I'd have an easy time of this." Skylor sounded disappointed. "There wouldn't happen to be a name or anything at the bottom, would there?"

Lloyd shook his head. Of course there wasn't; that'd be too easy for them, now, wouldn't it?

"So why didn't they have time, exactly?" Jay said.

"An abrupt end of that nature would suggest some kind of interruption, would it not?" Zane said. "They never had the chance to finish writing this letter."

"If this is from the same era as everything else we've been seeing, then there was a war on. I imagine that'd do it," Cole said.

"Okay, but there's no signs of a fight in this room," Jay pointed out.

"... Ah. That is. Also true."

If he were a little less tired, Lloyd would've chuckled at Cole being caught off-guard without even a witty defense.

"I wonder what they were expecting not to have a lot of time for …" Lloyd wondered. "There's no signs of a fight here, but it's super messy everywhere else, especially downstairs. Maybe something happened there."

"And maybe it's related to the spirit." Cole ran a hand through his thick, messy hair, eyes dark. "There's no way something like that came out of nowhere."

"Given what we know, it is still impossible to gauge exactly what took place in this mansion," Zane said. "It does seem likely that the Serpentine activity this person mentioned had something to do with it, though. The only way to know for sure would be to find more information"

"So we don't know that, either," Jay muttered. "Write that down as a solid 'maybe', I guess."

Skylor nodded. "Anything else I should put down?"

Lloyd shook his head, and Skylor gratefully flipped the notepad closed and set it aside. Her words had actually begun to slur together with tiredness, so even if there were, he wasn't about to put her through writing it.

"Well, if that's all, then." Cole yawned, again. "Let's call it a day. How long's it been?"

"My internal clock is completely frozen," Zane sighed. "And PIXAL says she can't start it up without any connection to the outside world. But according to my timer, it's been approximately 15 hours since Jay woke me and Cole up to inform us Kai was missing."

Yep. Definitely time to wind down.

The mood dipped briefly at the mention of Kai, but Cole determinedly moved on to the topic of keeping watch, and whether they should do it tonight.

Eventually they decided that it definitely needed to stay, but split it up into two equal shifts. Two of them weren't even options to be considered. Lloyd offered to take shift, but given that he'd gotten out of a tough scrape with the spirit earlier and gone on both search expeditions, everyone else refused to let him, arguing he needed the rest. That left just Cole and Jay, but Cole, having gone through the mansion both times, was tired too. Jay would have to keep watch first.

Then came sleeping arrangements, which also worked themselves out quickly enough. Zane, for whatever reason, stayed in a corner to recharge, Skylor was on one bed, and whoever wasn't on shift would be sharing a bed with Lloyd.

"Alright, Jay, don't do anything stupid this time," Cole ribbed Jay, who was shifting around burnt kindling and trying to keep the little bit of fire left alive.

Jay stuck his tongue out.

"You have sooo much faith in me. Come on, I've learned my lesson here."

"Your timer's working, right? Make sure to wake me in … four hours?"

"Four and a half," Jay corrected him. "And yeah, I will."

"Cool. Night." And with that, Cole left him to his current task: striking a match onto a pile of kindling and hoping for a fire big enough to last.

Soon enough, everyone had bid each other goodnight and settled down.

Lloyd pulled his blanket a little closer to himself, still feeling a residual chill seep into his bones. With nothing to keep preoccupied with, ugly thoughts about the mansion, the horrors of its obscure history, their current conditions, his own utter incompetence, the way he'd just let Karlof get lost, Kai came creeping in far too readily. He tried to push them away.

Not now. Couldn't think about all of those things now or he'd never rest. Even tired, falling asleep was a challenge with sore limbs and unceasing nerves scratching away at him and a bitter resentment towards it all beginning to sink into his bones.

Lloyd closed his eyes regardless, trying to empty his mind. He could faintly hear Jay's breathing under the familiar crackle of the flames that were only too reminiscent of their missing piece.

Shadows twisted and danced on the walls.

Exhaustion won out eventually.

[gamebunny-advance]

Ones That Didn’t Make The Cut

Just a couple more sketches I did that I originally deemed unpostable because they’re terrible, but screw it, might as well.

A super early one. I think this was probably the third sketch I did when developing the concept, and I think I hate it. DDD really doesn’t look like himself, Ness is super uninspired, and Luigi is just Mario but taller, so he’s not unique. (He’s not embarrassed, just nervous like he usually is.)

If I come back to these guys, I know I’ll definitely have to give DDD his hat and/or robe back and come up with a different theme for Ness. Originally I went with “sailor outfit” since he’s a school-age kid but: 1) Ness is his world’s equivalent to American and we don’t really do the “sailor suit school girl thing”, 2) Thematically it just doesn’t make sense. I’ll try to do something that links more to his psychic abilities, but I’ve got nothing right now.

The second draft of Olimar, before the one on the first post. His first version is too scribbly to even bother posting. That aside, this is when I tried to incorporate more of the flower theming. His outfit is also sailor themed since “astronaut” roughly means “star sailor” so I thought it’d be a fun visual joke, but it really doesn’t suit him, at least not with his helmet on. Unlike other characters where I feel comfortable ditching their iconic pieces, Olimar needs his helmet to breathe, so I feel like I can’t really let it go, no matter how much I want to.

This one is just such a mess and yet, this is the improved version. V1 I drew with V1 Olimar and they’re just too terrible to post. I had no idea what to really do for him, but I still managed to cobble this together. I really liked the idea of just taking the visor from his helmet and making them into Kamina Shades, but removing his helmet meant removing the iconic splash of red that I think is integral to his design. I tried adding it in other places, but it’s really not working. This also meant having to move his falcon somewhere else. I settled on the chest to make it stand out, but it resulted in a gap in his outfit. Generally speaking, I want to keep the characters showing off the same amount of skin as their original outfits, so even though I kinda like that part, I’m probably gonna ditch it later.

A victim of the “how do I dress this animal to obviously be a magical girl, but not to the point of having a complete outfit”. I dunno, I just feel weird giving the non-anthropomorphized creatures full outfits. I just don’t think it’s as cute as giving them a small accessory or two, but as a result they’re the most plain ones to design, and I think it’ll stick out if I keep them that way.

I had considered maybe giving him more frilly/soft features to compromise (add a pattern to his chest, make his cheek pouches pinker, adding sparkles to his fur, etc), but I also feel like changing the physical characteristics would turn them into something else entirely. The idea is “these characters have turned into magical girls”, not “these characters have always been magical girls”.

Unlike the other characters, the Subspace Enemies are mostly unchanged in the AU except for the ones in “uniform”. Since they’re artificial, they don’t have a true ability, but they’re still able to use and counteract magic.

I’m not in love with the design yet, but I did like where it was going. However, I am a bit worried that I might make them “too cute” and it’ll look kinda bad if the fighters don’t have any reservations about taking them out, so in the end I might keep all of the Subspace Enemies exactly the same.

[melikeylikeyjimin]

Noir || Eleven

(I don’t own this gif)

Word Count: 2.9k

Genre: Mafia AU! Sugar Daddy AU! Jungkook X Reader, fluff, angst.

Warnings: none

A/N: Here is the eleventh chapter of Noir! YAY for the first meeting and date! I might be a bit busy this week and next week so updates might be a bit slow! Thank you for your patience ahead of time. In return, I have written a JK one shot that I hope will satisfy all of you while you wait! I’ll upload it sometime later this week! If you’d like to be tagged whenever I post a new chapter of Noir, please DM me, leave a comment on this post, or send an ask and I’ll add you to the list!

Tag List: @yeontanie21 @moniebuns @writemywaytoyourheart @flamingorosette @trueelee-dj @melonkooky @kawaiimusiccollection @selugis @ellsbells72 @shadowstark @fluffybunnybaekhyun @geekyfangirl-rikachuchanx777

Previous Chapter || Next Chapter

“So, why did you call me over exactly?” Nicci asked uninterested.

I sighed, “You know very well why I called you over! I told you the very night he asked me to dinner that I needed your help picking an outfit.”

“Oh yeah, you’re having dinner with your lover boy, right?”

I rolled my eyes, “Nicci, please?”

“Alright, alright. What time do you have to be there?”

“Six thirty.”

“Alright, so I have to make you perfect obviously. You need the money and I can’t send you out looking like...well...you.”

I glared at her, “There’s nothing wrong with being comfortable!”

“Righttt,” She said as she browsed throughout my closet trying to find the perfect outfit. “Where are you going?”

“Some fancy dinner place, it was in French so I wouldn’t know how to pronounce it even if I wanted…”

Nicci whipped her head around, “Wait, are we talking about the same restaurant? Show me the text!” I showed her the location and she squealed, “You lucky ass bitch! He’s taking you to the best restaurant in the entire country! You better give out as payment. Do whatever he asks!”

“Nicci!”

“What? He’s treating you like a fucking queen, so do the same!”

I ignored her comments and let her go back to picking an outfit. “Now that I know you’re going there, I’m more interested.”

She found an emerald green gown that went down to my ankles and was strapless but had sleeves over the tops of my arms. She laid it on my bed and found some black strappy heels, setting it next to the dress.

“Go get dressed in that, and then we’ll talk hair, makeup, and accessories.”

I normally would fight her, but I decided not to bother. She wouldn’t let me get out of this even if I tried. I sighed and took the dress and heels into the bathroom with me and undressed. I slipped my feet into the dress and pulled it over my torso. I put my arms through their little sleeves and moved my hair to the side to zip up the dress. I zipped it up and situated my hair again. I sat down on the bathtub’s side and slipped my feet into the heels, zipping the backs up.

I looked at my reflection one last time before stepping out of the bathroom. Nicci’s eyes flew to my body as she drank in the look. “Why don’t you give up on being a doctor and instead be a glorified escort or trophy wife?”

“Why would I do that?”

“Because you’re smoking!” I ignored her comment and sat down at my makeup table, letting her take over. She started putting light waves into my hair, making sure that everything looked natural and loose.

Once she had finished that, she started on my makeup. She chose a few different shades of brown to match with the green of the dress, going for a beautiful but not heavy look.

Suddenly I heard my phone go off. I had Nicci grab it and tell me who was calling me, “It’s Dylan!”

“Shit, what should I do?”

“You have to lie, Y/n! I did not spend so much time on your look and getting you to finally do this just for Dylan to try to cockblock you!”

I nodded and answered the phone, “Hello?”

“Hey Y/n!” Dylan called out from the other side of the line.

“What’s up?”

“I was thinking we could go out tonight and get food and walk around town! What do you think?” I looked at Nicci and she shook her head saying I had to give an excuse.

“I’m sorry I can’t tonight.”

“What? Why not? Do you work? I can just visit you if that’s it.”

“No, no, I don’t work, I just have a lot of assignments I need to work on.”

“Well, I could help you?”

“We both know I won’t get work done if you come over,” I sassed.

He scoffed, “Fine I see how it is. Guess you really hate me.”

I sighed, “I’ll make it up to you, I promise. We can hang out another day. I’ll let you know when I can, okay?”

“Okay…”

“Alright, I gotta go, bye!”

I hung up and set the phone down. It was silent until Nicci broke the silence, “Where do you keep your jewelry?” I pointed to a small box on one of my dressers and she moved to sort through it. She grabbed a pair of dangly silver earrings and a nice silver necklace that would hang perfectly over my bare upper torso. I put the earrings in my ears as she latched the chain on my neck.

  “Do you have some purses too?”

I nodded, “In the closet.”

She sorted through them, “I don’t get it, you have a bunch of fashionable things, yet you never wear them.”

“I save it, doesn’t mean I have to wear them all the time.”

Nicci scoffed but continued searching through my numerous purses. She finally handed me a plain black clutch that matched my heels perfectly. “There, you are done!”

I looked at myself in the body mirror and admired Nicci’s work. “Thanks as always, Nicc.”

“Of course, I may not be a professional makeup or hair artist, but it’s one of my favorite pastimes, so it’s nice to experiment on people that aren’t me.”

“What time is it?”

“Quarter to six.”

“Alright, I should get going then,”  I said.

Nicci nodded in agreement, “Make sure to tell me what goes on!”

I smiled, “Of course, you’re the only one who supports this decision, so it’s only wise I tell you what happens.”

“You got it, girl.”

I ordered an uber to take to the restaurant that I was supposed to meet Jungkook at. It was in the center of the city so it would take thirty minutes to get there. The uber got there a little bit before six and I had already sent Nicci back home and texted Jungkook that I was leaving the house.

I got in and told the driver the address. As we drove, I looked out the window as I tried to calm my nerves. I wasn’t sure why I was so nervous, but I had just hoped that Jungkook was all that he was behind the screen. I had seen multiple pictures of him so I knew his face well, but that didn’t mean I knew if he had a completely different personality offline. I played with my hands in my lap as we continued to make our way down the different streets of downtown.

I looked around at the flashing lights and the illuminated sidewalks filled with people of all ages. They were all conversing and talking to one another. Some outside of restaurants enjoying the warm nighttime temperature, others smoking and laughing, and many people walking around with groups of friends from store to store.

It had been a while since I went downtown to do anything fun. The drive is not always the best from my apartment to downtown, the traffic had never been nice either. Over the past few years, the city had become increasingly populated without the correct amount of lanes or streets towards downtown as needed for the abundance of people living in it. The city had changed so much over the many years I spent living here. It used to be much more calm, with the regular sports events and musicals, but now it had become a big party central. Strip clubs and bars lining the streets.

Driving past the craze, we finally got to the nicer part of downtown. Where all the rich lived comfortably, close to all the top rated restaurants, stores like Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Versace. The options were endless. This part of the city was always much more hush. People conversed but it was not yelling and laughter like the other part of downtown. There was a clear distinction between normal people and the rich.

Seeing the restaurant in my sight, I waited for the uber driver to pull up to the front of it. He did and I gave him the fare for the drive there. Checking the time, I made sure I was not late and thankfully I was five minutes early. I walked in feeling more than slightly out of place in this time of crowd but tried to push past it. I walked up to the hostess and she gave me a glance over. It was as if she was checking out my clothing to see if they were high class, expensive brands. I smiled as I tried not to think too much about her obvious judgment of me, “Hi, I have a reservation for 6:30 for Jeon Jungkook.”

The lady’s eyes seemed to panic at his name. I frowned ever so slightly at her face wondering why she seemed so panicked. “O-oh, y-yes. Right this way Mrs. Jeon,” she stated. I was ready to correct her as there was no way Jungkook and I were married since we hadn’t even met yet, but I decided not to waste my breath.

She led me to a secluded part of the restaurant that seemed like it could be rented out for private parties. Behind a velvet red curtain, I saw a man sitting at a table. “Here you are, miss. Please enjoy.” The hostess’s voice caught the man’s attention and I was met with a deep dark abyss.

His eyes were piercing right through me, not letting me move or even form coherent sentences in my head. He was breathtaking. His dark hair that was parted and pushed up slightly, his piercing yet doe-like eyes, and his thin beautiful lips. I was speechless. He looked even better in person than he did in photos. The air in my lungs was gone as I continued to stare at him. How could he possibly be interested in someone like me when he was walking around looking like that?!

He finally smiled and stood up, “I’m so glad you could make it, Y/n. Please have a seat.” I knew all too well that I would not be able to speak so I nodded my head, or at least I tried my best to. I moved and sat in the soft cushioned seat opposite of him. It was easily the most comfortable thing I had ever sat on in all my life. He moved my chair, pushing it in for me. I let out a meek thank you at his gentlemen like gesture. “Is something wrong?” He asked taking his seat again.

“A-ah, no, it’s just you’re even better looking in real life than you are in the pictures,” I said as confidently as possible.

He smiled, “Thank you for the compliment. I don’t want things to be awkward between us, so I’ll go ahead and introduce myself. I am Jeon Jungkook, the same guy you have been talking to over the phone for a little bit. It is nice to meet you, Y/n. You are even more stunning in person than over any photo you’ve sent me.”

I swallowed hard knowing very well my face was extremely flushed, “T-thank you. Um, I’m y/n as you know. It’s a pleasure to meet you finally…”

“I can tell you’re nervous, but hopefully that will dissipate throughout the night.” I nodded. “Would you like some wine?”

“Yes, I think that would be helpful.” I knew very well I would need liquid courage running through my veins in order to be normal. He ordered over a waiter that I had not even seen waiting and asked for a bottle of red wine that I did not know the name of.

Once there was wine in my glass, I took a sip and could feel the small burn help rid of my nerves. “So,” I started, “Where would you like to begin?”

“I feel like I know quite a bit about you, but why don’t you go ahead and explain what you do, your hobbies, anything you think is individual to you.”

I nodded my head, “Well, I’m a college student. I am in my third year of college and I dream to become a doctor. I really like the idea of helping others, I don’t necessarily have a certain field that I study as far as medicine goes, but I like the idea of being able to have a purpose or have the power to help or even change someone’s life. I don’t have much free time between college and work, but I enjoy I think anything else a girl my age does. I like staying in and reading, going out with friends, movies, those kinds of things. I’m not really special I don’t think but I enjoy what I study and do with my free time nonetheless.”

“What do you do for work?”

“I work part-time at a cafe near my house as a barista and waitress. It’s not what I want to do but it pays for some things and I like the people I work with, so…”

Jungkook’s face had not changed all throughout my explanation of my current life. It was odd that he seemed to find it interesting as I didn’t think there was anything particularly special to me. Many other girls had a more interesting life than I did. “I guess it’s my turn then?” I nodded happily. Jungkook even over text never talked much about work, but I figured it had to do with not wanting to brag over it or bore me.

“Well, I’m a CEO for the Jeon company and I work under my father, but I, for the most part, do all the work now as he is mostly retired. I don’t have much free time either with all the work, but I enjoy spending time taking pictures and making videos and gaming. I’m quite boring as you can see, so there isn’t much to say about myself.”

I smiled, I could see the happiness in his eyes as he talked about his hobbies. They were something that he obviously really enjoyed. “I would love to play some video games with you sometime” I spoke softly.

His face softened at my words, “I’ll definitely let that happen.” I took another sip of my drink. “Are you ready to order?”

I nodded my head, “What do you usually have here?” He rattled off multiple different dishes that I didn’t know how to pronounce or even know what they entailed.

I laughed embarrassed, “I’m going, to be honest with you, I don’t know much of what you said so I’m going to leave it to you to order whatever you think I’d like.”

He let out an authentic laugh, “Don’t feel embarrassed, I get it.” I grinned and he waved over the waiter. He let our orders slip off of his tongue easily as the waiter bowed and left. “I don’t know if it’s too early for you, but I’d like to talk about why we’ve both come here tonight.”

I nodded knowing the topic was bound to show up eventually, “You can ask whatever questions you have.”

“I only have one, but it won’t really change my decision on the matter. You, of course, don’t have to answer it if you don’t feel comfortable, but why?”

“I won’t tell you a big sob story as to why I need money, other than money is difficult to come by without a college degree. I pay for my rent, food, living expenses, transportation, and my college. I just thought it would be nice to make more money on the side to help myself out.”

“What about your parents?”

“We don’t have a good relationship,” I answered simply. I wasn’t about to go into detail about my parents. They were still a heavy topic for me that I would rather not think about.

“That’s fine, I don’t expect more. But I already made my decision many nights ago about you. I want to support you for whatever reason it is you need money.”

“Really?”

“Yes, I’m genuinely intrigued by you and would like to continue this.” I could almost scream from excitement.

“Are there any like conditions?”

“Not really, I’ll just pay you for each date we go on. I’m not going to force you into anything non-consensual, so if spending time together is all you want, then that’s all we’ll do.”

“Okay, yeah that’s fine with me too.”

“Is one okay?”

“One?”

“One thousand each date or time we hang out.” My eyes bulged out of my head as I heard this.

“A-are you serious?”

“Is it not enough? I can add more if you nee-”

“No, no! Not at all. In fact, I’m surprised you’re giving so much.”

“I don’t really think it’s that much, but if that amount is fine, then…”

“It’s more than okay. I don’t know what to say, thank you so much.”

“I’m glad I can help you out.”

The food arrived and I saw a form of pasta sitting in front of me. I smiled at the dish and took the first bite as we both sat in comfortable silence as we ate. The dinner had gone well and I couldn’t wait for our future dates together.

NEXT PROJECTED UPDATE: 06/18/19 (This is a very very very rough estimate! It all depends on how busy I am throughout the week and weekend, but I will try my hardest for you guys!)

[gerbiloftriumph]

So you wanna be a king (pt4)

orrrr mayyyybe juuust cosplay one since that’s way less responsibilities

(incidentally, the fabbo shirt’s from redbubble, https://www.redbubble.com/people/midorilied/works/29739636-do-it-for-him-white-text, if @midorilied​ doesn’t mind me showing it off)

If you’ve followed along thus far then you should have a cloak, jerkin, pants and boots. A fully wearable Graham perfect for romping around the countryside. But it feels incomplete without the accessories, so let’s give those a try.

Part 4: Pouches n Bracers

(Again, these are all just suggestions and a How I Did It from a very novice cosplayer. Disregard all points, or take the ones you like. improvise adapt overcome)

Perhaps the best part about adventure games is the stuff. The bottomless inventory, a random assortment of strange things that all Do A Thing. Graham carries everything from money to badgers to literal humans in his pockets (presumably his mother is a seamstress trained by the gods). 

This...won’t be you. Sorry.

Now, to be fair, I saw a Graham cosplay on tumblr (I’m so sorry, I don’t remember who--does anyone know?) who sewed pockets into their cloak, which is delightful and a very sweet idea! 

However, I prefer the swoosh and snap of my cloak, and heavy things like cell phones in your cloak will alter the weight. Something to keep in mind as you decide how to manage your outfit.

(forgive the blur--I haven’t been able to get a still of what it looks like when swooshing. Perhaps now I’ve got real boots I’ll do another gifset of it)

Thus, all my phone, money, keys, and backup freckles (e.g., liquid eyeliner) must live in Graham’s belt pouches instead of cloak pockets. Lord knows what Graham actually keeps in his pouches, game-wise. Squirrel snacks, maybe, to avoid repeating the fiasco from Tourney Day?

This time I followed a pattern. I know, weird, right?

I wanted functionality, but I wanted them to be slim and simple, too. I found a guy on YouTube, and he comes with a .pdf template pattern in his video description! It’s super detailed, easy to follow, and better than me rambling. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPhQlaI_UX4

Three years later, they’re starting to look a touch tired. I used a plain dark brown fabric (was it broadcloth?). Half a yard is plenty. If it’s semi-close in color your your belt, ideal. I made two sizes, two large for phone and makeup for touchups, and one small for keys and money. The large ones are 3″ wide and 5.5″ tall, and the small one is 2.5″ by 4.5″, but size them to whatever important things must be on your body at all time.

I added snap clasps to keep them shut (never know when you’ll be pounced by goblins, or trip over a crack in the sidewalk), and I found some plain silver buttons to sew over where the snaps sit--added bonus, hides my sloppy stitchwork. I took some of the leftover suede rope from the jerkin for the front--my ugliest secret is that it’s really horrible looking super glue dribbled everywhere. Hasn’t moved in 3 years, tho. /victory fist bump

I turned the corners of the front flaps so I wouldn’t have square tops. I didn’t trim off the excess fabric since I thought keeping extra weight in the corners would help keep the flaps down. You could always sew in another layer of something sturdier if you didn’t want the flaps to curl over time--it’s probably worth it. It does make a difference. 

So, in doing this half-tutorial, I’ve just realized that Graham’s actual model has three pouches of various sizes on his left side only which means I’ve been wearing and drawing him wrong since day one. So. That’s cool. themoreyouknow.gif

(still not changing anything tho; I like keeping my phone on my right side)

Bracers!

Graham’s an archer. So, he’s got bracers on his forearms to protect himself. (presumably his rippling muscles are protection enough since he stops wearing them between his 30s and 70s.)

We have the same problem here as with the jerkin: the bracers seem practically sewn onto his arm. And that’s maybe doable, but I’m mortal, not digital, and I want this to be comfortable and also easy to remove. Now, unfortunately, my method loses the black bands he has on his bracer underbellies--they don’t seem to fit. If you have a nice solution, let me know.

Get yourself a ruler, paper, a scrap of elastic band, a sheet or two of stiff felt (probably like this stuff: https://www.amazon.com/Darice-Stiff-inches-5-Pack-FLT-0331/dp/B00KNAKJH6), and all the leftovers from your jerkin.

Measure around your wrist--mine’s 6″, so we’ll use that. Draw a 6″ line on a piece of paper, find the center of the line, mark it. Measure how long down your arm you want the bracer to go. I like 8 and a quarter inches myself (make it as long as you can without the bracer edge rubbing your inner elbow because that gets real old real fast). From the center mark of your wrist line, make a straight line down (a grid is helpful here to keep it straight). At the point where your bracer stops, measure around your arm: I got 9″. Find the halfway mark of your base arm line, add that to the paper. Connect the corners. It should look approximately something like this:

Cut out and test your design to make sure it’s comfortable (you want to forget you’re wearing these. keep them away from your elbow. f’reals). Cut the shape out of your stiff felt, and cut out your brown fabric leftover from your jerkin, with a margin all around so you can fold it over and sew (I did an inch I think, because I’m a coward). For the hand guard, I did half my wrist (3″), then measured my hand to see how high it had to be to just scrape the knuckle. For my hand, that’s about 3″, give or take. Curve it, test it, cut it out of felt and brown alike, and cut out some extra brown to cover the inside of the hand guard too, as you don’t want to see any white against your hand.

Fold the loose edges over the felt and sew it down along the marked places:

Make little snips in the hem of the hand guard hem as you go to achieve that tight curve. 

I was nervous about combining the two pieces as I needed easy wrist flexibility. The two lines that aren’t hemmed I left “raw” and sewed the brown edges together as was, so that there’s no stiff felt against the wrist at all. 

Another secret: my bracer grommets aren’t the same as my jerkin grommets--they’re much smaller, like 7mm, because I’d planned on making my jerkin with this smaller size earlier to replicate Graham’s tighter lacing but it didn’t work out--the larger ones from your jerkin work fine. 

It’s the same process as the jerkin, too. Every inch from the wrist to the elbow gets a grommet, plus its corresponding partner. A-likea so:

The next part might be optional. I cut another piece of brown about the same size as the bracer body again, and sewed the edges along the inside, just past the grommets, so that when you wear the bracer, you don’t see the shirt beneath your laces. It also gives you a place to hide the loose ends of your suede rope once it’s tied into place. Probably optional. 

Graham’s bracers have definition near the elbow, and I was annoyed that I couldn’t find a way to fit in the large black bands without messing up the simplicity of my pull on/pull off system, so to reference it I found thin black trim and sewed it along the bottom hem, just below the last grommet. 

Okay, lace it with the suede rope and try it for fit. You may notice the hand guard is a bit unwilling to stay attached. Get the super glue, and--

no wait please don’t do that

let’s just make an elastic ring instead

My elastic was white: I colored it with a brown marker so it wasn’t as jarring if anyone caught sight of it. Sew it into your existing hemline, wherever it feels natural to wear it as a ring on your middle finger. A strip of fabric or trim might work as well, but the elastic makes it easy to pull on. 

I desperately need to update my gray wristbands with real rope. This is trim, and I do not like it. But it was free, at the bottom of my cosplay bin, and I’m so tired of spending money on this costume.........anyway, loop the rope of choice three times around your wrist, sew it into a closed loop to avoid dealing with knots and bows, and tug the whole thing on and off over your hand. pls do not make it too tight.

And that’s looking like a proper cosplay. Just a few more accessories and also the hat. I assume everyone just wants the adventuring hat, but if there’s any interest in the crown, I could toss that in too, maaaayyyybbeeee?

[maiuoart]

Collar HC’s

Feel free though to do what you wished, too! These are mainly collected around, I just enjoy making meaning behind the damn collars... Seriously, I wanted actual meanings with them!

This will be a key item for Darkening Days; I see many Fell verses surround by the meanings of Collars the more I got used to their worlds. Some have gotten me to an irkful and even sickful mindset with their twisted or lack of information.  Other fandoms have it themed to a very weird degree for me, personally. However, it didn’t mean ALL of them were bad, per say...

So, my whole thought process when seeing a collar for the boys; Red or Mutt; is “Why would they need collars? What would be the point?”

Well, Read below to find out more about the 4 different kinds I have came up with...

Protective Collars;  This is the type Underfell Red and Swapfell Mutt wears. The kind that have a Label of Protection due to their brothers.  Stronger Monsters will protect those they care for; It’s the ‘Fuck with them, you fuck with me.’ kind. Family or very close acquaintances will have these on them as the collars will radiate the stronger aura to warn off others. Smaller monsters who seek protection will try anything and everything to gain a protection collar, but it normally barely happens unless their sly about it. The collar in question will match the Stronger Monster in theme, color, and aura just to make sure everyone knows who is protecting the weaker. They are limited to giving collars out, however. The more they have others under their care, the more it takes from them. The best is to only have an amount no higher than 2. Depending on how strong the Protector is; They can have up to 4 and not be affected. Anything higher and it will drain them quickly, causing everyone to become easy targets. Some will still find these collared monsters as targets, but trying to get close to them will just become your own death warrant if you so chose to ignore the warnings... Due to the fact anyone radiating bad intent gets sent right to the main protector in charge. You’ll only have mere moments to try and kill or run. The way to get these off is if the lesser has grown in strength or has betrayed the protector in some way. That will either end with them being dusted right on the spot; Or, more than likely, released in front of everyone for revenge. 

Yet for me, for both My versions of Red and Mutt; It’s a quiet understanding that their brothers want to watch out for them, help protect them even though they could protect themselves. So they allow to be collared just to help ease their brothers paranoia. ‘Sides; It shows that they actually care for them. Fun Facts!; UF!Sans/Red, the ever proud asshole, reacted differently when Edge had told him to wear his collar of protection. They actually fought, going to a point where the brothers broke out into a brawl at home. Red begrudgingly took the ‘Damn stupid thing that he won’t ever fuckin’ need’ just to appease his brother after a huge feeling of guilt hit him afterward. I mean, for fucks sakes! Boss just tossed it at him! The hell was he goin’a do?! Say ‘Yeah’!? Hell no, Boss may scare him sometimes, but ain’t like he needed the fuckin’ accessory to be a bitch. But found out later on that; ‘Hey... Not so bad, i can actually fuckin sleep in peace for once.’ Not fully overlooking the thoughtfulness of the meaning during the time, but not really admitting it either. Either way, it became a slow meaning of pride to show it off; ‘won’t admit it, bu’ my bros the coolest thinkin’ ‘bout me.’

Mutt and Black are closer; Mutt took the collar with more pride than anything, feeling proud his brother wanted to protect his family. It was a quiet agreement that even though Mutt could watch after his own hide, the thought and meaning behind ‘Under Protection’ meant a huge deal to them both. Mutt did, however-... Add a few things for secret reasons. It’s more wholesum than what you’re probably thinking, gutterminds! Shoo! I won’t say how the Swapfell brothers are connected just yet; Rest assured it’s nothing in the odd way, though! It’ll be told more in the story~ No spoils here ;) ♥

Relationship Collars; These are more silk based. Can be anything more dainty, soft against the skin, really the kind that can be real forgetful in their place; Their that comfortable! They vary in many ways; Plain, flashy, whatever matches their mates the best. Most times the collars to these match with their mates main Soul trait colors. Either with gems, the fabric itself matches, or anything like that!  They react to their mates emotional status; Easily able to send back and comfort them however they may need. It keeps them close, their bonds strong, and their Souls radiating to each other with all the love and affection they need; Doesn’t matter if their bodies are snuggled up or their miles apart!  Truly a romantic type; Will never fade or tatter away, no matter how many times you wear it, if you shower with it, work with it.  There are many ways this collar type can be taken off though; The couple have a falling out, their bond becomes so faded it falls off itself, or if either party takes it off themselves. 

~!!Be advised!!~  If you want to take it off for mundane reasons, make sure to keep it close to your Soul or put it somewhere else on your body so that your mate does not freak out about the sudden disappearance of your Bond. Better yet, do it while in front of them while explaining yourself as you’re doing it. Always remember; Communication is key; Anyways you can!

Master Collars; Collars used normally with the Strongest and Deadliest Monsters. It’s the literal Master/Slave kind. The type where it connects and locks using the Stronger Monsters Soul. Their fully metal, bulky, and just plain uncomfortable. If the Boss Monster at all thinks the lesser one is useful or they just seriously like them-... And they don’t like them back? Well. You can call this the ‘Yandere’ collar for sure. They are also limited to how many they collar, however they can collar up to 10 others, not risking their own lives for the ones who they deem worthy. It is said to be a better solution for those who are ‘Protectors’ who want to protect many, all at once without the fear of dusting themselves in the process. Though this can also be dangerous; The ones under these collars are prone to giving their own Souls and lives up to the ones in charge against their wills if a fight occurs and their Master gets harmed. The weakest ones will drain the fastest while others will pay for the rest. The only ways that this collar could ever be taken off is; The Stronger Monster doesn’t desire the lesser one anymore or either party dies. ...Creepy collar.

Device Collars; Things may happen to where one will fall victim in becoming, not a Slave per say, but to work off a debt of a certain intelligent being who works with devices and other similar items. Probably also can call it the ‘Debt Collar’. These collars are made for tracking workers in certain areas of the Underground. They are heat resistant, water resistant, and more. Anything you can think of, they will not break. They are remote controlled; Able to keep everyone in check with a shock if so need be. They are limitless as they do not need any Soul or Magic to keep them going, unlike the rest of the collars listed above. Made with a metal similar to what humans have called Graphene, it can stretch and wrap around ones neck with ease. It will have some smooth features, but normally it will look like it is in parts. It will automatically lock in the back with the numbers of the debt one could not pay off, or simply because the person in control is just that insane to make it so high that they will make sure not to lose any of their workers... Each time they work; It will numbers will be deducted randomly. The wearer won’t be able to see their numbers and check how far til their end goal is. It is, however, a very horrible choice if one is killed by another with these collars on. Due to the person who has invented it, the collar will latch onto the one responsible for ‘Taking Their Worker Away’ and become in all the debt that the dusted creature was in, overtaking their place as punishment.  Normally with a genius in charge, the symbol of the Royal Scientist decorating their metal collars, almost everyone stays away. Those who are so desperate to be a willing lab rat or other type of worker will actually go and sign their Souls away... These collars are normally never able to be taken off; Though if the Royalty does not need them no longer, then they will be freed to be unleashed. But only when they are done with them.

Okay! So that should do it for the 4 main ones! If you ask about someones special collar... Hn, won’t say I’ll let you know ;) Wait for the story and guess if you think you can! ♥

I also wouldn’t mind if peeps like, want to help make them better and help change them to more interesting things??? I don’t mind bouncin’ ideas off; These are the main ideas that have popped up and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about them for weeks now!? And it might be the main reason I started the story...

[eleanor-writes-stuff]

what’s mine is yours [one-shot]

Rey might not have any traditions of her own, but that’s okay. Ben is more than willing to share his.

Or: yet another braiding fic, with barely any actual braiding.

So about a million years ago I wrote a tiny braiding scene for Day 22 of a language that i never knew existed before, and I mentioned a deleted version of the scene that I’d love to turn into a standalone piece. I didn’t anticipate it taking three whole months for me to do so, but here we are anyway.

If you like braiding, made-up Alderaanian traditions, and Reylo, this is the fic for you. Also featuring: bonus Leia!

Also available on AO3. And hey, maybe check out my Twitter and Ko-fi?

Six months after Ben’s defection, the Resistance plans a celebration for the string of victories they’ve won thanks to his intel.

It’s nothing grand, barely a feast according to those who remember what that was like, but it’s the first celebration of any kind that Rey will ever experience, and somehow word of that reaches the general.

Poe finds her two hours before the party and marches her over to the general’s quarters, and the next thing Rey knows she’s sitting on the ground while Leia runs soothing hands through her hair and slowly fashions it into an intricate braid befitting the occasion.

“Are braids… important to you?” Rey asks haltingly, staying as still as she can and channeling her nervous energy into babbling instead. “You don’t have to answer, it’s just, you’re always wearing them, and I’ve noticed that they change, sometimes, when things happen, and Kaydel said something about your home planet once–”

“Alderaan,” Leia says quietly, hands stilling for a moment. Rey winces to herself, realizing belatedly that maybe she shouldn’t have brought up the lost planet and all the grief that comes with it on such a happy day. But when the general speaks again, her voice is wistful instead of sad, with an airy, faraway quality to it rather than the weight of sorrow.

Leia keeps weaving. “Braids are a language all on their own, to my people. We lost a lot when our planet was taken from us, but this… this we kept. If I had a daughter, I would’ve taught her all about it the way my mother taught me, the way her mother taught her.” She laughs then, a rare, beautiful occurrence that’s increased in frequency ever since her son’s return. “I had Ben instead, but he made a perfect student nonetheless, always climbing up on tables and chairs to reach my hair and practice.”

Rey nearly, nearly turns around and ruins all of Leia’s hard work. “Ben can braid?” she asks, smiling at the thought.

“Oh yes, I taught him nearly everything–”

The door connecting Leia’s quarters to Ben’s opens, and the man himself appears with a frown on his face and a datapad in his hands.

“Mom, I’d really rather not–”

He looks up from his datapad, pauses as he takes in the sight of Leia on the edge of her bed and Rey on the floor next to her, a half-formed Alderaanian braid between them, and all Rey can think about is Ben in place of Leia, running those large hands of his through her hair, being so, so gentle as he honors his mother’s tradition–

She’s forcibly yanked out of her daydream when a spike of something ripples through the Bond, an indecipherable mess of a dozen emotions tangled together.

“I’ll come back later,” Ben mutters, and shuts the door behind him.

Leia goes back to work with a heavy sigh that fills the silent room.

“What… what was that?” Rey asks, her words echoing through the Bond as a demand. She’s met with silence in her mind, a door between them as solid as the one that separates mother from son.

“You tell me,” Leia mutters, finger-combing a section of Rey’s hair to undo the braid that was messed up when Ben walked in. “Some days I wonder if my son is still in there, but then he goes and does something stupid like this and there’s no doubt that he is.”

“Something stupid?” Rey repeats with a frown. “What did he–”

“Go talk to him after this, will you?” Leia urges as she starts to work on the last section of loose hair. “I don’t know how your Bond works exactly, but you two should talk about this, and Maker knows he won’t be the one to bring it up. A total and utter nerd herder, just like his father before him.”

There’s a hint of amusement in her voice but also the heaviness Rey was expecting, the weight of grief and loss and a wound still too fresh to pick at. She hums a wordless agreement and they lapse into a comfortable silence then, and just minutes later Leia’s pulling her up to her feet and leading her over to the mirror in the corner of the room.

“Oh,” Rey whispers to herself as she catches sight of her reflection, delicate rows crisscrossing the sides of her head before they join into a thick braid that flows down her back.

“Pretty, isn’t it?” Leia asks with a smile, riffling through the chest of drawers under the mirror for a small metal box that opens to reveal a set of hair ornaments, precious stones carved into delicate, intricate flowers.

“It’s beautiful,” she says as Leia carefully adds the accessories to her hair. “But… I love it, of course, and I’m not complaining, not at all, but… didn’t you say you were going to put my hair up?”

Leia steps back, and in the mirror Rey watches her take a good, long look at her handiwork. Finally, she offers Rey a smile and a shrug. “Plans change. Sometimes you’re halfway through a casual celebratory updo when your idiot of a son decides to show up and make a mess, and you’ve just got to adapt and roll with it. Now go talk to him, will you?”

“Um.” Rey turns around to face Leia, uncertainty slowing her tongue and her mind. “Of course. I’ll just… go now,” she mumbles, waving at the door.

“Good,” Leia says with a nod, and under her watchful eye Rey crosses the room and raises her palm to the scanner. It occurs to her then that she probably doesn’t have clearance for the general’s private quarters, but when she turns to Leia all she finds is an encouraging smile.

“Oh, and Rey? I want to know exactly what his face looks like when he sees your hair.”

It should be an odd request, but then again they’ve just had a conversation about Alderaanian braids being a language all on their own. Rey nods and presses her palm to the scanner. “Of course, General,” she acquiesces, and then she’s in Ben’s room and he’s lounging on his bed in only a pair of pants, glaring at a beige tunic sitting on the foot of his bed as if it’s Armitage Hux himself.

“So,” Rey says, and holds back her laughter when Ben startles at the sight of her, narrowly avoiding a collision between his head and the wall.

“Rey, what are you–”

He gapes at her, mouth opening and closing as he tries to form a sentence or maybe even a word. Finally, Ben asks, “Why are you wearing a wedding braid?”

Oh.

She tries her best to fake nonchalance, gives Ben a shrug as she approaches him. “So that’s what this is?” she asks, sitting on the edge of his bed with a generous two feet of space between them.

It takes Ben no time at all to shuffle over to her side, and she watches his throat work as one hand hovers just above a pearlescent, gem-encrusted flower. “It’s… it’s a Promise Cord,” he explains, not quite meeting her eye as he traces the smaller braids scattered across the back of her head. “Each braid is a promise to the bride from her partner, with a pin to secure both the promise and the braid.”

Rey thinks of the way Leia had kept the flowers hidden away, the fact that she keeps them with her even now when she left behind so much in the early days of the Resistance. “Were these… were these the ones the general wore when–?”

“I think so,” Ben whispers as a faint pang of melancholy fills the Bond. It’s always like this, whenever he’s confronted with a reminder of Han. Of his father.

And all Rey can do is take his hand in her own and wait for it to pass.

Ben looks down at their hands, laces their fingers together and gives her a small smile that quickly turns into a frown. “Wait, I saw what my mother was doing earlier, with your hair. It was a Victory Crown. So why–”

“Oh, right,” Rey interrupts, sending bits and pieces of her conversation with Leia across the Bond before she projects her own memory of that odd, indecipherable something she’d detected from him right before he shut the door on the both of them. “What was that all about?”

“Nothing,” Ben mutters almost immediately, dropping his eyes back down to their joined hands as he turns them palm-up and runs his thumb across the markings on her skin. Life and love and loss, Maz had told her the day she arrived to join the Resistance. All of it is there for you to know and accept, child, plain as day.

She can’t remember which one is which, but Rey has no doubt that Ben knows – just as he knows that he can’t appease her with a non-answer like that.

“Ben…”

He sighs and lets go of her hand, pulls away to lean against the wall. “Did my mom tell you about Alderaanian braiding traditions?”

“She said braiding is practically a language,” Rey echoes as she carefully runs her fingers along the side of her head. “They all have meanings, right?”

“The braids themselves, yes,” Ben nods, “but also the act of braiding, and unbraiding too.” It takes a while for her expectant look to work, but eventually he elaborates.

“It’s… it’s very intimate, letting someone else braid your hair,” he finally admits, eyes firmly fixed on the braid running down her back. And then–

I wanted to be the first to braid yours.

The words are solely between the two of them, in the secret shared space of their Bond, yet Ben’s ears and cheeks flush as if he’s announced them for all the world to hear as he ducks his head and stares down at his lap.

Rey inches closer, her heart too full with something she can’t put into words.

So she speaks about something else instead. “On Jakku, there are no traditions.”

Ben looks up. He always does, when she speaks of Jakku or her past or herself – he looks up and he listens and he cares.

“There are beliefs, and superstitions, but the only thing passed down from parent to child is what’s worth hauling back to Plutt and which wrecks don’t have anything left in them,” Rey shrugs. “And… and I don’t know if my parents even had any traditions wherever it is they came from, if there’s anything they would have shared with me.”

It’s a simple statement of fact, nothing more and nothing less, but Ben reaches for her hand just as she reached for his earlier and gives her a squeeze.

Rey shakes herself out of it before she can get lost in the wasteland of her memories and gives him a smile. “So I don’t have any traditions of my own, but… but I really like yours.”

“They’re yours,” Ben says without a moment’s hesitation. “Anything that’s mine, everything that’s mine – it’s yours, Rey.”

There’s that same earnestness in his eyes that always brings tears to hers, that same look he gave her the day he begged her to rule with him, the day he begged her to forgive him, all the days they’ve shared since that have seen him overwhelmed by a love so big neither of them know what to do with it.

She moves closer to sit between his legs. “This Promise Cord… you’re supposed to braid it for me, right? Not your mother?”

Ben gulps, and she reaches out to take his face in her hands to keep his eyes on hers. “I… that is… yes, traditionally it’s the groom’s duty. When the time comes.”

“Tell me more,” Rey murmurs, using one hand to guide his to her hair, to encourage him to comb through his mother’s carefully woven braids and take them out.

And unbraiding too.

“Well, uh,” Ben falters as he catches on, using both hands now to gently remove the flowers and set them on his nightstand. “You… the bride would start growing her hair out as soon as she’s engaged. The longer her hair, the more promises her partner can make.”

It’s been a while since Rey last cut her hair, having made the decision to grow it out now that she no longer spends her days in the desert. It’s grown past her shoulders now, hangs just below her shoulder blades, but she’s seen holos of Leia in her youth, of hair hanging past her waist and sometimes even her hips.

“How long would I grow it out for?” she asks, deliberate in her choice of words.

Ben stills for just a moment. “Six months, at least,” he says, eyes still focused on her hair. “Most Alderaanians tend to keep their hair long anyway, but wedding planning usually takes about that long. Some brides choose to wait for a year.”

Rey scrunches up her nose to draw his attention. “I don’t think I could wait for a whole year.”

It’s a dangerous game she’s playing, a distant dream neither of them should be entertaining when the tides have just begun to turn in their favor. But it feels pointless to pretend or deny or play ignorant when she knows what she dreams of at night, when she knows what Ben dreams of too.

Maybe that thought bleeds through, because he finally smiles then and runs a hand through her hair, toying with the ends. “I think six months would be enough.”

She nods in agreement. “So, what happens next?”

“The cou… we would spend those six months coming up with promises to make,” Ben says, dropping all pretenses as his hands slide down to her waist to hold her close. “And when… when we agree on a final set, my family would be the one responsible for the ornaments – usually flowers, but some couples choose to go with a more personal design.”

Rey eyes the pins on his nightstand. “I like the flowers,” she decides, knowing Leia wouldn’t have brought them out for just any reason. If this is what she and her son are willing to offer Rey, if they’re happy to share their family and their traditions and their heirlooms – well, Rey will happily accept.

“I like them too,” Ben says with a smile, leaning down for a quick peck on her lips. “On the morning of, once everything else is done and everyone’s ready, the wedding party will leave us alone while they tend to our guests, and I’ll braid each promise we’ve decided to share into your hair.”

“Do I do anything?” Rey asks, tilting her head in curiosity. “I mean, I know we’re sharing them, but if I’m the only one wearing them, it feels…”

Ben nods. “Some brides choose to reciprocate with a single braid for the groom. It means they acknowledge the promises, and pledge to do the same.”

Rey grins as she runs a hand through his hair. “You’ll have to teach me how.”

“We’ve got time,” he assures her with a smile, the kind that makes his eyes crinkle at the corners, the kind that warms her in a way no desert sun ever could.

“And then what?” Rey prompts, sliding one hand into his. “You said something about unbraiding?”

“Alderaanians only wear their hair down in the privacy of their homes, around their loved ones,” Ben explains. “A married Aldeeranian will only let their hair down in the presence of their partner, and usually with their help.”

“So you’re supposed to help me take my hair down at the end of each day?”

“Only if you ask me to. If you choose to let me. It’s… it’s a form of communication, each and every day of a relationship. It means you trust your partner with this because you trust them more than anyone else in the galaxy.”

“I already do,” Rey tells him without hesitation.

“So do I, sweetheart,” Ben replies, lifting their joined hands to press a kiss to her inner wrist. She waits until he’s done to curl her free hand around his neck and pull him down for a proper kiss, rising up on her knees to make it easier on both their necks as Ben wraps his arms around her.

One hand slides into her hair, combing through the last of her braids as they break the kiss to press their foreheads together, sharing a secret smile as Ben rubs his nose against hers in a still-new show of affection.

A year away from the First Order and six months on base has softened him, allowed him to slowly shed the hard shell of his past to reveal the boy Leia still remembers, the man Rey’s always known him to be. But it still feels surreal sometimes, to have Ben here with her, to giggle as he nuzzles the ticklish spot behind her ear, to realize that they’re building a future worth fighting for.

“I love you,” she murmurs when Ben’s lips return to hers, leaving behind a trail of kisses she might need to cover up this evening. Funny how she’d tried so hard to keep those three words in, only for the dam to be broken the day Ben showed up out of the blue, ready to risk everything just to tell her in person.

Ben smiles against her lips. “I love–”

“Kids! You can’t be late to your own party!” Leia calls through the door, complete with insistent knocking.

A quick glance at the datapad on Ben’s nightstand reveals that they’ve got little more than half an hour to sort themselves out and get to the celebration.

“We’ll see you there!” Ben tells his mother, prompting a back-and-forth that includes several warnings from Leia that have Rey laughing into her hand. When the general starts bringing up that one time she and Han were late to a similar occasion because of… certain distractions, Rey is relieved to find nothing but panic and slight disgust on Ben’s end of the Bond.

“Mom, stop. Stop!”

“I’ll save the story for dinner then,” Leia promises, her laughter fading away along with her footsteps.

Ben shudders at the thought before he finally turns back to her. “Do I really have to go?”

“It’s your celebration, Ben,” she points out, ignoring his grumbled protestations as she leans forward to pick up the forgotten tunic crumpled up at the foot of his bed. “Come on, get dressed. I still need you to braid my hair for me.”

That effectively shuts him up.

“You want me to–?”

Rey shrugs as she gets to her feet, shaking out the tunic to find it in decent condition. “You should probably start practicing, right?”

When she turns back to him, Ben’s looking up at her as if she’s offered him the galaxy.

“What?” Rey asks, her lips twitching with a barely-contained smile.

Ben shakes his head. “Nothing. Nothing,” he insists before she can question him, patting the space next to him. “I just… I love you.”

Rey curls into his side and closes her eyes, allows herself a little sigh as his warmth seeps through her clothes to burrow under her skin. “Is there a braid for engaged couples?” she asks quietly, eyes still closed.

Warm lips brush against her temple. “I’ll show you,” Ben murmurs, already carding his fingers through her hair.

This feels particularly long and slow and plotless, but I’m choosing to tell myself that’s because it’s been a while since I’ve written anything this long. Hopefully that’s actually the case!

As always, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this, my 40th Reylo fic. Please feel free to like/reblog/comment - hearing from you guys always makes my day. <3

[iffeelscouldkill]

Roses Are Red (Valentines Are Hard)

A/N: A late Valentine’s Day offering. (Which is in keeping with the theme of the fic, if you read!) Just a silly and (hopefully) cute thing.

Cross-posted to AO3

Violet does a double-take when she sees the date on her holo-display upon waking up that morning. 92-02-14. February 14, 2192. Valentine's Day.

Crap. She'd forgotten about Valentine's Day. Well, more like she'd stopped thinking about Valentine's Day given that the last time she was in anything resembling a 'relationship' had been those four months with Terry right before finals. Ugh. No, she doesn't need to be thinking about that right now.

Is it too late to plan something? she thinks, followed by, Would Arkady even celebrate Valentine's Day?

Arkady isn't exactly the hearts and flowers type, granted, but neither is Violet. She likes genuinely sweet and thoughtful gestures - like using your favourite mint plant to make someone a cup of tea - not saccharine Hallmark declarations of affection. Besides, with her name being Violet, she's heard way too many puns over the years involving that stupid 'Roses Are Red' poem.

Anyway. Violet returns to thinking about Valentine's Day plans. She remembers Sana saying that they would be making a call at Pangu, a small planet with a bustling market, in a couple of days to refuel and resupply. In fact, were they due to land today? If they were, then she had an idea for what she could do to mark the occasion.

After getting dressed, she wanders into the kitchen to make breakfast - and runs into Brian, who is inexplicably wearing a plastic crown on his head.

"Uh, morning, Brian!" she greets him, amused.

"Hey, Violet. Do you do Valentine's Day? If so, Happy Valentine's," says Brian, slicing a banana onto some oatmeal.

"Yeah, I kind of do, as long as it doesn't clash with the Lunar New Year, anyway," Violet replies. "Happy Valentine's Day. And uh, nice crown?"

Brian laughs a little and touches the crown on top of his head. "Thanks. It's a tradition, kinda?"

"Between you and Krejjh?"

"Yeah," Brian says and smiles fondly. "Dwarnians don't really celebrate Valentine's Day or anything like it, though they have a couple of festivals dedicated to bonded couples - married couples, that is - and to intended couples, or-"

"Engaged couples?" Violet fills in. "Yeah, I remember Krejjh referred to you as their "intended", to Eejjhgreb."

"Right. But there's not really a day for like, romance in general? Or for newer couples. So, Valentine's Day came up a couple of months after we sorta, finally, became an official 'couple', but Krejjh didn't know about it. I wasn't expecting us to do anything for it, but we happened to be docked on Bathala, a kind of lawless planet wayyyy on the outer reaches of charted space, almost in the Deep. It's mostly a human planet, but it's not unheard of for humans and Dwarnians to mingle there in peacetime.

"So, Krejjh and I went out to this - cafeteria? A really cheap and kind of commercial place, really hilarious. And Krejjh wanted to know what was with all of the pink, and the hearts, and the flowers. So, I kinda explained it, and they got upset that they didn't have anything to give me, to "symbolise their undying affection"."

Violet giggles.

"I told them I didn't expect anything, but I think part of the appeal was understanding and taking part in a human romantic tradition, so... anyway, they were doing this ongoing competition - eat a huge plate of this legendarily spicy house chili, and win a crown. And a spot in the cafeteria Hall of Fame."

"I think I see where this is going," Violet laughs.

"Right, so Dwarnians also have this thing about competitive acts of bravery to prove their affection. Add to that a love of spicy food, and - that chili didn't stand a chance. Krejjh's portrait is still hanging in the House of Tantalising Tastes Hall of Fame. And I wear this," Brian touches the crown on top of his head, "every Valentine's Day in honour of their victory."

"'House of Tantalising Tastes'?" Violet repeats with glee.

"The finest establishment we ever set foot in," Brian says solemnly.

"Clearly, a sign of great things to come," Violet agrees.

The door whooshes open and Sana comes into the kitchen. "Morning Violet, morning, Brian," she says, cheerfully. Looking between Brian's pleased face and Violet still snorting with laughter, she says,

"Has Brian been telling you the plastic crown story?"

"I don't think I've ever heard a more classic Krejjh tale," Violet laughs.

"Oh, dude, you haven't even heard the story of our first date. I have so many more where that came from."

"Well, you can tell them on the way to the market," says Sana. "We'll be landing on Pangu in half an hour. Violet, are you up for a market run?"

"Yeah, that sounds like fun," says Violet, thinking of her Valentine's Day plan. "Is Arkady coming?" she adds, hoping she sounds casual.

Sana frowns slightly. "She hasn't actually emerged from her room yet, but she usually comes on a market run. I'll knock on her door again in a few minutes and see."

Violet hurries to finish her breakfast and get ready to go out. She's not dressed up, exactly, but she puts on just a little bit of makeup - which she doesn't normally bother with - and a pair of cute, dangly earrings with clusters of flowers hanging down. She smiles at her reflection in a small hand mirror.

However, when Sana knocks on Arkady's door a few minutes later, she's met with a muffled, "Go out without me!"

"Arkady?" Sana calls through the door, frowning. "Are you okay?"

"I think I'm sick," comes the response, followed by a slightly forced-sounding bout of coughing.

"Do you want me to check you over?" Violet calls.

"Nah, I'm probably contagious. I don't want to get you sick," Arkady calls back. "I'll be better this afternoon, probably."

Sana looks sidelong at Violet and then replies, "All right, make sure you get some rest. It'd be really good if you can make it out later on."

"Count on it," Arkady calls. "Have fun at the market."

Violet is a little despondent over Arkady's absence, but her mood picks up as soon as they get to the market. It's a nice day outside. Pangu has two stars that rise and set at different times and provide light to the planet; one is rising as they step outside, while the other is just past its peak. The combined effect is bright and pleasant.

Normally, Sana and Arkady and occasionally Violet do the market runs while Brian keeps Krejjh company on the ship, but this time Brian comes with them, on the lookout for some kind of mystery item for Krejjh.

Violet winds her way among the stalls, keeping her eyes open for something suitable. There's such a huge variety of stalls and goods on offer - food and clothing, accessories and crafts. She is eventually drawn towards a jewellery stall with elaborate, gothic necklaces and bracelets wrought in silver.

She toys with a cuff with a pattern of interlocking vines, before she spies a black velvet choker with a delicate design in the centre: two silver flowers nestled side by side, with leaves arching around them in the shape of a heart. Violet can't help reaching out to touch it. She loves it, but is it too much? Would Arkady wear it? She feels like she needs a second opinion.

She looks around for Sana, but the Captain is deep among the food stalls, bartering for supplies. Instead she spots Brian, browsing a couple of stalls over.

"Hey, Brian," Violet calls. He looks up and trots over.

"Oh, hey, do they have crown jewellery on this stall? Ooh, they do!"

Brian picks up a large, ostentatious crown pendant hanging off a chain, and beams at it.

"Brian, do... Do you think Arkady would like this?"

Brian looks over at the choker Violet is holding, and smiles. "That's super nice! It's totally Arkady's style, too."

"She doesn't already have one like it, does she?"

Brian tilts his head slightly, thinking, and then shakes his head. "Arkady doesn't really splash out on jewellery that often," he says. "I think she might have a plain one, but that's it."

"All right," says Violet determinedly. "I'll get it for her."

She haggles briefly with the stallholder before buying the choker, and Brian does the same with his crown necklace. Carrying their purchases wrapped in tissue paper, they meet back up with Sana, who is looking triumphant with several bags full of dehydrated food packs, fresh ingredients and other necessities.

"Looks like you made out okay, Captain," says Brian approvingly.

"I'd say I did," Sana agrees, satisfied. "Would you mind taking one of these each?"

They help her haul the bags of supplies back to the ship. To their surprise, as they approach the Rumor, they can see a small delivery drone hovering outside the airlock.

"What's this?" Sana asks, frowning. "I don't remember ordering anything. Did either of you...?" Violet and Brian both shake their heads.

Sana takes hold of the drone's package, which is a matte black cylinder about a foot long, vacuum sealed. Relieved of its delivery, the drone flies off.

Sana peers at the little screen that details the sender and recipient. "It's for me," she says with some surprise. "But there's no sender listed..."

"Do you think it's dangerous?" asks Violet, worried. "Should we get Arkady?"

Sana shakes her head slowly. "Whatever it is, it's passed through an official interstellar Customs checkpoint," she says. "The contents have been certified."

"What does the label say?" Brian asks.

"'Flora,'" Sana replies.

"So, a plant of some kind?" Violet suggests.

"Time to find out..." Sana twists one end of the cylinder, and the vacuum seal releases with a hiss. She hands the cap to Brian and from inside the tube, gently draws out a bouquet: delicate white flowers with dark green leaves and a pale yellow centre.

"Oh," says Sana in a strange voice. "These are my favourites."

"Is that jasmine?" asks Violet, recognising the scent. She's amazed that the flowers have survived the journey from - wherever they came from. It's definitely not a local delivery.

"Hey, there's a note," says Brian, peering into the not-quite-empty delivery tube. He pulls out a folded piece of paper and opens it to reveal a drawing.

"What is that?" Sana asks, puzzled - but Violet recognises the shape.

"Isn't that a soup can?"

"Oh!" says Sana again, in understanding, and her cheeks tint pink.

"It's from Campbell?" Brian asks, delightedly.

Sana nods slowly, leaning forward to smell the flowers. Violet shares a grin with Brian.

"I'll see you guys a little later," Sana says, almost to the flowers. "I have to go make a call."

As she disappears into the ship, they hear her murmur,

"Jasmine... I can't believe he remembered."

Roses are red Violets are blue Wait, your name is Violet, that sounds weird

Roses are red Flowers are pretty This poem is shitty

Roses are red Flowers are lame At least I didn't make A pun on your name

Arkady groans and puts her head down on her arms. With one hand, she reaches out for the closest sheet of notepaper and crumples it, then listlessly flings it across the worktop.

She rubs her eyes as a knock sounds at the door. "What?" she calls, trying to sound croaky and hoarse.

"You can give it up, Arkady, I know you're not sick," Sana calls through the door, quietly.

"I don't know what you're-" Arkady breaks off mid-sentence to fake a coughing fit. "-talking about."

"Right," Sana says drily. "Look, I know you're not much of a one for days like today. I know you'd rather just skip the whole thing. But I don't think... anyone... is expecting something huge. I think they'd just be glad to see you, honestly."

Arkady looks at the crumpled notepaper spread across the worktop, at her failed attempts to write even a clichéd four-line poem.

"I'll be out real soon," she promises Sana.

If she leaves her room now, it'll all have been for nothing. She can't give up.

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? How the fuck does the rest of it go

La fleur que tu m'avais jetée Je ne parle pas français

“No, and hell no,” Arkady mutters, tearing the page from her almost empty memo pad. "Fuck. Why is this so hard?"

She sweeps her arm across the metal worktop, clearing it, and stares at the empty surface. Just write from the heart, Kady, she thinks to herself. You've listened to how many flowery declarations of love in operas? It's not that hard. Just project confidence. And your voice. Okay, not your voice.

Hey Violet I think you're super cute and also I want to make out with you

Arkady scribbles violently across the page and contemplates breaking her pencil in two. She should have just gone with her original plan of doodling a bunch of flowers and sliding it under Violet’s door. Or making her a bouquet of mint plants. Or a cup of tea. Something.

Arkady catches sight of the time on her holo-display and feels the bottom drop out of her stomach. 11:42 PM. “Fuck,” she swears vehemently. No, that doesn’t quite cover it. “Breesht.”

She has 18 minutes left of Valentine’s Day. 18 minutes left to come up with the perfect poem. Or even a passable poem. Arkady frantically reapplies herself to her task, ignoring the part of her brain which intones that she’s definitely already fucked it up beyond repair by ignoring Violet for the whole day. She can fix this. With a good enough poem, she can fix this.

Violet isn’t normally an early riser. She gets out of bed at a reasonable hour, and she’s always up and dressed in time to carry out her allocated chores around the ship, but she’s not one of those people who relishes getting up at the crack of dawn. Sana rises with the sun, and Brian and Krejjh keep odd hours, but when neither of them has a night shift, they’re up early to do some kind of Dwarnian meditation. Arkady rolls out of bed at the last possible second, while Violet makes a point of being up by 8 AM at the latest.

The morning after Valentine’s Day, though, she wakes up much earlier than usual – 6:20 AM, ugh – and can’t get back to sleep. She can’t stop thinking about Arkady’s non-appearance yesterday and wondering if she had anything to do with it. Did she do something wrong? Was buying the choker too presumptuous? Should she have tried to talk to Arkady? Slipped the gift through her door?

Several times, Violet had hesitated outside Arkady’s door, wanting to call through it and check on her, but something had held her back. She couldn’t help but think that it was her Arkady was avoiding by staying in her room, and if that was the case, she didn’t want to make things worse. But the anxiety eats away at her.

Sighing, Violet gives up on sleep and sits up, deciding to go to the kitchen and make a cup of tea. She knows she’ll probably run into Sana, if not Brian and Krejjh as well, but it’s better than staying inside her room and stewing.

As she leaves her room, she pockets the tissue paper package containing Arkady’s choker – just in case.

As she’d suspected, Sana, Brian and Krejjh are all awake and drinking coffee in the mess hall as Violet shuffles through on her way to the kitchen.

“Violet!” Krejjh calls out happily. “You’re awake so early! Good morning!”

Violet is barely able to deal with Krejjh’s level of energy before tea on a normal morning, let alone at this hour and with her current level of anxiety. She just about manages a, “Morning, Krejjh.”

Sana is definitely looking at her with sympathy, and Violet prays that the captain doesn’t say anything. While she normally appreciates what Arkady likes to call “the feelings corner”, if Sana tries to comfort her right now, she thinks she might start crying.

But before anyone can say anything else, Arkady bursts into the room.

“Violet!” she cries, skidding to a halt. Her hair is a mess, and she looks like she slept in her clothes – if she even got any sleep. There are dark shadows under her eyes and her expression is slightly wild.

“Arkady?” Violet begins tentatively, but then Arkady is barrelling on, reciting something off a crumpled piece of paper.

“Roses are great, Tulips are too, But of all the flowers, My favourite is you!”

Arkady finishes and looks up at Violet with a mixture of expectancy and trepidation. Uncaffeinated, and taken aback by the sudden – and very public – declaration of affection, Violet is frozen for several seconds. She sees the panic begin to creep into Arkady’s expression, and knows that she’s seconds away from bolting – she needs to do something, quickly.

“Uh…” Brian begins uncertainly, but stops as Violet steps forward and kisses Arkady in front of the whole crew.

Arkady’s eyes widen, and for a second she seems like she might pull away and bolt anyway, but then her eyes flutter shut, and she tenderly returns Violet’s kiss.

The whole thing only lasts for a few moments, but Violet is almost delirious with happiness as she pulls away. She thinks she might literally be floating. Arkady looks slightly dazed, but smiles and rests her forehead against Violet’s.

“So, you liked the poem?” she asks quietly.

“It was perfect,” Violet tells her sincerely. “Oh, I got you something as well-” She takes the tissue-wrapped package out of her pocket and hands it to Arkady, who looks stunned.

“It – you got this for me? Really?”

“Yes,” Violet confirms shyly. “Uh, you can open it back in your room, if you want to-”

“Crewman Jeeter, please can I applaud now?” Krejjh stage whispers, breaking the moment.

“Oh my god,” Arkady complains. “No, absolutely not. Go away, all of you.”

“Uh, you burst in on us, dude,” Brian says with great amusement. “Also, did that rhyme really take you, like, thirty-six hours?”

Arkady flips him off before carefully undoing the tissue paper around Violet’s gift. “It was twenty-four hours at most-” she returns, and then stops short as she uncovers the velvet choker.

Violet realises that she’s unconsciously holding her breath as she waits for Arkady’s reaction. She would rather not have given her the gift in front of the whole crew – would have been happy to let her open it in private, in fact, but she’s desperate to know that Arkady likes it.

“Is it okay?” she asks quietly as Arkady gazes at the gift without speaking. “I saw it at the market yesterday and thought of you, but if it’s not your style, I don’t mind if you-”

The rest of her sentence is lost as Arkady kisses her enthusiastically. This time, Brian doesn’t stop Krejjh from applauding, and Arkady manages to refrain from making obscene gestures until after she and Violet have finished kissing.

“Thanks,” she says quietly to Violet, under Krejjh’s delighted commentary, Brian’s good-natured teasing, and Sana’s encouragement. “I… yeah. Just, thanks.”

“Happy Valentine’s Day,” Violet says, and squeezes her hand.

A/N: "La fleur que tu m'avais jetée" is a romantic aria from the opera Carmen. I doubt Arkady would have had the opportunity to learn any French on Cresswin Landing (outside of an operatic context), but I figured it wasn't out of the question for her to know the phrase, "I don't speak French" (which is what the line after that says).

Also, credit to @thevoicefromthestars who came up with Arkady’s final poem in the Starship Iris Discord. Thank you for inspiring this fic! <3

[purplepatton]

heading straight for the castle - one

summary: logan sanders is a prince who wants nothing to do with the responsibilities the throne gives him. roman prince is a civilian who would give anything to be royalty. when an odd twist of fate leads them to meet, the pair realize something remarkable: they look exactly alike. from there they decide to switch places, wanting to see how the other lives. but a simple switch quickly becomes something more as things spiral out of control in the kingdom 

trigger warnings: none for this chapter, but if you need something tagged let me know!

artist: the stellar @keuwibird (find her amazing art here if you haven’t seen it yet,,, trust me it’s amazing)

beta: the amazing @logically-sided!! i want a give her a big shoutout because she helped me so much with this fic,, without her this fic would be shoved somewhere in the back of my wip folder lol. she was such a big help with everything, from fixing my grammer and giving me suggestions when i got stuck. she’s the real mvp,,, thank you again liz!!!

notes: so this is my big bang fic! i know i’m a little late posting (sorry about that) but better late than never! i’ve decided that instead of posting the story all at once, i’m just going to post a chapter every day (or every couple of days) because with school starting and work i don’t have much time to sit down and format everything properly lol (plus this gives me more time to make sure everything is ok lol) but, yeah! hope you enjoy it, because i had so much fun writing this story :))))

If there is one thing that Logan hates more than anything in the world, it would have to be sitting in on the council meetings.

Maybe it’s the way the members drone in pompous tones about issues that rarely hold value. Maybe it’s the way the members take ages to decide the proper course of action, when in reality it should only take them a few days. Or maybe it’s just because the meetings always seemed to happen when Logan was doing something he enjoyed, therefore taking away the precious moments he had to himself, which were few and far between these days.

Whatever the reason, Logan can feel his attention slipping as two of the council members begin an argument about taxes and the possibilities of raising them. It’s been the same argument all week; although this time the two decided to add insulting each other into the mix.

Logan can feel the disgust curling up in his stomach. He clenches his fist, and tries his best not to scowl outwardly because these people are supposed to be professionals. Yet here they are arguing like children. No wonder nothing ever gets done around here; everyone is too busy focusing on their own petty differences to make any significant changes.

Pushing himself to his feet, Logan storms out of the room and leaves the council to argue among themselves. Once he’s outside the doors, he leans against the wall and tries to bring his emotions under control. He needs to think clearly, and his emotions are only clouding his thoughts. He breathes out slowly and forces himself to relax.

“Wow.” A voice next to him says, sounding amused. “You lasted forty minutes in there. That’s got to be a new record or something.”

Logan has long gotten used to Joan’s habit of popping up out of nowhere, so this new appearance does little to phase him. Instead he turns towards his aide standing beside him and raises an eyebrow. “Only forty? I could have sworn it was longer.”

“Well, you know what they say,” Joan says, falling into step alongside of Logan. They head down the hall and away from the muffled voices of the council room. “Time flies when you’re having fun.”

Logan snorts, catching the sarcasm in their voice. Joan grins widely at Logan’s slip in composure, and Logan has to resist the urge to blame the council for his lapse in control. Instead, he rolls his shoulders back and asks, “Where to now?”  Because even he can’t keep his schedule straight in his head; not when there is so much to do and so much is changed at least five times a day.

“It’s one in the afternoon.” Joan says in reply, not answering Logan’s question at all.

That means that whatever is on Logan’s schedule next is something he should remember, and is probably something he’s been looking forward to. He furrows his brow and tries to think.

It hits him a few moments later, as they’re walking down the hall that eventually makes its way to the back of the castle. “Oh!” He says a bit too loudly, drawing the attention of a maid who happens to be hurrying past. He flashes her his smile usually reserved for the reporters before lowering his voice and addressing Joan. “I nearly forgot. I guess I really do need a break.”

“The great Logan forgetting something? Looks like it’s the beginning of the end.” Joan says with a faux expression of pity. “Best get your affairs in order because it’s all downhill from here.”

This time Logan manages to school his expression into something more neutral, although his lip twitches and betrays his amusement.

The pair follows the hallway until they stop in front of a rather plain door. It’s nothing special, just wood with a simple design carved into it. It’s rather out of the way from the other places in the castle, in a region that’s only really used by servants. Which makes it the ideal location for Logan and Joan.

Logan knocks on the door while Joan keeps an eye out for anybody who might happen to walk by. There is a slight pause before the door is swung open by a women with long brown hair and sparkling eyes.

She’s happy to see them, if not impatient. “It’s about time!” She huffs, dragging both Logan and Joan into the room and closing the door firmly behind them. “I was beginning to think the two of you would never show up!”

It is quite possible that Valerie Torres is an actual goddess.

She had worked in the palace as the head seamstress for many years, and had been with Logan for a good number of them. She was kind, hardworking and a rather good listener. Logan had spent so much time with her - what with all the suits and fittings he needed for the meetings and parties and interviews he needed to attend - that she quickly became one of the few people Logan actually trusted.

And when Logan had approached her with a half formed plan to gain some freedom, she had immediately offered her help.

Now she shoves a bundle of clothes into Logan’s arms and instructs him to change into them. He takes them and dutifully walks to the small corner of the room that’s sectioned off by a hanging sheet to change. He quickly swaps out his lavish clothes for the more ordinary polo shirt and jeans. He finishes adjusting his tie around his neck (an accessory he insisted on despite of Valerie's protests, because he is a serious person and serious people wear neckties) and steps back into the main section of the room where Joan and Valerie are waiting.

He stretches out his arms. “Well?” He asks. “How do I look?”

“Completely ordinary.” Joan drawls from where they are lounging on a chair.

Valerie frowns, walks over and musses up his hair out of it’s carefully styled position into a more casual and relaxed style. It’s not a complete change, but Logan knows from past experience that it’s enough of a change that people will need a second look to identify him. And the time it takes them to take a second look is just the amount of time he needs to slip away.

“There you go.” Valerie says, content with her work. She crosses her arms and narrows her eyes. “Are you sure you don’t want Joan come? I’d feel a lot better if they were with you.”

Logan rolls his eyes. Every time he goes out of the castle it’s the same song and dance. He’s had this exact conversation with Valerie many times, and each time it goes the same way. He doesn’t understand why Valerie expects his answer to change.

“I just want an hour to myself.” He says, frustration creeping into his voice. “I understand your concerns, but I’ve been doing this for so long now that the odds of something going wrong are infinitesimal.”

Valerie frowns because it’s not the answer she wants to hear, but there’s really nothing she can do to stop him. “Fine. Be careful.”

“You know me.” Logan says with another one of his faked smiles. “I’m always careful.”

The afternoon rush was in full swing, but Logan doesn’t mind the way people are swarming around him and pushing to get to where they want to go. He lets the flow of traffic push him along with the crowd,  not caring where he ends up.

It’s a nice sort of feeling, just wandering around and not worrying about where he has to be.

He’s visited this part of the city so many times that he could probably walk it blindfolded. As he rounds a corner in the crowd, he spies a small bookshop that’s a favorite of his. It looks rather empty, but Logan can’t remember a time when it had actually been full. It’s always half empty like this, which Logan likes because it means the store is quiet enough for him to focus on whatever he happens to be reading.

With his eyes locked onto the store’s sign Logan starts towards the store, not paying attention to where he’s actually walking.

Logan immediately regrets this decision as he proceeds to run headfirst into someone. It’s a painful collision, and Logan falls back onto the ground with a grunt. His glasses had fallen off in the process, and the world around him has melted into a blur of color and movement. He reaches around him, trying to find his glasses so he could see what was going on.

Someone is standing over him, and even though Logan can’t see a foot in front of his face, he assumes that this is the person he ran into because a steady stream of apologies is being directed at him.

“-wasn’t looking where I was going, are you okay?” A hand grabs his and hauls Logan to his feet. Logan was not ready for the sudden change of position and he wobbles slightly before regaining his balance.  

Logan tries to assure the person that he’s fine, but he can’t get a word in edgewise as the person babbles on. “You don’t look hurt, that’s good. I swear I didn’t mean to run into you, I was just in a hurry and you just sort of appeared and I-”

The voice cuts off for a reason Logan isn’t exactly sure of and he takes the opportunity to say, “I’m fine, thank you. I just need my glasses. You wouldn’t happen to see them lying around, would you? I’m afraid I can’t see anything.”

His glasses are shoved into his hand rather roughly and he pushes them onto his nose, feeling the tension that had been building up in his shoulders relax as soon as he was able to see. He looks at the person in front of him and the first thing he notices is the person’s expression.

He’s looking at Logan in shock and alarm. For a moment Logan doesn’t understand what could possibly be so worrying to this boy (who on a second glance looked around Logan’s age). Then he sees what the boy sees and his jaw drops.

The boy looks exactly like him.

Taglist (let me know if you want to be added/taken off): @basilstorm@artistfromthestars@storytellerofuntoldlegends@romananalogicality@verymuchanidiot @istolelittleredshoodie @dont-cry-croft @speechless-angel@thefamouszombiebouquet @wolfwalker100 @datonerougecookeh@virgilient @virgil-is-verge@impatentpending@zaisling@trixie85592 @sillysandersides @hamster-corn @adventurousplatypus @unring-this-bell @mymiddlenameisunderscore

[mybestluxe]

Where Can You Buy Pearl Necklace For Men?

Pearl Necklace For Men are the fad that has been there since a long time now.

Pearls are a classic item of jewellery that exudes beauty, class, and refinement. They’re perfect for wearing at any time of day, regardless of how casual or formal one has to be. This is also what makes them ideal as a present for nearly any occasion. Receiving pearls for a special occasion would be a dream come true for any woman or girl.

Most men would agree that choosing jewellery as a gift is difficult since you must always consider the giftee’s taste and style. However, pearls meet all of the criteria for a perfect present for a special lady. They are timeless pieces of jewellery that will never go out of style.

Also Read:- What are Round Diamonds: A Complete Guide for You

Table of Contents

Celebs Who Took Pearl for Men Style to Next Level

HOW TO WEAR MEN’S NECKLACES

3 Pearl Accessories for Men

Harry’s Pearl Necklace For Men

Nick and Joe Jonas Pearl Necklace For Men

A$AP Pearl Necklace For Men

Billy Porter Pearl Necklace For Men

Should men wear pearl necklaces?

When should you not wear pearls?

Are fake pearls individually knotted?

Celebs Who Took Pearl for Men Style to Next Level

Harry’s

Pearl Necklace For Men

Did you carefully watched Harry at the Met Gala in 2019? if yes then I am sure you also became a fan of the Pearl style that Harry carried. This Harry style acquainted us with this new style for men who looking for a style that is different from the status quo. But not only Harry is seen wearing Neckalce jewelry on many occasions, but there are also other celebs as well who don’t want to lag behind this trendy fashion fiesta.

Nick and Joe Jonas Pearl Necklace For Men

The little pearl necklaces Nick and Joe Jonas wore at the 2020 Grammy Awards caught the attention of many viewers, especially men who are driven towards new fashion style. The JoBros show that pearl necklaces don’t have to be worn with monochromatic outfits—they can also be worn with designs.

A$AP

Pearl Necklace For Men

Another celeb, A$AP Rocky, who sat on the front row during fashion week of Gucci with the pearl necklace around his neck, beautifying A$AP’s personality to the next level. those who saw his picture, got their eyes struck on this pearl necklace style for men.

Billy Porter Pearl Necklace For Men

Billy Porter is the king of the red carpet. He’s unstoppable, and I’m still not over his Grammys look from this year. The pearl necklace he’s wearing in the above photo, which was taken at a promotional event for his film Like a Boss, serves as a reminder to men (and women) everywhere that a tie isn’t the only accessory that can be worn around the neck when it comes to button-up shirt styling.

Pharrell Williams is recognised for kicking off trends, or at the very least having people talking about them. Years later, I’m still remembering the 2014 Grammys’ brown hat incident. (In a strange turn of events, the hat sold for $44,100 to Arby’s.) The nicest thing about Pharrell’s style is that the pearls don’t wear him. He is decked out in pearls.

Pearl jewellery is a wonderful present for any birthday, but especially for a girl’s coming-of-age birthday when she becomes 16, 18, or 21. Pearls are the birthstone for anybody born in June, so giving this gemstone as a birthday gift will be significant and indicate that you care about your daughter or niece. If you’re shopping for pearls for a young girl, keep it simple.

A basic, charming, and little set of studs is both casual and stylish, and may be worn by anyone of any age. Of course, it’s essential to know the birthday girl’s style so you can choose the perfect pearl jewellery, but even if you don’t, pearl stud earrings are always a good choice.

Pearls symbolise wisdom and fresh beginnings, so if you’re ever unsure what to get for a special occasion, such as a relative’s graduation, guess no longer. Consider a modern take on the classic style instead of a pearl strand. There are many trendy and fascinating designs available, such as those available at the Pearls of Joy Store, that are suitable for any current, stylish young woman. Choose Black Akoya pearl earrings for a novel take on pearl accessories, or consider a “Silk” Diamond & Akoya pearl pendant for the avant-garde, one-of-a-kind niece you admire.

HOW TO WEAR MEN’S NECKLACES

Decide what kind of storey you want to convey Consider how attention-grabbing the necklace should be. For example, do you like a colossal gold chain or a modest steel chain necklace with a crucifix pendant?

2. Make a plan for how you’ll wear your necklace

Will you put it on top of or underneath your shirt? Knowing this will assist you in selecting the appropriate size and length. For example, when worn over a plain T-shirt, a chain necklace with a Thor’s Hammer pendant can add style, while a 2 mm gold-tone steel chain would just peek out from beneath a button-down shirt.

Waxed cotton cord blends perfectly between hanging out at the pool and going out for drinks at night if you’re looking for something light in the summer.

3. Determine the colour you require and match metals Your necklace should match other colours in your attire and various metals, from coloured beaded necklaces to silver- and gold-tone stainless steel. Keep everything in sync if you’re wearing bracelets, rings, or a watch – and why wouldn’t you? Because necklaces come into contact with the skin, be sure they’re nickel-free to avoid an allergic reaction.

4. You should know how many you desire. This is related to #2. Wearing numerous necklaces under a shirt without their outline showing is difficult. But if you’re wearing it over a shirt, go crazy. Choose 2-3 necklaces with different textures and lengths to layer and wear many necklaces. Wearing three thick gold chain necklaces will not look as beautiful as wearing two chains of varying thicknesses and one beaded necklace with gold-tone accent beads.

3 Pearl Accessories for Men

Pearl Cufflinks for Men

Cufflinks are a fashion statement for well-dressed men. Cufflinks with inlaid pearls create a distinct style that any man can claim. Pearl cufflinks are appropriate for any occasion and will make any suit stand out.

2. Pearl Bracelets & Necklaces for Men

A leather and pearl bracelet or necklace with Tahitian black pearls adds a touch of class to a man’s look. Either way, you’ll have an edgy look.

When coupled with stones like diamonds and pearls, edgy materials like leather become stylish. Your pearl jewellery can be changed into something suitable for males with the correct bespoke design.

3. Pearl Tie Tacks for Men

A pearl tie tack is ideal for highlighting your favourite tie. It exudes a subtle, unexpected grace that is unique to men. Make sure those pearls are real if you’re a handsome gent who wants to look like royalty.

Should men wear pearl necklaces?

Many males are hesitant to wear pearl jewellery since the designs are typically feminine. However, today’s pearl jewellery designers have included more unisex and masculine styles to cater to actual men’s fashion preferences. You might be able to obtain genuine black Tahitian pearls, which are ideal for making men’s jewellery.

When should you not wear pearls?

Wearing pearl earrings, necklaces, and bracelets together with ordinary apparel will overshadow your outfit and make you appear overdressed. Put hanging pearl earrings if you have short hair or wear it up to draw emphasis to your neck and face.

Are fake pearls individually knotted?

Individually knotted real pearls will be used. This means that each pearl has a little knot in it. The knots keep the pearls from rubbing against each other and protect you from losing them if the strand breaks. High-end imitation pearl strands, on the other hand, are frequently twisted between each “pearl.”

About Us –

Living a fulfilled life does not cost you a fortune. Elegance is a choice of lifestyle, it’s not luxury. You need not be making millions to live your life fully.

My Best Luxe is an online one-stop platform where we bring you all the information related to specific luxury lifestyle items. It’s a curated list of everything to do with living a fulfilled life.

Want to understand whats the latest trends in fashion, jewelry, accessories, or lifestyle in general? Stay tuned to our blog for all the updates.

We are a community of market experts who regularly research for trending updates of the market and bring it to our enthusiastic readers.

[caesarsme]

ไอเดีย Prada Bag 79 รายการ

Gucci, however, managed to fend him off by promoting a 45% stake to industrialist François Pinault, for US$3 billion. In 1998, the first Prada menswear boutique opened in Los Angeles. I’m a coffee very first thing in the morning person and discover the quiet morning hours probably the greatest instances to unwind. Before I headed out to brunch, I packed my Matinée bag and again found this bag to be actually spacious and constructed properly. Some additional cool features about this bag are the adjustable leather handle and removable adjustable leather shoulder strap. This bag is meant to work for you and your wants, from the method it matches to what it carries. The comforting bag is made from thick, gentle padded nylon that really looks like a cushion. The Double bag design, which was released in 2014, was envisioned as a basic that may be very true to the Prada model. We gotta admit that it’s extraordinarily much like the Galleria, with the principle distinction being the closure, which makes for easier entry all through the day. It has the entire magnificence and practicality that a basic Prada purse has, despite being a more recent design. Like the Sidonie, it additionally has metal detailing on the side and a black handle that provides a pleasant contrast to the colorful bag. This Prada bag is technically a hobo, with a rounded bottom and an inside magnetic closure. The leather-based strap closure releases to level out the inside with one inside pocket and Nappa leather-based lining. Because the bottom of the bag is structured, whether or not you overfill it or under-fill it, it holds it form properly. As for brunch, the 270-degree views of the Catskills from Prospect, the restaurant on property, is to not be missed. Ladies love the immense element and texture of this leather and fall in love with its polished design. And whilst you may think this leather is overly delicate due to its thinness, it is quite durable and may hold up well- although you must try to keep it away from harms way as much as attainable. Prada Nappa Gaufre Leather is a undoubtedly favorite and many believe it appears greatest in darker colours. To put it plainly, Prada Vitello/Vitello Lux Leather is a gorgeous trying leather that oozes high class. The Prada bag is also an ultimate proof of the unimaginable craftsmanship and finest supplies. So, get ready to carry it fashionably via its double handles. This luxury and trendy prada purses is dedicated to producing prime quality out of doors bags. This beautiful little flap bag can hold a surprising amount of stuff. It is a singular nylon creation that stays away from the extra industrial origin of the fabric. The chain handles add an old-timey element we would usually expect from Chanel or Yves Saint Laurent, however right here they're an sudden contact that provides much more class to the nylon Prada bag. 20 years later and this bag provides the right contact of nostalgia spruced up as a twenty-first century classic. I am excited about receiving personalized presents and magnificence updates via e-mail. “Sooner or later, it's going to happen to everyone because is so good,” Italian billionaire fashion designer Miuccia Prada said in an interview. Notice that the topstitching on most of Prada’s bag types is barely angled. This is hard to duplicate, and most counterfeiters just use a normal straight stitch. The Linea Rossa collection is both modern and practical, with a lense bridge creating one giant, protecting surface. Alternatively, the Sport and Aviator collections supply extra variety, with prime bars for durability and nose pads for enhanced consolation. The straps are sold individually and come in Calfskin, Saffiano, and Nastro leather-based with all that includes floral patterns with a 3D effect designed from crystals, plexiglass, resin or leather. The straps are actually exclusively out there on the Prada Broadway and Prada fifth Avenue boutiques in New York and will be obtainable online by the end of the month. Introduced in 2013, the Prada Double Bag rapidly turned a favorite. Much just like the Galleria Bag, the Double is reinterpreted each season in colours and fabrications primarily based on the style of the season. From then on Miuccia would turn out to be known for her eclectic and continually altering type, since no two runway reveals have every been the identical. In 1978, Miuccia Prada grew to become the head of the company, and she turned issues around significantly. She stopped imports altogether and switched the store’s focus in direction of in-house bag designs. She launched the primary series of nylon Prada backpacks and totes, which would go on to turn out to be a significant hit in the mid-’80s and properly into the ‘90s. Miuccia Prada’s mother, Luisa, inherited the store from her father Mario, and in 1970 she introduced her daughter into the company. The latter not only holds particulars of the bag fashion but in addition its serial number. Finally, the Baroque assortment is well probably the most unique and indulgent design of all of Prada’s sunglasses. The Baroque sun shades use butterfly frames and curly temples that provide ample protection, without sacrificing style. These sun shades are available in a variety of colour schemes, together with black and brown, yellow and black, and purple and yellow. While the Galleria Bag presents a bit extra construction, particularly due to the full body pockets on the front and back of the bag, the Double is more minimal and light-weight. Prada Candy Prada Perfume Hopefully they dont discontinue or reformulte it. This perfume to me is sort of a "your pores and skin however sweeter" scent. It actually does work in one other way with everyones chemistry. On me this is a make-up blended with powdered sugar scent and people milk caramel candies. The Prada shoulder luggage are perfect for the outgoing girls who like to maintain it basic with their things. I assumed that many sweet fragrances, especially ones called "Candy" were going to be a juvenile, sickly mess. Well, now that I'm starting to have a larger understanding of fragrances and am realizing that candy and gourmand don't necessarily imply cloying cotton candy scents, I determined to attempt this for fall. So I pulled out a tester of it that I had and I'm glad I did. Both tags are white, but one has the number 31 in black and the other one the quantity 26 in red. I recently bought a preloved Prada Borsa Tessuto Nero. I was questioning if it ought to have had a hidden number tag? Also, there wasn’t any model engraved on the zippers, just plain one. The authenticity card’s envelope included was in blue not black. Headed up by his visionary granddaughter, Miuccia Prada for several a long time, her collections, heavily inspired by artwork, culture and contemporary society, are revered by fashion editors to A-list stars. The providing contains ready-to-wear, accessories, footwear, baggage and far more. This is attributed to the fact that there isn't a pepper or harsh wooden noted within the composition. This is a really particular perfume due to just how clean it's, it will not gel with everybody but it's an excellent addition to my collection and one I put on a minimum of each fortnight or so. depurses prada Smooth metallic lavender opening with a recent yet slightly darkish shady really feel. 'Carbon' was the right choice to call this fragrance. All in all, it just about simply has like a clean clothes sort of smell. For a fresh fragrance, performance is nice, with good longevity and reasonable projection. Here’s tips on how to inform a real Prada BN2106 from a pretend one. One of essentially the most favored luxury manufacturers right now is Prada. Established in 1913, its original and classic design has been liked by many fashionistas (including me!) and celebs all over the world. However, as a result of its reputation, more manufacturers are now producing Prada replicas that look eerily just like the real one. One of the explanation why I spend cash on luxury bags is the reality that their prices usually skyrocket after a couple of years, in distinction to odd handbags which regularly have little worth over a time frame. When it involves sneakers, the designer ones always give me the sort of gasping expertise akin to a lover’s first kiss. There are examined Prada's nylon decisions these days, they have expanded somewhat. Search for a couple of our nylon favorites, both conventional and new, below. a lot about Prada luggage I determined to research them. Pretend Prada Archives This is certainly a more reliable method to earn cash than wholesale purchase of replica on-line. Yes, you might not be able to consider that in addition to wholesale purchases of replicas, there are such good channels to make money. So, you can try to purchase a product immediately, because Chinabrands does not have a minimum order amount for wholesalers. This permits you to choose more merchandise, and the reasonable competition between suppliers can provide clients with extra quality and preferential products. In addition, you can also access the quality B2B services provided by Chinabrands, the place small entrepreneurs can get very low-cost wholesale costs. wikipedia Leather double handle 10.5cm high, detachable and adjustable shoulder with 50cm. Double-lock closure with lock closure, leather and rayon lining. There's no reason why you must should go another day without a luxurious purse or handbag. With an intensive number of purses , low-cost costs, free delivery, and a protracted and established history of providing exceptional service, DFO Handbags is the popular supplier of designer handbags. Apart from the backpacks, they've purses for ladies and leather-based purses. Follow my weblog for extra informative articles about baggage and style. I advise you to fastidiously verify the spacing of all the elements within the brand. These include the Prada Milano name, the ribbon, and a unique crest. It could sound trivial, nevertheless it's precisely what I imply. “Made in Italy”, as many different excellences around the globe, is struggling to outlive in at present's society. They set up ship in 2017 and have sold over 15,000 units of product. So let’s get into the best Dhgate replica luggage sellers. These are prime notch high quality replica luggage from China so to talk. Verified by us as well as tonnes of product reviews on DHGate. Looking for replicas of high brands such as Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Prada and others? Luxury baggage from big manufacturers are ridiculously costly and in many of the cases, they're priced excessive just for their brand name and never essentially the quality. Prada’s logo, which includes the inverted triangle, is considered one of the most distinguishable designer logos. Genuine Prada luggage should have brand plaques which may be clearly readable, evenly placed, and secured on the leather. Most Prada bags come in a soft flannel or silky dust bag with the Prada emblem printed on the entrance, though there are only a few exceptions. Authentic Prada baggage have their stitching accomplished at an angle. The stitching on genuine baggage can be accomplished with a thick thread. Most faux luggage will use a flimsier thread and the stitching will normally be done straight. You will discover a small tag inside the bag, and it will have a number. This quantity is an indicator of the purse manufacturing facility number. Make certain that the bag incorporates a white dust bag, and the Prada brand is engraved on it in black colour. Make positive that font on the Prada bag and dirt bag are the same. The authentic Prada bag accommodates a label indicating that “100 Cotton and Made in Italy”. Though the it tote craze didn’t actually take hold until a couple of years after, in the flip of the century Miuccia Prada despatched the primary it bag of down the century her Spring/Summer 2000 runway present. A totally completely different form, with curved lines and an oddly satisfying streamlined design, the Prada Bowling Bag was impressed by a genuine bowling bag. No sooner did the tote make its method off the runway that customers started planning to buy if it hit stores. When the bag did property in stores, it offered out instantly and the waitlist rose by way of the day. Next, look for the quality assurance tag within the interior pocket.

[natalias13]

Going Postal

3rd March 2020

As one of my first workshops I am asked to do a side profile portrait collage which is inspired by Raymond Ray Jonson. His work is all mainly produced in black-and-white however with the things that we got given to produce this task I decided to do an interpretation of his work and not an exact copy and I wanted to do it in colour.

 To start of the workshop we first had to get a side profile pictures of ourselves I asked a classmate of mine to take mine, as the picture doesn’t have to be perfect we just took it on each other’s phones. It was just to have a rough outline of the side profile. 

This was then moved on to a Imac and then developed in photoshop. As most of the work had to be done physically there was only minimal detailing that we could do on photoshop I decided to change mine to black-and-white as I prefer my pictures to be plain and with less detail as possible. This gives me almost a plain canvas to work on.

We got provided the essentials of magazines, scissors, cutting mat, scalpels, glue, tape, ink and other accessories in which could help us to create this workshop. I decided to use scissors, pencil, A3 plain paper and glue.

I decided to cut around the outline of my side profile and stick it onto a clean sheet of A3 paper this was painted beforehand so I could get a clean black silhouette of myself. 

For the the second piece I wanted to represent my self and my mind. The bright beautiful colours in the side portrait represent my kind, loving personality. There is images of clocks, vinyls showing my interests in music, words such as home this represents my security, food, geometry, plants, palm trees, maps and more, all of the images relate to me and my current situation and my mind. This work can be very powerful towards the audience it can send them a message or they might just find it visually pleasing.

I liked creating this work as there is no order to it and I can place whatever I want wherever, just as long I keep the silhouette of the profile I didn’t have to have an organised piece. 

I enjoy this project as this means I could express myself and I could find images in the magazines that expressed me. I then also liked the process of laying the images out to create this silhouette and making sure that everything is included whilst still keeping the main aim in the overall image.

I believe that my own interpretation of this task was successful as it included what Ray Johnson does which is collage, it also allows the audience to get involved with the image, by questioning what is going on, making it even more interesting when you think deeper or make theories.

I could develop on this by maybe creating different moods or situations in the silhouette through the same process or inverting it or recreating the exact same piece as the artist did with my own style. This will expand my ideas and possibilities in my project.

Comparison No.1:

This is a comparison of mine and another students work. I found some similarity's and differences, with the similarities consisting of, both are a left side profile this is based on the artist’s style of work, there is also bright colours used, this shows that both of our mids are full of energy, emotion and creativity.

There won't be many similarities as we have different personalties, moods and interests so there will be more differences. The differences that I found in the students work are that they have a detailed silhouette, there's more space between the images, mood is: calm, relaxed, settled, this profile is also space themed, this is shown through the planets in and the neon lights which are galaxy like. 

The differences in my work is that there is a lot of imagery, the mood is chaos, anxiety, fun, excitement, there is also key elements that related to me/that I liked, this is also how the two show difference as one is more open and relatable as the other one is mysterious. The audience may relate more to one than the other however I believe that this depends on the type or what mood they may be in.

Comparison No.2:

This is a comparison between my work and Raymond Johnson's work which is the original artists that produced this style of work. As you may be able to notice there is many visual comparisons, this ranges from similarities such as left side silhouette profiles, both contain a range of imagery, they both show some characteristic e.g. I see my silhouette as a monkey and the other profile reminds me of a film character/or illustration (out of proportion head), I find that both of the images contain geometric shapes, the artists profile is filled more on the inside with geometric shapes as mine is the opposite and more geometric on the outside. 

The differences in the artist profile is that his is based on social life and not mainly about him but others meaning it’s distant, mine is based about me meaning its close and personal, he uses dull colours, this creates a mood and atmosphere of sadness, loneliness, frustration? (maybe?) between the piece and the audience, however my piece is a much more upbeat and positive, allowing the audience to interact more with the work, also the bright and vibrant colours will be memorable with the audience, meaning this will allow them to remember my collage. The similarities allow both of the pieces to connect in some spectrums however the differences make them unique.

I believe that comparing the work has helped me to see the possibilities between the two pieces not only by how they can or are connecting with the audience but what the message or atmosphere they can really create. I will now be applying this to my future comparison work as I can see the potential of a good and bad work piece this can help me grow in development and ideas.

Ray Johnson

Who is Ray Johnson?

Ray Johnson was a seminal pop art figure in the 1950′s, an early conceptualist, and a pioneer of mail art. Born in Detroit, Michigan on October 16th 1927, he grew up in a working class neighbourhood, this means that his family didn't have much but they had just enough to support their children and live in a house and also put food on the table. He attended high school where he applied for advertising art program, in the summer he attended a drawing program at Ox-Bow school, an art institution. He them progressed and went to college, studying things such as painting with the Bauhaus facility, later on he then participated in festivals such as “The ruse of medusa” and visited many lectures with some fellow friends.

His work ?

In early 1949 he moved to New York and became an active participant in the downtown art scene. He started painting geometric abstractions which was heavily influenced by his former professor Josef Albers. He then later destroyed his work by turning it into collage. At first he was making Irregular shapes so called “moticos” his name for small scale collages.

From the early 1960′s Johnson would reuse his “moticos” cutting them up to create tiny compositions that he glued to small blocks of layered cardboard he then experimented with ink and paint, which will then convert into extremely complex collages which showed repetition and various semi geometric forms which related to the eccentric minimalism of fellow artist such as Louise Bourgeois and Eva Hesse. The colleges revealed his profound understanding of Cubism and his intent to exploring it in different forms. He also incorporated meaningful text into his work letters, fragments of words, names of celebrities, literacy figures, and art-world denizens, both historical and current. He pointed his views towards marvellous connections between them and the world of metamorphosing glyphs. Johnstons could turn ordinary life into art “gold”. Johnson would say that he did not make pop art he made “chop art”.

This image is another one of many art pieces that I like that R. Johnson produced.

Over all I believe that Ray Johnson is a good artist he may have come from a low income family but he has worked and experimented in every opportunity he had, he obviously loves what he does as he hasn't stopped producing. He obviously didn't come to what he does now through one simple step it was a range of experiments and tests that lead him to this sort of imagery, the experiments was with that he had around him he tried to corporate it into his art this not only inspired him but allowed him to develop and create. 

Ray Johnson has inspired me to experiment with media, collage and the things around me. I could use the method of collaging and add it to my work but maybe with the relatable imagery and references, as well as media. I could develop this art by using different shapes instead of silhouettes and using black and white instead if colour or create the art just out of words. By doing this it will expand my ideas. 

[pushesbuttons-blog]

Creedy Rambles-

So this is just gonna be a new thing I do on occasion when I can’t focus on drafts or messages, where I’m going to talk about stuff related to TSP, fandoms, tumblr and roleplaying in general. I’ll be tagging these specifically, and they’ll all be under a read more. So if you don’t want to see them, just blacklist the tag.

REGARDING OC’s:

THIS IS NOT MEANT TO OFFEND ANYONE OR THEIR CHARACTER, SIMPLY IT IS TO HELP PEOPLE WHO WANT TO IMPROVE AND EDUCATE PEOPLE ON WHAT IS ORIGINAL IN A CHARACTER AND WHAT ISN’T- BASED OFF OF HOW MANY OTHER PEOPLE DO IT.

Before I start in I’ll quickly identify what an OC is-

OC or Original Character, is a person or entity developed entirely with the creative mind of one person and does not stem from an existing copyright/franchise.

Essentially- it is a being that you made up. You made up their personality, backstory, appearance- all of it. Yes, you probably got inspiration from other places or characters, but it is still your own character. They can be set in a specific game/movie/book or any franchise, or you can make up your own world for them.

Now unfortunately on Tumblr, Oc’s face A LOT of criticism and backlash. Not necessarily because Oc’s are bad.. but because of the stereotype that they’re bad.

And even worse, this stereotype is often very true, in the sense that- people do NOT understand how to make a character.

People make a character, but its not really original. Because it conforms to ALL the stereotypes that other people’s OC’s have. Thus negating its originality in the first-place. Making it ironically an UNoriginal character.

And it kills me, because those Oc’s ruin it for the GOOD Oc’s out there.

I’ve been on Tumblr for only around 2-ish years and I’ve seen HUNDREDS of Oc’s. Some AMAZING and others horrid.

And It hurts me that the good Oc’s aren’t given a chance because of the negative association with stereotypical ‘bad’ oc’s.

Now I bet you’re asking- ‘Creedy, what are some of the things people do that make BAD Oc’s? Surely it can’t be that bad, that people on tumblr sometimes won’t even consider writing with them, right?’

Sadly, that is completely correct.

Disclaimer: Sometimes people won’t write with your OC simply because they don’t like them, and thats THEIR problem. Not yours.

So let me give a quick rundown and reasoning as to what people do that give Oc’s (GENERALLY) a bad name-

1. Mary Sue / Gary Stu

Okay, we’ve all heard these ones. But if you haven’t- A Mary Sue is basically a stereotypical OC with NO FLAWS. She’s often described as ‘smart, pretty, honest, kind, and amazing at everything she does’.. okay. 

That is already a HUGE red flag.

And even moreso- the only ‘flaw’ these characters will sometimes have is ‘clumsiness’ or some other attribute that doesn’t directly negatively effect the character’s personality, and is usually used as a trope to get that character closer to what they want... which is NOT what a flaw is supposed to do.

And if you think that your character is somehow unique in spite of all this- the FIRST instance of a Mary Sue goes as far back as 1973. In a Star Trek Fanfiction

Mary Sue stories—the adventures of the youngest and smartest ever person to graduate from the academy and ever get a commission at such a tender age. Usually characterized by unprecedented skill in everything from art to zoology, including karate and arm-wrestling. This character can also be found burrowing her way into the good graces/heart/mind of one of the Big Three [Kirk, Spock, and McCoy], if not all three at once. She saves the day by her wit and ability, and, if we are lucky, has the good grace to die at the end, being grieved by the entire ship.[7]

If your character matches this description, I’m sorry but- they are NOT original. If they’re good at basically everything with no flaws (especially at a younger than normal age) that character is by all means considered a Mary Sue. A Gary Stu just being the male counterpart.

How to fix this:

Now there IS a line in the sand. Your character can be young and good at things, nothing wrong with that. But make sure you add in some flaws such as- ‘unintelligent, rude, brash, liar, insecure, boring, cruel’. And make it so that there are things they hate in the world, and people that hate them. Mary Sues are also often depicted with everyone liking them, but as we all know that is simply not realistic. Create enemies or rivals for your character- or Hell, even someone they just plain dislike.

2. DO NOT COME UP WITH EVERYTHING ON THE SPOT

This^^^ Is important

Do not force your ideas. Do not try and just pull a character out of your ass, because then that character will be shit.

Take your time, no pressure.

You do not have to come up with their favorite color immediately- or even finish their backstory.

Somedays you may like an idea but later on you might realize it was stupid or unfitting, and vice versa.

Be patient and pace yourself

But lets say you’ve already kinda rushed it with your character, no biggie.

How to fix it:

Again, take your time. Don’t immediately go deleting everything you dislike about your character. Put it on the backburner and give it time to boil, slowly but surely- it will come to you.

3. Do not LIST things.

Unfortunately I’m also guilty of this one, as is most Tumblr rpers.

When you make an about page for your character- listing the name, age, birth. Thats okay. But why do it that way when you can show off your writing skills a bit?

And don’t make giant random pointless lists of likes and dislikes. Place them in relevant categories.

How to fix it:

Instead of doing the following:

Likes: Swords, rock, fighting, snow.

Do this:

Aya lives outcast in the snowy tundra nearly 20 miles from the nearest city, but it suits her just fine. The harsh snow is actually quite comforting and she can’t imagine living anywhere else. Additionally she has a fiery passion for sword-play, and practices as often as she can in her own private training room. The adrenaline of fighting keeps her fit and on her toes, and it drives her to do the best she possibly can each day. Aya also has a great taste in music, hard rock to be specific. She enjoys rocking out to AC/DC while battling her training dummy.

Is it a bit long and drawn out? Maybe, but it’ll give that person a better idea on how you write and how descriptive you are. Its not a cookie-cutter sort of process anymore.

4. No Eye-bleeding color schemes.

Dear sweet baby Jesus.

Look, sometimes it works. But a good 99.9% of the time- using every color of the rainbow WILL NOT WORK.

When you do that, it looks like someone crushed the color out of every sharpie that exists and dumped it on your character.

Its not pretty or cute or creative, because everyone has done it and it hurts to look at. Especially if you choose NEON OVER BLACK. You will burn someone’s eyes out, don’t do that.

Here is a basic read-up on Color Theory and some beautiful Color Palettes, to give you an idea.

How to fix it:

Now look, rainbow coloring in itself isn’t bad. But instead of just choosing the brightest colors you can find. Go to google and search for a color palette and use that. A good chunk of canon characters generally have a set of 5-6 colors in the same moodset that they stick to.

Also tacking on this: generally make your character’s clothing simple. Don’t add too many crazy patterns or random hats and glasses and wings and tails just.. unless you can justify it in their backstory properly- stick to a standard set of clothing and then maybe tack on a maximum of 3 accessories. A bracelet, a fancy hairtie and glasses.. okay done! Simple but cute!

5. Do not base that character entirely on a character that already exists (especially if you intend them to be in the same fandom)

It does not take skill or originality to take Elmo and turn him blue and then call him ‘Omle’

That is not an ‘original’ character and its not ‘inspired’ off of Elmo- yet I see people do this all the time.

Now look, this one is hit or miss. Sometimes it works and its cool, but most of the time it doesn’t. Especially if they’re in the same franchise.

Inspiration =/= Copying

How to fix it:

Unfortunately if you’ve done this you may need to make drastic changes with your character. But that doesn’t mean you HAVE to take away everything, you can just add new stuff. A change of clothes, skin color, eye color, maybe body shape, swap out some personality traits and boom- you’ve already got something more original than what you’ve started with!

6. Simple, my God.. simple

Meet Simplicity, no- they’re not an OC. But they’re gonna be your new best friend.

Simplicity is what you need. No over amount of accessories, powers, positive OR negative personality traits. Just a nice SIMPLE amount.

How to fix this:

Again if you’re not comfortable putting your character through drastic changes. Then this won’t be for you. Try and limit yourself with a set number of general stuff about your character. Like top five positive traits, and top five negative traits. Okay-

Compassionate, Goofy, Hilarious, Bubbly, Kind

Airheaded, nervous, panicky, oblivious, naive.

Notice how all of these traits generally have something in common or similar to the ones next to them? That is what a character is supposed to be like. Different enough to be their own thing, but similar enough to still ‘blend’ with that character. They OVERLAP each other.

7. I...I’m not sure what to call this one?

But basically- if your character is lets say.. ‘the sonic oc’. Make sure they look as though they’re from the sonic universe, but also doesn’t look too similar to a character already in that universe.

ALSO DO NOT USE BASES.

Any art you do will be SO MUCH BETTER and IMPROVE YOU SO MUCH MORE than ANY base you use.

Bases are actually proven to make your art skills WORSE.

Here is a POSE sight used to help artists draw, this is better to use.

Disclaimer: Using bases as references is fine. Do not copy it pose-per-pose. But maybe you just want to get a general idea of that character so you look at a base- thats fine. But do not copy it.

How to fix it:

Again you may need to redesign your character if this is the case.

Can’t draw? Thats alright, a detailed description can generally be enough for an OC. And even if you feel like your art sucks, practice makes perfect. I promise you.

8. Fit the personality with the appearance.

A character in a dark hood with circles under his eyes that look soul-crushing probably won’t have the personality of a six year old girl.

When you make a character who has a sad or depressive general mood or personality, match that with colors and clothing articles. Like blue or fluffy sweaters.

Think of the emotions in Pixar’s Inside Out. Their appearance directly correlates to their personality and the emotion they give off. That is what makes them good characters.

How to fix it:

Again, a redesign might be in order.

9. Long V.s Short Backstories

Alright so theres a huge doublestandard on Tumblr that I CANNOT STAND.

On one hand- people reprimand you if your backstory is too short. Alright, fair enough. Its their life story, I’m supposed to make it long and specific right?

WRONG!!!!!!

Because then people will get lazy and not even bother to read your character’s backstory because apparently 7 pages is ‘too much’.

How to fix this:

So, what do?

You make both.

You make a small summary of your character with something like ‘Very brief history’ and then you expand upon it under the summary with a title like ‘detailed/specific history.’ At least that way people can’t piss on you for your story being too short or too long.

10. The stereotypical ‘Tragic backstory’

Okay. I’m guilt of this. I’m SEVERELY guilty of this.

However, a tragic backstory isn’t bad.. as long as there is reason behind it.

When you have a character- having sad or horrible things happen in their life is good. Otherwise they’d just be another Mary Sue. But you don’t want to completely make your character miserable unless they call for it.

Lets say your character is blind- it makes sense that they could’ve had a tragic accident that blinded them.

But if your character was bruised or beaten for...seemingly no reason and it had no effect on them personality wise.. why is it there? What was the point in throwing it into their story?

A smiley, bubbly character who is constantly happy and has nothing wrong with them is not going to have ‘Macbeth’ as their backstory. And vice versa.

How to fix this:

Add happier or brighter moments in their life, intervals where things weren’t so bad. Role models, hobbies and when they learned them. Things like that.

On the other end (if they’re too happy) Add some sad parts. Struggles they’ve had, confrontations they won’t forget etc. etc.

11. Research.

I’m not saying you have to write a book report, but looking up on google about real-world locations, how certain jobs and processes (such as being arrested, giving birth, whatever is relevant to the character/your thread) will do you some good in an rp. And you might learn something!

And this is not meant to offend anyone.

Alright. Now I want to say that yeah- you can get away with some of this stuff. I list things, sometimes my characters are over the top, or their color scheme isn’t great. And people still think the character is good.

But it IS highlighting the things literally EVERYONE ELSE HAS DONE, therefore making these tropes unoriginal and making your character unoriginal. This is meant to give tips on how to make your character more original.

Do you have to change it if you don’t want to? No.

Is your character so awful it’ll make me vomit if you don’t follow these rules? No.

But if you want to improve upon your creativity, these steps will do nothing but HELP you in the long run. I promise!